The Minneapolis Institute of Art and Minneapolis College of Art & Design invited current MCAD students to submit proposals to MCAD@MIA, a unique opportunity for MCAD students to create a site-specific art installation at the MIA. The goal of this juried collaboration is to encourage art students to create new work that responds to the architecture, space, and/or diverse collections of the museum. The deliberations were not easy, as each proposal was unique, challenging and rewarding in different ways. But we were impressed with the overall quality of the proposals that reflected both the applicants’ strengths and the spaces of the MIA. We welcome and look forward to working with these talented students and continuing our partnership with Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

After careful deliberations, the panel chose Josh Manoles and Linnea Stephan’s proposal for a wall installation of a pictographic character system derived from objects in the museum collection. Situated on the main staircase wall that connects all three floors of the museum, the pictographic system will highlight ties between different collections and provide a visually dynamic wayfinding guide. The panelists for MCAD@MIA this year were: Christopher Atkins, Coordinator, Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program, MIA; Karen Wirth, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Minneapolis College of Art and Design; Jennifer Phelps, Director of the Burnet Gallery, Le Meridien Chambers, Minneapolis; Chris Larson, artist and professor University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The panel and review process was facilitated by MAEP program assistant Lindsay Pulver and MFA student Lauren Wilcox.