This spring we are interviewing some of the generous MFA alumni who donated work to our new MFA 2020 Fund via the MCAD Art Sale. This new fund will support scholarships for future Black, Indigenous, and People of Color MFA students. Erin Sandsmark is a Minneapolis based artist, originally from Fargo, North Dakota. Sandsmark received her Bachelors of Fine Art degree from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. In the spring of 2017 she received her Masters of Fine Art at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Sandsmark has been the recipient of the Brown-Makenzie Arts Scholarship and the Sally-Spencer Scholarship. She has been exhibited at the Regis Center for Arts Quarter Gallery, West Gallery, the Katherine E. Nash Gallery, the MFA Whittier Gallery, MCAD MFA Gallery, Co Exhibitions Gallery, New Bohemian Gallery, Red Garage Studio, Altered Esthetics, Artspace Jackson Flats, and Studio 427. Sandsmark has participated in Art-A-Whirl and the annual MCAD Art Sale. Her current solo exhibition "Ourselves" is at the Freeborn County Arts Initiative in Albert Lea, MN. Sandsmark is an art instructor with ArtiCulture, a non-profit providing art to the community through classes and public art projects and she is a Continuing Education instructor with the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Which year did you graduate and what brought you to MCAD for your MFA? Could you speak a little bit about your background? I graduated from the MFA program in 2017. Originally I am from Fargo, North Dakota and looked at the Twin Cities growing up as a place to explore art and culture. I had actually thought about attending MCAD for my Bachelors of Fine Arts after attending a portfolio day my senior year of high school, but I ended up going to the University of Minnesota for my BFA. Despite this, MCAD continued to be on my radar. So when I decided I wanted to further my artistic career and education, I applied to MCAD! How did your art change while you were at MCAD? Attending MCAD allowed me to work with so many amazing artists and talk about taking my work to the next level with each critique. I learned to take more risks with scale, and I improved my painting technique. Spending so much time painting in the studio allowed my work to grow and change at an accelerated rate. How has your work evolved since your time at MCAD? I am continuing to paint portraits, but I've moved beyond painting my own body specifically. In a show I had at the Freeborn County Arts Initiative in 2019, I focused on women of all backgrounds to create a show about each individual's personal power. I love the body and the stories it can tell, so that has not changed. After MCAD, I have also started to add more commissions to my practice. What is next? Any new projects or jobs that are in the pipeline? I am always looking at what's next. I know for now I will continue to work through my list of commissions, and I will take time to find what direction I want to go next in my personal work. I am also working as a freelance arts instructor throughout the area. You donated work for the MCAD Art Sale to support our MFA 2020 Fund, which benefits future Black, Indigenous, and People of Color MFA students - thank you! What motivated you to contribute to this scholarship effort? It was important to give what I could to this scholarship fund. This country is founded on a multitude of inequities, and BIPOC folks deserve this fund to acknowledge how this country and the art world have left them behind. Our artistic institutions have benefited mostly white men, and I hope this fund can help to change that. To make a donation, please follow these directions: Online - go to: https://mcad.edu/about-mcad/support/make-gift In the "Designation" section, select "Other", and in the box that appears, put "MFA 2020 Fund" (This is important-- please don't just select the pre-populated "MCAD Scholarships" option.) Complete the online donation form. By check - make the check out to MCAD put "MFA 2020 Fund" either in the memo line or enclose a note saying that's how you'd like the donation to be directed--even a post it note is fine Mail to: MCAD Institutional Advancement, 2501 Stevens Ave S, Minneapolis MN 5540 If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Ellen Mueller at emueller@mcad.edu. Photos courtesy of Erin Sandsmark For more information: Erin Sandsmark Categories Alumni MFA 2020 Fund