Rockport is halfway down the Maine Coast – just off Route One. It is 90 miles north of Portland, between Camden and Rockland. You can find us on most maps. You can drive, fly, even sail into Rockport harbor – Rockport Marine 207.236.9651 can help you arrange a mooring for your boat. By car, Rockport is less than a two-hour drive from Portland, less than four hours from Boston, eight hours from New York and Montreal, and five hours from Quebec. Driving directions are included in your Acceptance Kit.
Rockport is a 3.5 hour drive north from Boston; New York City and Montreal are 8 hours away. The drive through New England can be most enjoyable.
If you are coming from the South, take Interstate 95 north into Maine. Take the South Portland Exit (I-295) and follow I-295 through Portland. Continue on I-295 to the Brunswick Route 1 Exit (Exit 28). Follow Route 1 through Brunswick, Bath, Woolwich, Wiscasset, Damariscotta and Waldoboro to Warren – about 45 miles, where you'll find Route 90 at a blinking yellow light. Take a left onto Route 90 and follow it 12 miles to the third set of stop lights. The Market Basket, a green barn, will be on your right. Turn LEFT onto Route 1 and then after 1/4 mile take a RIGHT onto Camden Street. Go through a STOP sign and Maine Media will be on your left before the hill.
If you are driving into Maine on a busy summer weekend, Route 1 may be crowded. Here is an alternate route we sometimes take: Driving north on Interstate 295, continue north, past the Brunswick exit, to the Route 201 exit, approximately 35 miles. Follow 201 East into Gardiner and drive through town and over the bridge – the second bridge. Turn RIGHT at the far end of the big bridge then the next available LEFT onto Route 226. Follow 226 for about ten miles to Route 17. Turn RIGHT and follow 17 for 30 miles to Route 90 in West Rockport. Turn LEFT and follow Route 90 for three miles to the second stop light. Turn LEFT onto Route 1 and then after 1/4 mile take a RIGHT onto Camden Street. Go through a STOP sign and the Workshops will be on your left before the hill. This alternate route adds about ten miles to the total distance, but can save half-an-hour's driving in Maine's summer traffic.
Delta, Jet Blue, American, Southwest, United, Cape Air, Elite, Frontier, and Sun Country all service Portland Jetport (PWM) with several flights daily. Airport van service between the Portland Jetport and Rockport is available, as are rental cars.
Airport Van Service
The Workshops provides low rates for our van service between Rockport and the Portland Jetport. The charge is $100 one way or $200 round trip on the regular MMW schedule (Fare does NOT include tips). To ensure we have a seat for you, reservations should be made well in advance of your arrival. Do not plan to call us from the airport asking for a seat – chances of there being room are slim. Optional (and more expensive) van service is also available at other times.
When making flight arrangements, please do NOT book flights which would arrive in Portland after 10:30PM nor depart before 6:30AM. We cannot accommodate flights operating outside those parameters.
Local Airport Option
Cape Air offers frequent commuter flights each day between the Boston's Logan Airport and nearby Knox County Airport (RKD), which is just 20 minutes from the Workshops. Taxis are available to drive you to Rockport. Fares around $35.
Rental cars are available at the Portland and at the nearby Knox County Airport. Dollar,Alamo, Hertz, Budget, Avis, National and Enterprise all service Portland while Avis, Budget, and Enterprise service RKD. A car is necessary if you are involved in a photojournalism workshop or a class that requires you to explore the region solo. Many classes travel to field locations via car-pool or in a MMW+C van.
Rockport is served by Concord Coachlines (www.concordcoachlines.com ) with twice daily summer service and once daily spring/fall and winter from Boston's South Station or Logan International Airport. Bus leaves Logan at 11:35 AM, departs South Station at 12:00 PM, arriving in Rockport at 4:35 PM. Southbound, the bus leaves Rockport at 8:30 AM, arriving in South Station/Logan at 1:25 PM. Check their website for the later bus times (not recommended for arrival in Rockport due to timing). They also have instituted a direct 29-seat luxury bus from NYC to Portland (would require a van service connection to Rockport). Visit their website for schedules & details or call 800-639- 3317.
AMTRAK currently operates between Boston's North Station and Portland. Connect to either Concord Trailways there (scheduling can be difficult), or book the airport van service for $200 roundtrip. For those coming from the NYC area, take a train to Boston's South Station, arriving before Noon. There you would purchase a bus ticket on Concord Coachlines to Camden/Rockport (much less confusing, complicated and expensive than arriving in South Station, getting to North Station to connect to Portland and then trying to get the bus or van service).
Whether you are traveling to Rockport, Paris, Iceland, Hawaii, Crete or one of our other varied locations, we strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance to protect yourself against: 1) unforeseen circumstances that might prevent your attendance; or 2) a course cancellation.
We suggest a plan that offers coverage for medical/dental emergencies, lost baggage, missed connections, and trip cancellation, should you unexpectedly need to cancel.
Maine Media Workshops is registered with Travel Insurance Services of Columbus, Ohio. Information & application may be found here. Three levels of coverage are available. Alternatively, by calling 800-937-1387 (please reference Producer account 240583).
We are also pleased to advise our international students that you can now purchase health/accident insurance while visiting the US. Info may be found at here.
Maine Media is not responsible for cancellations due to medical emergencies or reimbursement of non-refundable airline tickets in the event of a workshop cancellation.
Please review our cancellation policy at here.
Take the next step! You'll find all the details about applying to your chosen program here.
Maine Media has a number of Calls for Entry throughout the year. We proudly administer the Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture, a $20,000 unrestricted prize generously funded by the Arnold & Augusta Newman Foundation. We also host a variety of contests specifically for students of Maine Media each summer. galleries usually accept exhibit proposals in November of each year.
Admissions materials are reviewed by the core MFA faculty and acceptance decisions are made prior to retreats. Applicants are notified of admissions decisions within three weeks of receipt of completed applications. Prospective students may audit weekend retreats to gain insight into the structure of the program, meet with faculty for individual portfolio reviews and receive counsel on application to the program. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year, however the deadline for application submissions for fall retreat admissions is September 30 and for spring retreat admissions the deadline is April 15.
Follow the link for a full list of Application Procedures.