They make a way. - Maryland Institute College of Art

6
MAKE A WAY
It has been perhaps a century since the world has undergone
such a sweeping, synchronous change. As a convergence
of technological advances, societal upheaval, and economic
transformation birthed the industrial revolution, so too have
instantaneous data sharing, geo-political upheaval, and global
connectivity given rise to the “creative economy.”And at
this unique juncture in the history of the world, no single
group of individuals are as poised to lead as are the artists
and designers that make up the ranks of MICA graduates.
The “information age” has transitioned into an
era marked by uncertainty and generic calls for
“change,” without any consensus on what that
change means. One thing is clear, however. People
around the world are clamoring for leaders who
can help them visualize the future by piecing
together disparate threads of life to create a
coherent fabric that will blanket the new reality—
whatever that will be.
FOR YEARS, MICA HAS TRAINED ITS STUDENTS FOR
JUST THIS MOMENT, CHARTING A SINGULAR COURSE
IN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY THAT HAS GIVEN
STUDENTS THE FREEDOM—AND RESPONSIBILITY—
TO BLEND TOGETHER VARIOUS MEDIA, IDEAS,
INPUTS, AND COLLABORATORS TO ENVISION AND
CREATE SOLUTIONS IN AREAS NOT ONLY WHERE
PROBLEMS ARE WELL KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED,
BUT ALSO WHERE SOCIETY UNKNOWINGLY NEEDS
TO BE PUSHED TOWARD GREATER INSPECTION,
COLLUSION, AND PROGRESSION.
A MICA student’s exhaustive course of study requires
them to be a researcher and practitioner, planner
and builder, sole actor and team leader. Their
introduction to the MICA method impels them to
consistently inform their work through an in-depth
analysis of the context of its construction and
presentation— using humanities, history, theory,
and critical study as guides. They learn how to
build a team of collaborators and gather the
resources they need to bring projects to fruition.
They spend thousands of hours fashioning
a uniquely personal artmaking process, strongly
influenced by intense instruction and unreserved
critique. And, perhaps most important, they are
shown how to understand the impact of their
work in terms of the real people it will affect.
The result is not only a graduate capable of creating
awe-inspiring art or seminal design, but also a leader
who can use the creative process in a way few
other professionals can to organize people around
an idea and make that idea reality. Because each
student’s education is forged as much through
actualization as it is through theory, MICA alumni
are uniquely prepared to make things happen—
charting a course where no previous path has been
worn. Artists first indeed, MICA alumni have made
an art form of almost every field of human endeavor.
They have used both their fundamental artistic
training and the industrious MICA spirit infused
into their way of life to tackle entrepreneurship,
global corporate management, nonprofit leadership,
civic and social engagement, and a host of other
areas where their talents are needed to navigate
unchartered waters. Navigating unchartered waters,
however, is what MICA students and alumni do
best. They don’t just find a way. They make a way.