PCSS 2025 Student Profile: Elora Barman | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

PCSS 2025 Student Profile: Elora Barman

September 22, 2025
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Elora Barman headshot

What surprised you the most about the Pre-College Summer Session?

I was really surprised and impressed with all of the cool things that my professors and teaching assistants were working on. Of course I knew that I was getting the opportunity to work with professionals, but arriving there and meeting people who were working with musicians, magazines, and public icons to illustrate official work for them made me really excited about my future.

What aspect of the program had the biggest impact on you?

Working under pressure and finishing illustrations during such a short time period. I loved every second of it, but it was pretty difficult. I'm used to dictating my own schedule, but I'm really thankful I was encouraged into finishing pieces so quickly, because I feel way more capable of working for professional settings in the future.

How has your artistic practice changed from being a part of the program?

I am way more confident in my art, and since the program ended I have been excited to make ambitious work. The places I take my inspiration from have transformed the most since the program, being exposed to so many different people and artists. PCSS made me really excited about making new types of art.

What was your favorite experience outside of the classroom?

MCAD offered lots of opportunities to get involved with local art scenes of the Twin Cities. Visiting a live theatre and puppet production at Open Eye Theatre was by far my favorite event I attended during the program—followed by live music performances, meeting professional artists, and studying in museums.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about coming to the Pre-College Summer Session at MCAD?

To make the most out of it! PCSS is the most rewarding to the students who put in all of their effort and make sure to stay awake for all of the amazing opportunities. If a student comes to the program looking to just hang out, of course they're not going to get the same lifelong advantages as a student who puts in all their energy into making art that they are excited and enthusiastic about.

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The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) acknowledges it is located on traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Indigenous people. This is the ancestral homeland of the Dakota and Ojibwe people, who were forcibly exiled from the land because of aggressive and persistent settler colonialism. We recognize that this place has a complex and layered history. As a community dedicated to creativity, MCAD is committed to ongoing efforts to support and advocate for American Indian Nations and peoples.


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