Sculpture major Hannah Holt ’26 talks to us about all things sculpture at MECA&D, discussing how the program's multidisciplinary and collaborative nature enables personal exploration and growth.
What brought you to MECA&D?
I'm from Maine, so I always had MECA&D in my mind. I did my first year of college elsewhere and then took a year off to earn some money and figure out my path. I applied to MECA&D, got a great scholarship, and decided that was my next move.
How has financial aid facilitated your experience at MECA&D?
Scholarships have made my education entirely possible; I wouldn't be here without them. Need-based and merit-based aid have been so helpful. It's great to be here and be alongside everyone else, and make my work. My work is my primary focus, rather than figuring out how I’m going to pay my tuition. It's really nice to be in the studio and actually be present, and not worry about the bills.
How have your educational experiences, professors, and community transformed you?
I have definitely felt really transformed by the sculpture department in particular. The community in this department is so tight-knit and collaborative, and we really bounce off of each other.
Something I love is that it's so multidisciplinary. Everyone is working in all sorts of different mediums, but we're all in the space together, bouncing ideas off of each other, even when we’re doing completely different work. I've gotten close to the sculpture professors, and they are so knowledgeable. We have welding stations and woodworking stations, and so many materials and tools that I otherwise wouldn't have access to. And I have people who can actually train me how to use them, which is amazing.
Did you know what you wanted to study when you came to MECA&D?
I'm still figuring it out, but that's why I love the sculpture department so much. It's so broad, and you can work in any medium, and you're just using space in any way that you want. I started as a painting major because it’s definitely at the forefront of my practice, but now with sculpture, I see it as painting with space.
Artwork by Hannah Holt '26. Photo by Natalie Conn, Salt '07.
What does your artistic practice look like?
A lot of it is intuition-based. My sketchbook is a big part of my practice of putting down small ideas and doodling. Just setting up a bunch of paints or a canvas in front of me is really helpful, to have a medium or a material, and no specific end goal. Then I can let the art take me where it wants to go. Finishing is always hard, but that's something that's so good about being in art school and having deadlines and critiques and wanting to produce valuable work for those.
How have the people at MECA&D influenced your experience here?
To me, the sculpture department feels like a big family. There's just always something going on. There are people talking and working in the studio, and you can just go and join their conversation. The professors in sculpture have been really inspiring, really helpful, and have so much material knowledge and tool knowledge of things that I want to make. So until I learn the process, they know how to help me make it happen.
What kinds of opportunities have you found outside of the classroom and studio, and how have they influenced your art?
The chance to be in the studios has been really big, to have my own private space on campus to work in and decorate however I want. Having a room full of other people who have their own studios lets me stop by and learn what they’re doing. And I’m always reading the bulletin boards when I’m waiting for the elevator, and there are always things going on at SPACE or the Portland figure drawing group. There are so many artistic community events in Portland that I get connected to here.
What opportunities have you had here that you wouldn't have had that you believe would not have been possible elsewhere?
I think the professors here are such great resources because they’re locals. Even if they're not from Maine, they have so much knowledge of the art scene here. They’re always like, “Oh, I know this local artist that relates to your practice, or there's this event going on that might be relevant to you.” I feel like that's a really great resource. The bulletin boards or student life emails let us know what's going on in the art scene in Portland that might be outside of MECA&D. There are always cool things to get in on.