They make a way. - Maryland Institute College of Art

Karisa Senavitis ’02 GENERAL FINE ARTS
Co-Founder, Will Work for Good / New York, NY
“I don’t want to just placate a community. I don’t want to
just give them what I anticipate they will want. I want to
give a different perspective, an outside view, and then find
the connections that aren’t on the surface.”
When she found out about George Ciscle’s
Exhibition Development Seminar (EDS) program
at MICA, it “clicked” for Karisa Senavitis, and she
participated in it as much as she could. EDS, a
course in which students design and curate a major
show, reinforced something her parents taught
her—that it is important to understand how
an artist’s work translates to an audience.
Now a New York-based designer, she is primarily
interested in the socio-economic impact that
design and art can have.
Asserting their independence one July 4th,
Senavitis and partner Kevin O’Neill co-founded
the New York City-based Will Work For Good.
Concerned with how creative projects affect others,
the company produces design of just about every
sort—print, web, video, exhibition, and other
projects for clients from all over the world who
are doing different and unusual things, including
independent record labels, musicians, artists,
galleries, comedians, nonprofit organizations, and
even friends and neighbors.
Senavitis also has a research-based private
studio which is about to publish its first book—
Design, Design, Design, Design Before—where
design’s contributions to the state of poverty
are discussed. If that weren’t enough, she works
as a consultant with corporations that want to
explore new ways of thinking; one of her current
projects, with Johnson and Johnson, addresses
hepatitis in Romania. She soon plans to do work on
sustainable aging in Poland and her next book will
feature dialogues from two parties meeting for the
first time discussing critical issues, such as aging,
health care access, or poverty.
STUDYING IN BALTIMORE WAS AN INSPIRATION
TO SENAVITIS. SHE ENCOURAGES MICA STUDENTS
TO DO AS MUCH AS THEY CAN AND THINK BEYOND
THEIR CLASSMATES AND CAMPUS TO BUILD
ADDITIONAL CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS.
COLLABORATION, SHE SAYS, IS A CRITICAL PART
OF HER ART, DESIGN, AND CURATORIAL PROCESS.
WORKING WITH OTHERS STIMULATES HER AND
HELPS HER DEVELOP IDEAS THAT ARE UNIQUE
AND IMPACTFUL.
ENTERPRISE
MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF ART 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
49