Illustration

Xintong [Dawn] Yang '20 — Xintong [Dawn] Yang ’20

Students working with illustration are invited to take advantage of all the Twin Cities has to offer, while expressing ideas through powerful, innovative images that entertain, inform, and evoke emotion. We want students to hone traditional, digital, and experimental approaches according to their interests, while also focusing on professional development.

Yuchen Zhang ’18

Mentors / Faculty

Students can select mentors from the MCAD faculty and/or the professional community of the Twin Cities. Mentorship is regarded as the core of the MCAD graduate curriculum. Students can expect to spend approximately one hour per week with their mentor (or equivalent). Each semester the student and mentor determine content based on the student’s goals.

See the Recent Mentors to get a sense of who our students are working with.

Cong Hu ’16

Professional Practices & Career Development

Each semester, we host a series of talks/workshops focused on professional practices (alumni are invited to attend, and we feature alumni as speakers when possible).

Topics range widely and are selected based on current student interests and suggestions. We keep an eye on the issues affecting commercial artists, such as those highlighted on Lite Box or AIGA’s Eye on Design.

Jessica Welhaf ’18

Community

MCAD and the Twin Cities’ community has several events and organizations, which support illustration:

SELECTED EVENTS

Autoptic Festival –Minneapolis’s Premier Comic and Independent Print Festival
MCAD Art Sale – the nation’s largest college art sale, and one of the most anticipated art events in the Twin Cities. Since it began in 1997, the MCAD Art Sale has generated more than $3.3 million in sales for emerging artists.
Posters for Parks – annual show featuring limited-edition posters inspired by Minneapolis Parks
No Coast Craft-o-Rama – brings awareness and appreciation of modern arts and crafts to the larger community.
Twin Cities Zine Fest – annual celebration of zines and self publishing
There are 2 local comic conventions from the Midwest Comic Book Association (MSP Spring Con and MSP Fall Con); comics-focus, but illustrators can also attend
Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (MN chapter) – webinars and annual conference
Creative Mornings – every month, a free event that gathers to foster a united and connected creative community: features a speaker from the creative community, plus coffee/breakfast.
Pollen Midwest – invests in human connection to fuel momentum for social change (hosts breakfast meetings with speakers)

SELECTED REGIONAL VENUES/ORGANIZATIONS

Light Grey Art Lab – a gallery & art events space focusing on bringing all types of artists and designers together to exhibit, participate, learn, and share
SooVAC – founded in 2001 by Suzy Greenberg ’98, MFA, is a nonprofit art space that connects our community with fresh, under-represented and provocative art.
Minnesota Center for Book Arts – the largest and most comprehensive center of its kind
The Loft – offers a diverse array of literary events, reading series, book launches, and more.

Alanna Stapleton ’18

Regional Funding

Additionally, MCAD’s MFA program can help you apply to several regional sources of funding. For some awards, you can apply during the summer between your first and second year to receive funding in the months after graduating.

Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grants (can apply as a student, but project cannot be associated with your degree program)
Creative City Challenge
Jerome Foundation Grants
Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program
Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Grants
McKnight Foundation Grants
Midway Contemporary Art Visual Arts Fund
and more (the funding environment in MN is ever-evolving and growing)

Sishir Bommakanti ’18

Visiting Artists

Visiting artists, designers, and critics are a central element of Graduate Critique Seminar. Each week a visitor is invited to present their work and critique two students’ work during class. By the time a student has completed the MFA Program, they will have seen approximately 30 different in-class visitors. Additionally, the MFA Program regularly invites artists for clusters of studio visits.

Luisa Rivera ’15

Facilities

The MCAD Service Bureau is your go-to stop for friendly assistance with all of your printing needs for an extremely affordable price. You can check out the facilities on our virtual building tour.

Color and black-and-white copies and laser prints
High-quality color inkjet prints
Scanning
Bookbinding
Fabric printing
Vinyl cutting
Risograph printing
And much more…

Travel

Each year, the MFA program takes a trip to either New York City or Los Angeles where we visit MCAD alumni studios and offices, in addition to all the rich art and design resources these cities offer.

MCAD MFA students are also invited to apply for summer abroad experiences via the WorkArt Fellowship Program (Germany), Burren College of Art’s Summer School (Ireland), DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia (Copenhagen or Stockholm),or USF’s Paris/Venice/London program (alternating locations depending on year). International travel is an optional added cost for MFA students (not required).