Animation

Whether you’re interested in analog or digital forms, MCAD has the support to help you explore in an interdisciplinary environment. Our mentors will help you investigate technical, theoretical, and historical vantage points of the field.

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

Raed Ghanja ’22 in MCAD animation lab

Equipment & Space

M/LAB is a 13,282-square-foot space fostering innovation and collaboration located on the 3rd floor of the Main Building. You can check it out on our virtual building tour. It contains:

Media Center (check out photography, film, digital, animation, lighting, sound, VR/AR, and exhibition AV technology)
Black Box Gallery
Analog and digital print studios
Film and animation production studios
Digital photo lab
Sound recording and mixing studio
Web and multimedia studio
High-tech classrooms
2 multi-use production studios

Regional Resources

MCAD and the Twin Cities’ community also has many organizations, events, and studios, which support wide-ranging practices:

MN Electronic Theatre – presented by the Minneapolis/Saint Paul chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH
Hellavision Television Network – a series of participatory events emphasizing improv practices to create animation, film, art, & design. Each show is free to the public, each show is free to submit, each show is not curated. Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate. Artists are encouraged to create work as quick as possible and without self-judgement. They also offer workshops.
Strong Women in Motion Graphics – supports female, trans & non-binary animators, so everyone may see themselves within the visual effects, animation, and motion graphics industries in MN
NiceMoves – an organization that enhances Minnesota’s Animation, Motion Design, and Visual Effects industry with monthly meet-ups and talks; they work to retain local talent, attract new talent, and show the world that great creative work grows in the Midwest.
MinnAnimate – a homegrown annual miniature Minnesota animation film festival
Northern Lights — supports artists in the creation and presentation of art in the public sphere, focusing on innovative uses of technology to imagine new interactions between audience, artwork and place and explore expanded possibilities for civic engagement; organizes Northern Spark Festival, Creative City Challenge, and Art(ists) on the Verge
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)

Camilo Aguirre ’20, “Volver” (English Subtitles, 2019), Adobe After Effect mixing pencil drawings and digital effects

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.

Jerome Foundation Grants
Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program
Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Grants
Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grants (can apply as a student, but project cannot be associated with your degree program)
McKnight Foundation Grants
Midway Contemporary Art Visual Arts Fund
Red Eye’s Works-In-Progress Program
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.

Hallie Bahn ’19, Thesis Exhibition; video produced by Chris Rackley

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).

Dan Lund – MCAD Lecture on Disney’s Frozen

Professional Practices and 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.

The Twin Cities is one of the most vibrant and diverse arts communities in the US. Current students can take an MCAD van to visit studies/agencies, and are encouraged to explore alumni spaces. Alumni are also invited to join in on these trips.