Current Mentor Roster
Mentorship is regarded as the core of the MCAD MFA curriculum. It is structured to facilitate discussions and assess goals on a weekly basis. Students work one-on-one with their mentor in the advancement of studio work, research, and professional practice. To choose their mentors, students interview mentor candidates and select the practitioner who best fits their current practice; this student-oriented process sets our program apart from many MFA programs.
For our mentor pool (see below for current list), we draw on not only the exceptional faculty at MCAD, but also the concentrated expertise of the Twin Cities' artists, designers, curators, and critics to find mentors uniquely suited to students' personal goals, practices, and research methods.
We also now allow virtual mentorship in some cases, so we are not entirely limited by local geography. Below is a list of artists, designers, and creative professionals who may currently be available for mentorship.
Animation
Drawing/Painting
- Jonathan Aller
- Andrea Bagdon
- Michael Banning
- Diana Baumbach
- Kim Benson
- Kelsey Bosch
- Brock Brown
- Owen Brown
- Emily Burchell
- Lauren Callis
- Sophia Chai
- Ed Charbonneau
- Rachel Collier
- Preston Drum
- Nathanael Flink
- Isa Gagarin
- Patrick Gantert
- Michael Gaughan
- Amanda Hamilton
- Russell Hamilton
- Christopher Harrison
- Joshua Huyser
- Jess Kiel-Wornson
- Anne Labovitz
- Zach Leonard
- Stephanie Lindquist
- Robert Najlis
- Ryan Gerald Nelson
- Jennifer Nevitt
- Kelly O'Brien
- Alex Ogden
- Katya Oicherman
- Edson Rosas
- John Schuerman
- Nicole Simpkins
- Jeremy Sorese
- Tessa Sutton
- Carolyn Swiszcz
- Suyao Tian
- Matt Yaeger
Engaged & Public Arts/Social Practice
Fiber Arts & Textiles
Film/Video
Furniture Design
Graphic Design
Illustration
Interdisciplinary
- Mayumi Amada
- Katayoun Amjadi
- Nancy Ariza
- Andrea Bagdon
- Allison Baker
- Diana Baumbach
- Julie Benda
- Kim Benson
- Melissa Borman
- Kelsey Bosch
- Eli Brown
- Owen Brown
- Emily Burchell
- Sophia Chai
- Ed Charbonneau
- Sean Connaughty
- Preston Drum
- Sarah Evenson
- Nathanael Flink
- Patrick Gantert
- Roshan Ganu
- Michael Gaughan
- Sam Gould
- Leslie Grant
- Andy Graydon
- Kaamil A. Haider
- Amanda Hamilton
- Russell Hamilton
- Sam Hoolihan
- Rae Yuping Hsu
- Tracy Krumm
- Anne Labovitz
- Stephanie Lindquist
- Sieng Lee
- Zach Leonard
- Faythe Levine
- Alexandros Lindsay
- Kelley Meister
- Ben Moren
- Robert Najlis
- Ryan Gerald Nelson
- James O'Brien
- Kelly O’Brien
- Thomas Oliphant
- Patrick Price
- Lacey Prpić Hedtke
- Emmett Ramstad
- Anne Rynearson
- Heather Schroeder
- John Schuerman
- Christopher Selleck
- Kelsi Sharp
- Nicole Simpkins
- Holly Streekstra
- Andy Sturdevant
- Lex Thompson
- Merit Thursday
- Krista Kelly Walsh
- Sarah Weiss
- Laura Wennstrom
- Matt Yaeger
- Shen Xin
Non-Disciplinary
Performance
- Patrick Gantert
- Andy Graydon
- Anne Labovitz
- Kelley Meister
- Jack Pavlik
- Juan Diego Pérez la Cruz
- Emmett Ramstad
- Edson Rosas
- Merit Thursday
- Shen Xin
Photography
Printmaking/Paper/Books
Sculpture/Installation
- Mayumi Amada
- Katayoun Amjadi
- Allison Baker
- Julie Benda
- Kelsey Bosch
- Eli Brown
- Sophia Chai
- Preston Drum
- Patrick Gantert
- Roshan Ganu
- Michael Gaughan
- Russell Hamilton
- Anne Labovitz
- Sieng Lee
- Zach Leonard
- Alexandros Lindsay
- Jennifer Nevitt
- Kelly O'Brien
- Thomas Oliphant
- Jack Pavlik
- Juan Diego Pérez la Cruz
- Patrick Price
- Emmett Ramstad
- Edson Rosas
- Holly Streekstra
- Merit Thursday
- Randy Walker