COVID-19 MECA RESPONDS TO A
daunting challenge In the spring of 2020, as the dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis began to emerge, Maine College of Art’s leadership had to move quickly to assure that the safety and needs of our students, staff, and faculty would continue to be met under rapidly changing circumstances. It also became clear what a truly vital role the arts play during a time of crisis. President Laura Freid said, “During an international crisis, artists are very well-equipped to respond. We at MECA, along with the rest of the world, have found ourselves in a completely unique and different situation where access to our facilities is not an option. So we have been providing temporary, creative, effective solutions to fulfill our mission
to deliver a world-class arts education to our students. When the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic became evident, it propelled us forward into a future we had in some ways already envisioned.” Steps were immediately taken to increase information flow and implement precautions, including announcing an extended Spring Break. During those first crucial weeks it became apparent that our facilities would need to close to the public; events would need to be canceled, postponed, and/or reenvisioned; all but essential services would need to be shifted to remote management; and the remainder of the semester would need to be conducted online.
