Charlie Selders '27

Charlie Selders ’27 is an Illustration major at Maine College of Art & Design. When not drawing in his brightly-decorated studio, Charlie can be found playing guitar in his band, Silverfish, or getting involved in the Portland arts scene.

Charlie shares his experience building community at MECA&D and beyond, and emphasizes the important role of scholarships in his experience.

What brought you to MECA&D?

I have family up in Midcoast, so I’d come visit Maine and spend a lot of time here. As a teenager, it was cool to come down to Portland and explore the record stores with my friends, and I remember MECA&D always being here. When college applications started coming around, it was always on my list, and I was really happy to get to come back.

What has it been like to build community here?

Building community at MECA&D has been an awesome experience. I’ve been able to find my people in a way that I hadn’t before. When I got here, I made a lot of friends very quickly and connected deeply with people, which was surprising. My community is so great here.

What’s it like to be in Portland as a student?

I’ve been really able to connect with Portland’s art and music scenes in a way that I feel wouldn’t be possible in another place. MECA&D is so integrated into the Portland community, and people really care about getting involved. Even during my first week here, I got to meet so many awesome local artists and get integrated into the arts scene at large.

Can you tell us about your involvement in the music scene in Portland?

Yeah! The band that I’m in is called Silverfish, and we’re a post-punk, hardcore, screamo-ish band. I play guitar and do some vocal work, and it’s been really cool. We’re all full-time MECA&D students, so we’re all doing visual art a lot of the time and then we get to come together and express ourselves in another way.

We’ve been having luck lately playing at local venues like the Apohadion, where everyone is so hospitable and welcoming. Freshman year, I’d go down there with my buddies, and now it’s a blast to get to play there. It’s been really cool to get to take the band and bring it out to the world and be welcomed with open arms by the Portland arts scene.

What’s your artistic practice like?

My artistic practice is really rooted in drawing. Everything comes from the excitement and energy I feel when I’m putting a material to paper. I love how direct it is and how much room there is to play while you’re drawing.

When it comes to making an illustration, it’s all in the way I dress it up. I do a lot with colored pencils, and I like making it really smudgy and weird, like a piece I did recently about ice cream and geometry. Hand lettering is fun too, getting really tight with pens and intense, detailed stuff that I can then digitally color to give it a polished finish. For me, illustration and drawing is like putting my ideas into a costume.

What’s it like to have access to so many studio spaces?

It’s always bumping in here, even late at night. That’s really awesome, and it was a big thing for me when coming to MECA&D to have the 24/7 access to studios. I get to come in when I need to, and when I feel inspired to work, on my own schedule.

Some of us even have a ritual when it’s really crunch time, where we’ll watch the sunrise from our studios and then head down to Marcy’s Diner for a breakfast sandwich. We’re working hard and then getting to chill together.

What’s been a surprise to you at MECA&D?

I’ve been surprised by the number of opportunities I’ve had here. It’s such a small school that it’s easy to know what’s happening. The music program and Artists at Work stand out as surprises that have really set me up for success in ways I didn’t expect at all.

Through Artists at Work, I found an internship at Little Chair Printing with Hope Rovelto, a legendary person and awesome artist. It was great to be able to learn from and work with her for the summer. I also got to do a duo show at 49 Oak with Lilah Grove, and we got to take over the 49 Oak gallery for a few days to exhibit our work together.

What’s your relationship like with faculty?

I have a pretty tight bond with a lot of my professors, specifically with Stephen Benenson. I took a really cool drawing class with him, and he’s been a great person to forge a connection with, both in class and outside of it.

All of the Illustration faculty are so supportive and awesome. They give really helpful advice and direction. Even when I’m working on client work, I can go to them and ask advice on charging for freelance work and building my network. It’s not just about who I am in the classroom.

Have you explored other departments and disciplines since being at MECA&D?

Oh, absolutely. I’m all over every department. I’ve taken painting classes, photo classes, graphic design classes, and so many others. It’s all there for everyone to try out. When you take a class, you get to use all of the resources, even if you’re not majoring in that department.

I learned so much from my print classes. I made merchandise for our band using the screenprinting room. And then in the painting department, I’ve made great relationships with the professors, and the photo program is so cool as well.

I mean, it’s art school! I’m here to be everywhere and do as much as I possibly can. I really want to use every facility that the school has to offer.

How does creativity show up in your life?

Creativity doesn’t show up in my life so much as it engulfs me. It’s not something that really stops. If I’m not drawing, I’m thinking about drawing. I don’t know that creativity is a part of me as much as it is an all-encompassing thing about me. MECA&D has enriched that for me, and made it so that I have so many places where I can express it.

What’s your favorite spot at MECA&D?

The big drawing room in Cumberland is awesome. All of my favorite classes have been there, and it’s a good spot to focus. When I have to get stuff done, that’s where I go.

What role do scholarships play in your life at MECA&D?

Scholarship support has been really good for me and it’s helped to support me so much while I’ve been here. I don’t have to worry about taking on too many other responsibilities while I’m here, because scholarships have helped me stay balanced.

It makes it easier for me to focus on my work with less financial pressure, and it’s going to be a much more manageable transition for me after graduation, too. It’s made everything feel doable.

What three words would you use to describe your community at MECA&D?

Punk rock. That’s two words, but I’m counting it as one.

Driven. Everyone I’m surrounded by is very into what they do. They love it, they’re obsessed with it, and they’re here to work hard on it.

Vibrant. There’s a lot of brightly-colored things about everyone here.