Institution has a Program Participation Agreement with the US Department of Education for eligible students to receive Pell Grants and other federal aid.
The Maine College of Art, or MECA, is a fully accredited, degree-granting art college in the city of Portland, Maine.
Established in 1882 as an educational component to the Portland Society of Art, MECA is now a vital cultural and economic force in the city of Portland. Its restoration of historic Congress Street buildings as its primary facilities helped save the downtown area from a severe economic decline, brought on by the growth of indoor shopping facilities such as the nearby Maine Mall. Prior to renaming itself Maine College of Art in the 1990s it was known as the Portland School of Fine and Applied Art and Portland School of Art.
Since the 1990s, Maine College of Art has proved to be a revitalizing force in the downtown area - bringing in students from around the country and internationally, and restoring the historic Porteous building on Congress Street as its main facility. The school has also maintained the Baxter building, once home to the city's public library, housing several computer labs and its New Media, Graphic Design and Photography Majors as well as the offices of Advancement, President and graduate studies.
In addition to offering Bachelor, Post-Baccalaureate in Art Education and Master of Fine Arts degrees, the school has a continuing studies program available to unenrolled adults and high school students.
James Baker has been elected the 16th president of Maine College of Art and is set to begin in summer 2006. Baker is currently the Executive Director of the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado. He succeeds Christine Vincent, who served for four years.
Estimated academic year prices for full-time, first-time undergraduate students
Tuition and Fees
2007-2008
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
In-State
$ 26,060
$ 27,165
$ 28,280
$ 28,695
Out of State
$ 26,060
$ 27,165
$ 28,280
$ 28,695
Books and Supplies
$ 2,100
$ 2,100
$ 2,100
$ 2,150
On-Campus
Room and board
$ 7,380
$ 9,000
$ 9,700
$ 9,425
Other Expenses
$ 1,800
$ 1,200
$ 1,200
$ 1,250
Off Campus
Room and board
$ 6,000
$ 6,000
$ 9,100
$ 9,250
Other Expenses
$ 2,200
$ 1,200
$ 1,200
$ 1,250
Off Campus w/ family
Other Expenses
$ 5,620
$ 5,300
$ 1,200
$ 1,250
Financial aid 2009-2010
Financial aid to full-time, first-time undergraduate students
To get better at what you do, it's always a good idea to know what others did before you. Studying Art History will broaden your understanding of the historical and social contexts of your own work. There's an emphasis on writing and critical thinking” important skills for succeeding after MECA. But...
Clay is intimate and impressionable. It responds immediately to the touch of the artist, a touch it will carry the rest of its life. Ceramics is a diverse medium that includes a range of possibilities from the functional vessel to large-scale sculpture. It is a medium that fosters participation and a...
Before you pick up a pencil, sit down in front of a computer or open the scanner, there are two elements of graphic design you need to know: how to turn an idea into a visual message, and what you can bring to it as an artist. You'll learn how to hone concepts down to their most critical components,...
Illustrators are among the most flexible, versatile artists. MECA Illustrators develop technical skills, working habits and thinking required to adapt a personal voice, interests and working style to a vast range of illustration challenges and contexts. You'll develop personal strategies, visual vocabulary...
Liberal Arts at MECA provides you with knowledge and ideas to draw from in your artwork. The courses span literature, history, philosophy, the social sciences and the natural sciences. Our students say that the classes have made them more aware: conscious of the impact that world events have on art,...
Take the world's oldest art form and make it relevant in the 21st century - that's the challenge of modern jewelry makers and metalsmiths, and one we embrace at MECA. In one of our most discipline-intensive studies, Metalsmithing & Jewelry majors develop a deep understanding of the intimate connection...
You can't contain it, classify it or label it - and perhaps that's why its our broadest major. New Media attracts an eclectic group of artists whose work can't be constrained by a single category. Maybe your art involves video installations or video gaming. Maybe it's about computer animation or interactive...
From your first class, you'll observe characteristics of light, form, space and composition that literally transform how you see your surroundings. Combining this constantly strengthening power of observation with a solid understanding of the art form's history, your work will begin to evolve. You'll...
Photography is changing faster than any other art form at MECA. The way we teach it, however, isn't. Vision, technique, style, point-of-view - it's the same whether you're shooting on film or digital. It comes down to one sixtieth of a second. The knowledge, intuition and skill that precede the snap...
You'll get your hands dirty”possibly stained for weeks a time. What you'll also do is create some spectacular art, blending cutting-edge technology with century-old printmaking techniques. MECA challenges the idea of traditional printmaking, encouraging you to push your work beyondthe 2D, into the world...
AT MECA, sculpture is broadly defined. It's always 3D, it always has a point-of-view and always expresses something from within the artist. Beyond that, there's plenty of room for interpretation. Sure, you'll work in traditional mediums like stone, clay, wood and glass - but your materials may come from...
Woodworking and furniture design have deep New England roots - a tradition of transforming Mainegrown timber into functional artwork. At MECA, you'll quickly move beyond basic woodworking skills into designing and crafting complete projects. You'll learn to take your concepts from sketch to technical...
Become an art educator in a place that offers an exceptional program for artists who wish to teach. MECA's 10-month, postbaccalaureate program in Art Education prepares you for certification in all fifty states. The program includes student teaching and classes in community based collaborative art and...
The Master of Fine Art in Studio Arts at MECA is a fully accredited graduate program focused on the development of multidisciplinary, research-based practices articulated through studio production, curatorial experimentation, and critical writing. The MFA is a flexible 60-credit graduate program which...
