THE HEALING POWER OF ART WINTER + SPRING 2019 LEADERSHIP TEAM Art gives meaning to our day-to- Laura Freid, President MAKE YOUR OWN day lives. Now more than ever, Beth Elicker, Executive Vice President MECA is counting on you to help Ian Anderson, Vice President of Academic us provide the next generation Affairs & Dean of the College TRANSFORMATIVE of artists with the opportunities, Matthew Goetting, Vice President of resources, and tools they need to Institutional Advancement GIFT TODAY excel in an ever-changing world. When you support our Annual EDITOR Fund, your gift has an immediate Annie Wadleigh, Assistant Director impact on our students and of Development our communities. DESIGN MAKE YOUR GIFT TODAY AT Lauren Myers ‘06 meca.edu/donate Krystina Benedetti, Assistant Designer 207.775.5098 BOARD OF TRUSTEES [email protected] Brian Wilk ’95 , Chair Kathryn Yates, Vice Chair Daniel N. Crewe Jenny Scheu 2 Deborah H. Dluhy Ari Solotoff 3 Thomas Dwyer Deborah Spring Reed Edward Friedman ’08 Susan A. Rogers Meredith Koerner P ’16 Susan Schraft, MD Margaret Morfit Cynthia Thompson Dan Poteet Paula Zeitlin EMERITUS TRUSTEES Joan L. Amory Jane G. Briggs Betsy Evans Hunt, Hon. DFA ’13 Candace Pilk Karu, Hon. DFA ’13 Cover: Flower Power, thesis work by Allysun West '18, modeled by Arun Devon. Photo by Kyle Dubay '18. MAINE COLLEGE OF ART 522 Congress St Portland, ME 04101 1-800-639-4808 Photo by Erin Little. meca.edu [email protected] CONTENTS 14 LAURA FREID, PRESIDENT Faculty Corner 6 ACCLAIMED “THE REAL ACT OF DISCOVERY,” MARCEL ANIMATOR ADAM PROUST WROTE, “CONSISTS NOT IN 16 Feature 10 FISHER JOINS MECA'S FINDING NEW LANDS BUT IN SEEING WITH THE HEALING NEW ANIMATION & NEW EYES.” Spotlight POWER OF ART Focus on: ICA Exhibit GAME ART PROGRAM INTERVIEW WITH CLOTHING AS MEDICINE Dear Students, Alumni, Family, and Friends, JULIE POITRAS SANTOS I think about seeing with new eyes as I watch MECA students learning how to enhance their ability to view the world around them in different ways—and in that process create work that will transform them and ultimately impact the lives of others. Sometimes the transformation is discrete and other times it is seismic, affecting all who experience it –- like the work in the recent Making Migration Visible: Traces, Tracks & Pathways exhibition in the Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA. LLC 23 Media, State Magazine, Port of Old Courtesy Wolf, Nicole by Photo In this issue, we explore the work of artists who to educate the next generation of artists and are using their talents to directly encourage designers is one of my top priorities, and I could physical and emotional healing. While artists and not achieve this goal without your support. I scientists may not employ the same methods or am very pleased to report that your increased 4 focus on the same subjects, their motivations participation and contributions have helped us 5 are closely related. Art and science represent our to grow our total giving in the last fiscal year by best attempts to describe the world and to further 24 percent. Thanks to you, MECA is becoming understand it, so it is not surprising to see MECA stronger and better able to educate the talented alumni using their creativity to help people heal. students we attract to learn and work with us. Mary Schmaling Kearns ’98 channels beauty to Thank you for your generosity and improve the quality of life for cancer patients thoughtfulness. All of us here at MECA feel and others; Peter Buotte MFA ’03 harnesses his privileged to be educating the next generation creativity to help traumatized veterans; Martha of artists, designers, and cultural leaders, and Miller ’06, P ’07 discovered that her artistic we welcome you to come and visit us during the 18 The Next Level: DO YOU THINK I COULD 28 Fundraising News process facilitated healing within her own family. semester. Also, let us know what you are working REACH YOU? At their essence, these stories are really about on in your own studio practice so that we can 31 Lifelong Learning: THE SPACE hope in the unseen. The creativity and dedication share it with our community of artists 19 The Next Level: THE RENAISSANCE OF OF FREEDOM of these alumni is inspirational and a poignant and thinkers. reminder of the soft power that artists have to A BLIND ARTIST change our world. 32 Alumni News With warm regards, One of the most rewarding aspects of my job 20 Out and About: FINDING PATTERNS OF as President is the opportunity I have each and HEALING IN THE FRENCH ALPS 36 Alumni Class Notes every day to see optimism embodied within our students. Providing the best tools and facilities 22 Annual Report of Giving 42 In Memoriam (L - R) Women with henna wedding hands in Jaipur, India. Photo by Mary Schmaling-Kearns '98. Mohamad Hafez, Desperate Cargo [Detail], plaster, paint, float, found objects, MP3 media player, rusted metal, lighting, 144” x 48” x 40”, 2016. Photo by Dave Dostie. Courtesy of Maine magazine, State 23 Media, LLC. Allysun West ’18, Connection, modeled by Linda Holtslander (R) and Jaina Neri (L). Photograph by Kyle Ross. FEATURE: THE HEALING POWER OF ART THE HEALING POWER OF ART rtmaking, in its many in my studio for prayer cere- smile returns to their face pain of loss. It’s not easy, but forms, is not a passive monies. Creating a healing after so many challenges it gives me hope. A activity. We asked space in my studio has been has been empowering and Our body’s vessel is a vehicle three MECA alumni to share wonderful. I’ve seen beauti- transformative. That’s why for our expression of the their thoughts about the ful tribute paid to the loss of I photograph each person, soul. I never thought I transformative power of art. a loved one through using especially those with the would be doing a henna old letters from a mother’s henna crowns [head tattoos ceremony for someone who Mary Schmaling-Kearns ’98 or father’s handwriting to for those who have lost was dying. I was asked to create a tattoo from their their hair through cancer “I have been applying art decorate her hands and feet own words. treatments]. The skills I on skin for 25 years. The when she only had a few learned at MECA help me to emotional body responds Connecting face-to-face is days left to live. I felt as if I photograph and videotape to henna or tattooing as important and my studio was creating art in honor of my clients with an a form of energy transfer. has provided an opportunity the spiritual transcendence artistic eye. Henna artwork is herbal for people to allow their of impermanence. My henna 6 plant medicine that dates veil of grief or pain to lift, One family member came work found me. I never 7 back over 5,000 years. Its to reclaim their power by up to me after her mother thought it would turn into ceremonial purpose is to creating beauty in the body. had passed and told me my career. It never gets old, honor moments in our life We peel away the layers they had her henna portrait because drawing has been passages that are significant. until parts of their spirit are hanging up and that that my passion since I was six I went to India to study and revealed through brush- was the best day she had years old. My life as an artist document henna patterns. strokes, the workings of a throughout the years of gives me the opportunity to It is a disappearing art—if tattoo, or the impermanence treatment. I have many constantly grow and devel- not recorded, patterns are of henna. Seeing someone friends and family members op my artistic voice.” lost forever. find balance, return to their who were affected by cancer, center, or look at them- so this is a way of giving My work has also given selves in the mirror while a back and acknowledging the me the opportunity to develop sensitivities to the process of creating art for Mehndi bridal hands by Mary-Schaling Kearns’98. Photo courtesy of Maine Tinker Photography. Since 1996, Mary Schmal- people during pregnancies, ing-Kearns ’98 has practiced weddings, cancer treat- henna art mehndi, a a form ments, birthdays, and other of body art. She majored I have talked to many people from diverse cultures who use henna. I have been so for- stages of life. There are situ- in Photography at MECA and continues to work as a ations where I’ve worked multimedia artist. Her prac- tunate to be able to celebrate and honor this ongoing tradition through my one-on-one with people for many years, tices—13 Moons Tattoo, The engagement with communities and families from around the world, and I gained knowl- from the time of their Eye of Henna, and The Healing cancer diagnosis to shaving Art of Reiki – take place in a edge and practice in private homes and through participating as a visiting artist for com- multi-functional studio space their heads for them and in Portland, Maine. In 2018, munity cultural events. This plant has reached so many communities and is still growing having their friends gather the NBC affiliate News Center Maine featured her on their and transforming through its use as body adornment. There is beauty within henna local TV show 207 and in their Mary Schmaling-Kearns '98, markings and the blessings from them as they travel are passed down through time.