Media Arts Department Missions and Outcomes | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Media Arts Department Missions and Outcomes

The MCAD Media Arts Department is dedicated to the study and mastery of the visual language of contemporary society; animation art and technology, filmmaking and photography. Our curriculum blends rigorous technical and conceptual development as a means of identifying and fostering artistic vision. We seek to challenge and inspire each student to a high level of personal and social responsibility within their aesthetic practice as a part of their preparation for a wide range of artistic practices, employment opportunities and graduate school education.

Animation

MCAD’s animation program attracts students from all over the world who want to focus on their craft and career. Classes cover everything from classical technique in pre-production design to hands-on work mimicking how a commercial studio functions. Guided by instructors with diverse backgrounds, students establish a foundation working in fine arts, motion design, timing, and 2D and 3D formats. Animation majors become skilled collaborators and storytellers, ready to join ad agencies, video game producers, film studios, and more.

  • Provide students with a broad historical perspective, fostering an appreciation of animation’s adaptability as an applied and as a fine art.
  • Explore illustrated, stop-motion, and computer-generated approaches to modern animation.
  • Experiment with timing, composition, sound, character development, and compelling imagery to tell your unique story.
  • Acquire up-to-date foundational skills while developing your own personal style for a career in animation.

Media Arts Major

The Media Arts Major simultaneously takes a focused and expansive view of the media arts field. It fosters students investigation across a wide field of media study while supporting dynamic media practices. Students gain critical understanding of the media field at large and how contemporary practices expand and challenge media divisions. Students develop interdisciplinary skills in image capture, time based media, interactivity, research strategy and critical analysis. Media Arts students choose a concentration in Art and Technology, Filmmaking or Photography.

  • Understand the wide field of media study by exploring media practices and their cross-disciplinary approaches through the concentrations of Art and Technology, Filmmaking, and Photography.
  • Explore ideas and develop an artistic voice through research and experimentation.
  • Investigate core concepts and practices within the media arts field through discipline-specific and interdisciplinary methods such as image capture, time-based media, sound, interactivity, editing, and storytelling.
  • Develop an understanding of contemporary and traditional media arts theory, history, and practice with an emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches.
  • Gain skills in research strategy and critical analysis through the evaluation, interpretation, and critique of one’s work and the work of others.
  • Acquire skills and knowledge to support a professional, creative life in your chosen field, including writing, exhibition of work, and communication skills.