Welcome Shannon Benine, MCAD's new Chair of Media Arts!

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Shannon is an accomplished educator, artist, curator whose work seeks to expand the discourse around documentary photography, interdisciplinary practice, and community engagement. With over 18 years of experience in higher education, Shannon has held both teaching and leadership roles, most recently serving as Chair of the Department of Photography at the University of La Verne in California.

Julie Dirksen, an MCAD adjunct faculty member, will be headlining Core4—the Association for Talent Development’s three-day workshop for Talent Development professionals that focuses on the core principles of learning and development. Along with her main keynote address, she’ll be giving a discussion on The Science of Attention and Engagement for Learning.

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design is proud to announce its official membership in the Council of International Schools (CIS), a prestigious global network dedicated to shaping the future of international education.

CIS is a collaborative community of over 1,530 schools and universities across 122 countries. Through this new affiliation, MCAD gains access to a wealth of academic resources, international student support tools, and recruitment opportunities—all designed to strengthen the college’s global engagement and impact.

Michelle Ott ’99 has published a stunning new book with Chronicle Books, blending memoir, illustration, and heart.

Titled Outer Space Is Closer Than Antarctica (and Other Things I Learned While Falling in Love at the Bottom of the World), the book is a tender, visually rich reflection on Ott’s personal journey—inspired by her time in Antarctica and the love story that unfolded there. It’s part picture book, part illustrated memoir, and entirely captivating.

From sketching T-shirt ideas as a teenager to founding Charizma Agency, Cornel Beard ’25, MA has turned his passion into a platform for cultural storytelling and community impact.

After earning a design degree from Concordia University and a graduate degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Beard launched Charizma Agency in December 2022. Two and a half years in, the agency has built a strong client roster, including Black Collective Foundation MN, 3Sixty Sports, and Carbon Sound through NPR, offering services from branding to web design and campaign strategy.

A beloved instructor and peer to many, Ari taught at MCAD from 1955 to 1993, and continued to mentor MFA students for many years before officially retiring in 2005. Ari received his MFA in painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art (1955). He chaired the Minneapolis School of Arts’ (later named the Minneapolis College of Art and Design) Division of Fine Arts from 1969 to 1974, and was appointed Dean of Faculty in 1982. In recognition of his artistic practice and teaching, he received an honorary MFA from MCAD in 1988.

Jonathan Aller ’18 and Wren Clinefelter ’25 were two of the artists interviewed by the Star Tribune, discussing what makes a good portrait.

Aller studied under masters of European art history for three years in Florence. When he returned to the United States, he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at MCAD, where he now works as a professor. He told the Star Tribune, “I’m drawn to portraits. There’s something about a portrait, you know, through the eyes of a portrait of a sitter, that you can get so much from them.”