They make a way. - Maryland Institute College of Art

Amelia Hutchison ’15
HUMANISTIC STUDIES + GENERAL FINE ARTS (INTEGRATED MAJOR)
Victoria, British Columbia
“Painting allowed me to make sense of senseless actions in
the only genuine way I could find. It taught me to be intuitive
and comfortable with my emotions. I can’t imagine growing
up without art in my life [because] my work has become so
much a part of they way I interact with the world. Art school
was a risk, but certainly one worth taking.”
Marc Levy Memorial Scholarship winner Amelia
Hutchison moves about these days like a woman
on a mission. She is heavily involved in MICA’s
community arts program and is determined to
make Baltimore a better place through her work.
Though the Canada native didn’t know much about
Baltimore besides what she saw on the HBO drama
The Wire before coming to MICA, she now says she
couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
Hutchison, who also was awarded a Baltimore
Collegetown LeaderShape Scholarship and is
a C.V. Starr Foundation Scholar in recognition
of her outstanding artistic achievement as an
international student, understands the power
of artmaking. Art classes helped her cope with
tragedy when she was a small child, and provided
her with an outlet to make sense out of tough
situations. Today, she has come full circle.
HUTCHISON, A DEAN’S LIST STUDENT, TOOK AN
INTERNSHIP AT THE BALTIMORE CITY DETENTION
CENTER, TEACHING ART TO MALE INMATES.
THAT EXPERIENCE LED HER TO WANT TO EXPAND
HER UNIQUE ABILITY TO USE ART TO UPLIFT
PEOPLE WHO MAY BE LOSING HOPE, AND TO
DEVELOP PLANS TO ESTABLISH AN ARTS PROGRAM
IN THE DETENTION CENTER’S WOMEN’S FACILITY,
AND A YOUTH PROGRAM IN EAST BALTIMORE.
Hutchison also started a blog related to her work
in the detention center, showing the world how
the arts can help people cope with feeling trapped.
Likewise, one of her activities with the inmates was
to ask them to put together poetry that expressed
their hopes and fears. Their writing, she said, helped
her reaffirm her “faith in art, compassion, and the
resilience of the human spirit.”
Struck by how something as simple as knowing
the time is a luxury for those who are incarcerated,
Hutchison was frustrated that she could not do
more, though she could see the enthusiasm her
students had for the class she taught. That
frustration may be mitigated, however, by the
prospect of knowing that she has a lifetime ahead
of her to make an impact using art to inspire
people and communities. The self-described
“activist for social justice” plans to pursue a
master’s degree in community arts and become
a teacher or art therapist.
EMPOWERMENT
MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF ART 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
69