Maine College of Art honors graduating students with an exhibition and a fashion show

Over 100 art and design students will graduate from Portland’s Maine College of Art (MECA) this spring. In celebration of their four years of work and to support their emerging careers in the arts, MECA has organized its annual Spring Gala, consisting of a fashion show and a bachelor of fine art thesis exposition. The runway show on May 4 features clothing created by graduating seniors in the textile and fashion design program, all modeled by MECA students and community members. The ticketed event raises funds for the college’s scholarship program. The 2017 BFA Thesis Exhibition opens on May 5 in conjunction with the First Friday Art Walk and runs through May 23. More than 100 installations of students’ work, including sculpture, jewelry, paintings, and mixed media, will be on display throughout the historic Porteous Building’s four floors. “Each year the thesis exhibition impresses upon me the skill and sheer talent of our graduating students,” says MECA’s development officer Dietlind Vander Schaaf. “It is not to be missed.”