Maine Media College
| Established | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Location |
Rockport, Maine, U.S.A. 44°11′37″N 69°04′35″W / 44.1937°N 69.0764°WCoordinates: 44°11′37″N 69°04′35″W / 44.1937°N 69.0764°W |
| Campus | Rural, 20 acres (8.1 ha) |
| Website | www.mainemedia.edu |
Maine Media College, formerly Rockport College, is a small school located in Rockport, Maine. It was founded as an adjunct to the Maine Media Workshops.
History
Maine Media College began in 1980 as a partnership between The Maine Photographic Workshops and University of Maine at Augusta. In 1996, the college was officially founded under the name "Rockport College" and was granted the authority to confer Associates of Arts and Masters of Fine Arts degrees, as well as Professional Certificates in photography, film, multi-media. In 2009, Maine Media College announced the inaugural year of a Multimedia Professional Certificate Program. The school is currently undergoing an accreditation process for its MFA Program.
In August 2008 Rockport College officially changed its name to Maine Media College, to emphasize its close relationship with the Maine Media Workshops.
Campus
The Homestead, an 1809 farmhouse includes accommodations, classrooms and the kitchen.
At the heart of the campus, the Haas Center houses the offices for the admissions, administration, and business departments, classrooms and student darkrooms that offer eight private darkrooms, a 16-enlarger gang darkroom, and the B&W Lab.
The Post-Production facility offers Macintosh editing stations with Apple Final Cut Pro as well as Avid Xpress Pro in addition to providing classroom space, and private editing suites.
The Sound Stage is a 2,400-square-foot (220 m2) studio, complete with 400 amps of power, lights, sets and grip equipment for film, video and photo productions.
The Film and Video Technical Department contains camera, sound, lighting and grip equipment, including: 16mm film camera packages from Arriflex, digital video camera packages from Canon, Panasonic, and Sony. Tungsten lighting is provided by ARRI and Mole-Richardson; HMI lighting is provided by ARRI; fluorescent lighting is provided by Kino-Flo; and small, location lighting equipment is provided by Lowel. Matthews and Avenger provides grip equipment; JL Fisher and Chapman Leonard provide dollies and track; and Sachtler and Bogen provide fluid heads and tripods. Tiffen supplies a complete selection of camera filters; Rosco sponsors color correcting gels and diffusion; Anton Bauer supplies batteries and chargers; and K-tek and Sennheiser provide the sound equipment.
The New Imaging Building (NIC) houses the digital photography labs, student darkrooms, and academic program offices. The digital labs are outfitted with Apple workstations, equipped with the latest software and networked to a variety of state-of-the-art printers. Olympus and Canon supply digital SLR cameras for students' use during the college program. A second student darkroom facility is located in this building. This darkroom is set up with seven private darkrooms, two gang darkrooms, film processing and print finishing areas.
Directly across the street from the Homestead, the Campus Residence features classrooms, internet café, student accommodations and laundry facilities.
Housing
Student Residences are located throughout Rockport - and include dorms, student rooms in campus homes. Students may choose to reside off-campus. There are accommodations on-campus for around 100 students in a combination of singles or doubles.
Environment
Located in the small village of Rockport, Maine, Maine Media College is in an area that has long attracted artists because of its supreme physical beauty. The school provides an immersive environment conducive to concentrated work. The curriculum honors historical forms and practices while embracing new technologies and modes of creative expression.
The College is a small community of students and teachers gathering together in an atmosphere of creative intensity, artistic growth and innovation. A familial environment conducive to the establishment of mentoring relationships with the faculty that most students enjoy is a hallmark of the Maine Media College experience.
MFA students and faculty convene on campus for semiannual, 5-day retreats during which students present the work they have completed with mentors for critique, attend discussion groups, lectures and presentations, and interact with the faculty both individually and in groups. Students also meet with their advisors to review the progress they have made toward completing degree requirements and to plan for subsequent semesters. Retreats are very intense and highly rewarding.
Students in all programs benefit from the symbiotic relationship between the College and the Workshops. The Workshops hosts visiting faculty in the areas of photography, filmmaking, and media arts throughout the season that extends from June through October. Many visiting faculty participate in college classes as guest lecturers. Students are additionally encouraged to attend evening presentations and panel discussions offered by visiting Workshops faculty.
Notable Alumni
- Jeremiah McDonald, comedian famous for his YouTube videos such as the ChuchofBlow series. [1]