They make a way. - Maryland Institute College of Art

Wide Angle Youth Media
Baltimore, Maryland
LEFT TO RIGHT: Jeffrey Hughes, Student, Youth Media Festival Committee / DAVID SLOAN ’07,
’08, Sculpture, MFA in Community Arts, High School Coordinator / SUSAN MALONE ’97,
Photography, Executive Director / Da’el Clapperton, Student, Mentoring Video Project /
CAREY CHIAIA ’11, Graphic Design, Festival Coordinator / Davon Hughes, Student, Baltimore
Speaks Out! Program / BECKY SLOGERIS ’11, ’12, Graphic Design, MA in Social Design,
Attendance and Design Program Instructor / SHEILA WELLS ’06, Video and Film Arts /
Danielle Clapperton, Student, Baltimore Speaks Out! Program
“I look around the office, and 67% of my full-time staff
are MICA graduates who are hired not just because of their
commitment to Baltimore, art education, and their art practice,
but also because of MICA’s new efforts around social design,
community arts, and social justice.” –Susan Malone
There is perhaps no greater testament to MICA’s
culture of preparing graduates to go forward into
society and make a positive difference in the lives of
others than the leadership team at Wide Angle Youth
Media. Members of the staff, more than two-thirds of
whom are MICA graduates, spend a large part
of their day, every day, working to empower young
people through video and film projects. In the process,
they are creating life-altering experiences that will
prove pivotal for the incredible children they are
dedicated to uplifting.
Since alumna Susan Malone took on the role of
Executive Director just two years ago, the non-profit
has tripled the number of youth served and increased
the operating budget by 20 percent. Working with
her in top leadership roles are MICA alumni Sheila
Wells (program manager), Carey Chiaia (festival
coordinator), David Sloan (production coordinator),
and Becky Slogeris (attendance and design program
instructor), among others. The organization engages
young people and teaches them video production,
critical thinking, writing and literacy skills, public
speaking, team building, and leadership.
Students are encouraged to think deeply about
and artistically explore the most important issues
they face—from gang activity and bullying to
environmental sustainability to civil rights history.
Students work with professional mentors who help
them develop video projects of high quality which
have been featured on public access channels, in
film festivals, and on the web.
THE GOAL IS TO EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE TO TELL
THE STORY OF THEIR LIVES AND COMMUNITIES,
AND IN THE PROCESS, DEVELOP AN EMPOWERING
SENSE OF CONFIDENCE AND PRIDE.
The organization works with the Enoch Pratt Free
Library and Baltimore Public Schools, and produces
a summer camp and youth media festival.
Malone has been with the organization for more
than nine years, holding a variety of expanding
roles including teacher, coordinator, manager, and
now director. She attributes a large degree of the
organization’s success to its connection with MICA
and its omnipresent network. Every year, she says,
the nonprofit deepens its relationship with the College,
hiring alumni as staff and students as interns,
enlisting MICA faculty to help educate the children
served, and working with MICA artists to create
art that illustrates the impact of Wide Angle’s work.
Like MICA, Malone says, she continues to reinvent
and reinvest in Baltimore City.
EMPOWERMENT
MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF ART 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
75