Friends & Family Weekend
is coming up October 20–21, 2023
Please RSVP by October 19 at 12:00 PM
Schedule
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Ice Cream Social
MECA&D Cafe
Stop by the Cafe, eat some ice cream, listen to music, and pick up your Friends & Family Weekend Adventure Guide.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Check In & Pop Up Shop
Lobby of Porteous Building
Have questions? Want recommendations about things to do in the area? Need to deck yourself out in Maine College of Art & Design branded gear? Get a family picture to start your day.
10:00 AM - 10:15 AM
The President's Welcome and Breakfast Treats
Porteous Building: Cafe
Enjoy complimentary warm cider or coffee accompanied by sweet treats as you are greeted by President Laura Freid. Meet other friends and family members of our community too!
10:30 AM – Noon
Interactive Sessions
Spend time with your student and family with a hands-on session with one of our community members.
Watercolor Portrait Painting
Clara-Luz Hoffman, MAT Student
Porteous 250
We will be picking a partner or a stranger and doing watercolor portraits of them! We will go over how to use watercolors and some basic drawing techniques!
Bringing Animation to Life with Sound
Steve Drown, Assistant Professor of Music
Porteous 003
We will start with a short student animation project with no sound and add the appropriate elements to make it a complete production. This will include dialogue, sound effects and music. We'll create some of it during the workshop
Introduction to the Risograph
Kiana Thayer, Graphic Designer
380 Cumberland Rom D2
In this workshop you will work together to create a collaborative risograph printed zine and learn the basics of risograph printing-an experimental and eco-friendly printing method.
Ancient Arcade: A Playable History Lecture
Adam deGrandis, Assistant Professor of Game Art & Design
Porteous 289
The first video game (as we would define it) was developed in the 60's by a group of college students. In the decades following, an industry and medium evolved that has shaped the world we live in. In this workshop, we'll blast through the history of video games at breakneck speed, playing consoles in the order of their release and discussing the artistic and technological innovations they introduced.
Think Ink! Intro to Screen Printing
Andy Jones, MAT Student
Porteous 405
We will create compositions from paper cut outs, embracing spontaneity and working intuitively. Learning the basics of screen printing, we will then print our imagery onto canvas bags to bring home!
12:30 PM
Take Your Student To Lunch
Downtown Portland/Old Port
Explore one of the many culinary delights Portland has to offer. The city has countless (and often award-winning!) restaurants, diners, and cafes. Find a full list of options here.
Tours Offered
Self guided tour of the Portland Museum of Art
7 Congress Street Portland, ME
Take in Maine's oldest and largest public art institution at your own pace! Students can use their College ID cards to enter for free. See the info desk in Porteous Lobby for free Friends & Family weekend passes if interested!
2:00 PM - Onward
Adventure Around the Area
Some suggested options include:
- Portland, Maine Weekend Events & Performances
- Restocking your student’s snack supplies with a trip to any of our local grocery stores: Hannaford, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Portland Co-Op, Sun Market, Walmart, Target
- Grab additional art supplies: Art Mart, Artists and Craftsman, Michael’s
- Continue to explore the foodie scene of Portland
- Spend time outside in the fresh autumn air: Eastern Prom, Check out the shops in the Old Port, Walk along one of Portland’s many nearby beaches, Visit Mackworth Island, Wander around the shops of downtown Freeport, Visit the Flagship LL Bean store
- Check out even more student recommended hot spots at the end of our F&FW Adventure Guide!