MCAD at the MIA
The Minneapolis College of Art and Design and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts have long been neighbors, allowing art students to simply wander over to the museum for a dose of inspiration. Now those students may get to see their own work on display.
The MIA has put out a call to MCAD students for proposals for site-specific installations. Proposals are due November 15, and one proposal will be selected for installation starting mid-March, 2011. I checked in with Vince Leo, Vice President of Academic Affairs at MCAD to find out more:
Have the MIA and MCAD ever collaborated in this way in the past?
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
There have been discussions between staff of both institutions for several years with various outcomes such as class visits and MIA staff critiquing MCAD student work. That said, this is the first collaboration that is institution-wide for both MIA and MCAD. And before I forget, ti's absolutely amazing that MIA is welcoming MCAD students to show work in their museum. Not exactly business as usual for a world-class encyclopedic museum.
How significant is an opportunity like this for an MCAD student?
Very, and our students know it. I think the obvious benefit is that the winner(s) are going to land a big entry on their resume. But to my mind, the most important benefit is the opportunity to work in the real world with MIA staff, a budget (and budget constraints), and the kind of focus a call-for-proposal process brings to a creative intelligence.
What do you think of the project?
I'm more excited than I can probably put into words. It's not just the opportunity for our students, it's also the opportunity to see some great new work. it doesn't make any difference how long I work at MCAD, I see an amazing, surprising, new something several times a week every single week. I'm excited to share!
(FYI, several students at El Colegio will proudly tell that they've already got their work up at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts - they created their own Day of the Dead offerings for the annual "Young People's Ofrenda," now on display.)