MCAD and the AICAD Maker Prom

MCAD's admissions counselors play a vital role in a prospective student's journey—from when they first learn about MCAD to when they walk through the doors as an official student, admissions counselors are with them every step of the way.

Recruitment events, high school visits, and one-on-one emails are just a few ways that counselors make connections with prospective students.

Admissions counselor and alum Forrest Wasko took some time to speak to us about his experience with the AICAD Maker Prom, an "evening of fun" for teens and young adults to network through interactive making stations presented by creative arts organizations.

Hi, Forrest! Let's start with a little background on the AICAD Maker Prom.

The event is for high schoolers who are National Medalists of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Every year in New York they throw a prom for the students and schools and art organizations have tables with maker stations where the students can engage in creative activities! We have been doing it for a number of years now, I’m not sure how many, but this was my first year doing it as a counselor. The experience was great. I was unsure of what to expect, and I think my station was much more popular than I had anticipated.

Your maker station was a Polaroid Photo Booth. Why did you choose this and what was it like interacting with the students and taking their photos?

I wanted to offer something that the students would actually really want to keep long after the event. It really sort of offered just the right amount of engagement. Even though I was taking the pictures, it was up to them what to do with them. They could either just keep them from there, or take advantage of the many materials offered to interact with and manipulate the photo after. It kind of just felt like the perfect thing to do in the environment and the amount of time one would have at an event like this.

You’ve hosted Polaroid-related activities for MCAD events before. What is your connection to Polaroids? Why do you like working with them?

I use Polaroids in a lot of my fine art work. There's really no photograph quite like them. As a photograph, they are a one-of-a-kind. They can’t be edited—you get what you get. Not only are they a fun novelty for people, they are inherently a great object. They remind us of a photographs tactility. They are something we can hold in our hands, put in a book, or hang on a fridge. Plus, as an object, you can write on them, draw on them, and collage. This is how the stickers came about.

Let's talk about those stickers! How did this collaboration happen?

I am good friends with Kelly Abeln ’09 through Ben Innes ’09. I see both of them often during the week. When I’m at their house, I’ll see Kelly working on her comics and illustrations. The more I get to see her work, the more I love it. I was really excited to bring her into this project as I knew her work would be perfect for it. She also has a great Instagram presence and goes by @hagsville.

Stickers designed by Kelly Abeln ’09. Image courtesy of Abeln.

"Forrest had the idea to make physical stickers that are like the GIF stickers you can add to pictures on Instagram. We made them small enough to fit several on a polaroid. I think they added a very fun maker vibe to the photos, and were a great keepsake for the attendees." —Kelly Abeln

What was a standout moment/were some standout moments from the Maker Prom?

It was incredibly busy. I think I took at least 210 Polaroids for the students. My favorite part was seeing them all let loose and try funny poses and go crazy with the stickers and drawing. The more people were doing it at once at the table, the more ambitious and crazy they got with the collaging. My table was pretty packed throughout the whole event.

How do you feel events like this play a role in the admissions process? Are they important for reaching prospective students?

Events are super important here in admissions. As an admissions counselor, it's maybe our most important role. We are representing the school after all. I think in-person impressions mean a lot. Whether it be at a National Portfolio Day, or something like this, these events are often students’ first impression of MCAD—especially on the east coast.

Talk a little bit about your role as an admissions counselor. What interested you about this job? How does your role as an alum contribute to this position?

When attending MCAD as a student, I never even thought about the job or position being a possibility in my future. I am, however, really interested in education. I probably worked as a Teaching Assistant about as often as you could as a student for things like PCSS or the teaching artist program.

About a year-and-a-half passed after I graduated and I saw the position opening. It wasn’t until then that I made the connection that this was something I really wanted to do. It shares a lot of the things I like about teaching. I get to talk to students about artwork, give them critiques, talk about artists that inspire us, and help them get to their next steps, whether that be at our school or elsewhere. I’m here to present MCAD as an option for their future, and if it’s a good fit, then I’ll continue to work with them until they are here at orientation. I loved MCAD as a student and thought it was a great fit for me and hopefully the prospective students can see that.

Do you maintain a studio practice outside of your work as an admissions counselor? If so, what kind of work do you do? Where can we find your work?

I absolutely do. There’s a lot of chances for studio time in the summer when I’m traveling less, but when I am traveling, I get to make photographs in a lot of different places, which is really integral to my work. I am on Instagram as @forrestwasko and have a website.

Posts from Forrest's Instagram

To learn more about MCAD or schedule a campus tour with an admissions counselor, contact the Admissions Office at admissions@mcad.edu, 612.874.3760, or 800.874.6223. You can also set up an online portfolio review to get some constructive feedback on your work.