Through a structured, four-year curriculum of studio and liberal arts courses, students grow as artists and human beings. The College fosters an environment that nurtures individual development and successfully prepares students to work in every area of the visual arts, from painting and sculpture to ceramics and jewelry, from furniture and textile design to art education and photojournalism, from video graphics and publication design to advertising and curatorial work.
Graduates enter the professional world with one of the finest visual arts educations available.
One of the great attractions of MECA is its location in Portland, Maine. A small, cosmopolitan city of 65,000 situated on the Atlantic Ocean's Casco Bay, Portland consistently ranks as one of the safest and most livable cities in the United States and was recently named one of the country's top twenty-five art destinations by American Style magazine. The city offers many of the cultural advantages of a large urban center but in a more relaxed setting. The city is home to the Portland Museum of Art, Portland Symphony Orchestra, Portland Stage Company, and numerous other cultural resources. Jazz, blues, reggae, rock, and folk music are featured in a variety of clubs in the historic Old Port district.