Memphis College of Art still open, creating
When the terrible news broke last fall that the Memphis College of Art – our city’s creative engine since 1936 – would stop admitting new students, many people in the community assumed we were closing immediately.
I’m asked all the time, “Are you still open?”
The answer is a definitive YES. We’re still here and will be until May 2020.
While it’s true the decision to close MCA was heartbreaking and final, there is still an enormous amount of creative energy going on inside the iconic Rust Hall and in the larger MCA community.
The MCA story is all about artists, particularly our students, who will be back when classes start again in August. They have processed the news with incredible passion and creativity. They continue to be cultivated and mentored by our faculty and do the difficult work of learning the techniques and discipline involved in being visual artists. They have also held tight to Memphis and Shelby County, as MCA students always have.
In this past spring semester, for example, a group of students in our Design Lab class partnered with the Shelby County Health Department to develop awareness campaigns to fight opioid abuse. They unveiled their work as part of a roundtable discussion with Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, and their campaigns emphasized the importance of art and design in contributing to the health of our community.
This summer, our students are again working with Imagine U and EPIcenter, entrepreneurial accelerator programs, as well as in companies and organizations throughout the city, where their unique creative thinking and design skills add perspective and value to the challenges of startups and business growth. In return, they get exposure to real-world design challenges and begin to see where they can take their careers when they graduate.
Our Community Education offerings continue to grow through partnerships as well, and we were proud this spring when the first 10 participants in our new Fashion Design Certificate Program graduated. This nine-month intensive program, unique in our region, was launched last year in partnership with the Memphis Fashion Design Network.
Our Summer Art Camps are humming along, with more young artists than ever before streaming into studios and classrooms, thanks to new offerings like Mobile App Design and the wildly popular Animation camps. (It’s not too late to get in on it; you can register for the rest of the summer camps at mca.edu, though some camps may have a waiting list.)
Traditions are important at MCA, and many of our most beloved traditions will be going strong right up until we close the doors, and perhaps beyond.
The annual Horn Island artist’s retreat, a signature program of the College for 34 years, will launch its next ep-
ic adventure off the coast of Pascagoula, Miss., in May 2019. Led by Associate Professor and Horn Island Director Don DuMont, the expedition is unique and magical, and we look forward to seeing the work that comes from this year’s trip when the exhibition and sale opens on August 20th.
The Holiday Bazaar will be back, too. The 68th annual bazaar and fundraiser is scheduled for November 16-17; the 69th bazaar will be staged in November 2019. You won’t want to miss these opportunities to experience the artists’ work featured and sold at these events.
Another beloved tradition is seeing its last incarnation right now, in the beautiful gallery setting of Rust Hall. “We Rise: The Final Biennial Alumni Exhibition“will run through July 15 and is a fitting tribute to the decades of creative leadership that has come from MCA and transformed our city, our region, our nation, and the world.
The Final Biennial includes more than 50 works – books and cast paper, larger-than-life metal sculpture, lush paintings, and colossal photography highlight the school’s most influential departments. This exhibit was juried by MCA’s beloved emeritus professor, Dolph Smith, Julie Pierotti, Curator at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, and Grace Stewart, Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Metal Museum. The exhibit includes alumni and professors, such as Bill Price, Nancy Cheairs, Carl Moore and Wayne Edge, just to name a few.
Take a few minutes to stop by Rust Hall the next time you are in Overton Park, and spend some time with this amazing art and the creative power that is MCA. We’re still here. And, because of the generations of passionate and talented MCA artists, the influence of MCA on Memphis and the world will continue long beyond May 2020.
Laura Hine is the President of Memphis College of Art. Visit mca.edu to learn more.