Maine College of Art & Design announced multidisciplinary artist Cannupa Hanska Luger will deliver the Commencement address at the College’s 114th graduation ceremony. During the ceremony, which begins at 10:00 am on Friday, May 9, 2025, at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium, MECA&D will bestow honorary degrees on Luger and former Chair of Maine College of Art & Design’s Board of Trustees, Brian Wilk ’95.
Midiigaadi. Light Bison. Cannupa Hanska Luger
Luger is best known for his monumental installations, sculptures, and performances, which incorporate ceramics, steel, fiber, repurposed materials, video, sound, and performance to communicate urgent stories of 21st-century Indigeneity. Whether working with institutions, communities, or with the land itself, his work is inherently social and requires engagement. His bold visual storytelling presents new ways of seeing our collective humanity while foregrounding an Indigenous worldview.
Born on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, USA, Luger is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes of Fort Berthold and is Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, and Lakota.
Luger is a 2025 Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellow and a 2025 Ourworlds Immersive Visual Arts Award recipient. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including the Sharjah Biennial 16, United Arab Emirates, the 81st Whitney Biennial at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, the 14th Shanghai Biennale at the Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Gardiner Museum, Boston, MA, among others.
This Is Not A Snake / The One Who Checks & The One Who Balances
Cannupa Hanska Luger, 2017-2020. Ceramic, fiber, steel, oil drums, concertina wire, ammunition cans, trash, found objects, 6.5' H x 3' W x 50' D
“I am very pleased to welcome Cannupa Hanska Luger to Portland to address the Class of 2025,” said Dr. Laura Freid, President of Maine College of Art & Design. “Cannupa is a great inspiration whom our students can look to as an example of an artist creating meaningful, impactful, and inspiring work grounded in respect. In a world full of uncertainty, it’s important for our students to feel empowered and confident that they, as artists, can make a difference through the work they create.”
In addition to bestowing an honorary degree to Luger during the Commencement ceremony, MECA&D will also confer an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree to former Chair of Maine College of Art & Design’s Board of Trustees, Brian Wilk ’95.
As the owner of WilkStudio, Wilk leverages his extensive experience in the toy industry to bring innovative projects and ideas to life. During his 26 years at Hasbro Inc., he held various positions focused on toy development and innovation, ultimately rising from designer to Vice President of Design and Development for Games. During his tenure at Hasbro, Wilk managed several iconic toy brands, including Playskool, Sesame Street, Mr. Potato Head, Play-Doh, Star Wars, Transformers, and Marvel.
President Freid said, “Brian’s expertise has been invaluable to the College as our Animation & Game Art program has expanded. Our students and community have benefited greatly from Brian’s leadership as Board Chair from 2017 to 2022. Our community is grateful for his support and generosity, offering internships along with industry connections and insights. We are pleased to bestow an honorary degree to Brian, as he is so deserving of the distinction.”
Wilk holds numerous patents and design awards, including several Toy of the Year awards, often called the “Oscars of the Toy World.” He earned a BFA in Printmaking from Maine College of Art & Design, a BFA in Toy Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and an MBA in Marketing from Bryant University. He served on the Maine College of Art & Design Board of Trustees from 2014 to 2023.