Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Professor Erik Brandt, Chair of Design at MCAD, has won the prestigious Kiel Week international design competition—one of the most coveted honors in global visual communication.

Unveiled in Kiel, Germany, his bold buoy-inspired concept will become the official identity of Kiel Week, June 20–28, 2026, the world's largest sailing event.

The design will appear on posters, flags, digital media, and merchandise, reaching an international audience.

Learn more: mcad.edu/news/mcad-professor-erik-brandt-wins-international-design-competition-kiel-week-2026

to when MCAD was known as the Minneapolis School of Art from 1910–1969.

Brushes out, palettes everywhere, and students locked in painting a live model in the studio. Some things about art school really never change.

Minnesota Private Colleges Week is coming up June 22–26 ☀️

It’s a simple, no-pressure way to visit campus, ask questions, and explore what college might feel like for you—with tours and info sessions offered at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Across Minnesota’s private colleges, students benefit from small class sizes, faculty mentorship, and hands-on opportunities that help them graduate strong.

Start exploring this summer.

Head to mcad.edu/mpcw to register.

The Black & White Ball returned to MCAD.

Students came together for an evening of dancing, celebration, and community.

A beloved tradition back on campus! A reminder of the moments that connect us outside the studio.

Fragments Reimagined: A Call to Action to End Gun Violence Now
May 30–August 8, 2026
MCAD Main Gallery
Opening reception: Saturday, May 30, 3:00–6:00 p.m.

"Fragments Reimagined" aims to end gun violence through art that sparks dialogue and inspires change.

Inspired by New Orleans' "Guns in the Hands of Artists," Art Is My Weapon empowers artists to transform weapons into art, addressing gun violence while fostering hope for a safer future.

With over 35 participating artists, this exhibition seeks to ignite change and build a community committed to combating gun violence.

Art is My Weapon MN is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to using creativity for social change.

Martino Nguyen ’07 is one of six co-founders of the new nonprofit Vietnamese Minnesotan Museum.

Founded in March 2025, the museum maintains an online archive and hosts traveling exhibitions while working to secure a physical space.

The collection includes photographs, calligraphy, paintings, documentaries, contemporary art, traditional clothing, and oral history recordings.

“I have been part of the artistic community, and I felt my people’s art, culture, and history were missing from Minnesota’s multicultural scene,” Nguyen told the Sahan Journal.

Learn more: mcad.edu/news/martino-nguyen-co-founder-vietnamese-minnesotan-museum

Monica Helland ’10 is showcasing her unique printmaking style through a collaboration with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

As part of the team's Women’s History Night, she created a limited-edition sweatshirt featuring a powerful wolf surrounded by geometric patterns inspired by playing cards.

Her design incorporates intricate illustrations of folkloric creatures, botanical elements, and symbols like moons and a third eye, reflecting her interest in the mythical and otherworldly.

Learn more: mcad.edu/news/monica-helland-featured-timberwolves-artist-series

A photograph by Pao Houa Her ’09 was featured in a New York Times Opinion piece by Thomas L. Friedman, highlighting Minnesota’s ongoing resilience through the ICE Surge Operation.

As Friedman describes the resistance as “a spontaneous uprising of civic activism propelled by a single idea—I am my neighbor’s keeper, whoever he or she is and however he or she got here.”

The article reflects the sentiment captured in the photograph, which features a handwritten sign on a fence that reads: “THE RESISTANCE IS ROOTED IN LOVE. ICE OUT!”

Her’s background as a Hmong woman directly informs her photography, as she chooses to uplift Hmong voices and histories often pushed to the wayside.

Learn more: mcad.edu/news/pao-houa-hers-photography-featured-new-york-times-opinion-piece

Winners of our Self Portrait Contest!

Congratulations to our talented artists. Their amazing work, along with other entries, will be featured on a poster sent to high schools across the country. Huge thanks to everyone who entered! We loved seeing so much creativity from MCAD and can’t wait to inspire students nationwide.

Give Us A Smile!
Selas-Semira Kokayi ’29

Bird Brain
Valentina Alessi ’27

Freak Daughter
Ella Ratliff ’27