Overview

MICA has a long history of collaborating with academic and community partners-locally and globally-in academically-based endeavors that seek to improve lives and strengthen communities. MICA's commitment to community engagement traverses every facet of the College, from the way we do business, to the academic programs we offer, to the extra-curricular opportunities that are available to our students.

In support of these broad efforts, the Office of Community Engagement (OCE) was established in the fall of 2010. The office is dedicated to strengthening the College's ability to use art and design as tools for change. It does so by providing resources and support for members of the MICA community interested in arts-based community engagement, by serving as an initial point of entry for community members interested in partnering with MICA to effect change , and by assisting the College in advancing the field of socially-engaged art and design.

Functions

To achieve its goals, the OCE has established three core functions. These are:

• Providing tools and resources for students, faculty, and staff
• Supporting a culture of engagement on the MICA campus
• Maintaining and enhancing MICA's role as a national leader in community engaged art, design and education.

Programs

Numerous extra-curricular and co-curricular programs exist from periodic  "days of service" to recurring experiences and residencies in community art and design.

Facilities

Dedicated to community art and social design in East Baltimore, MICA PLACE (Programs Linking Art, Culture, and Education) houses graduate programs, offers graduate housing, and serves as a hub for collaborations that use art and design to address problem-solving and change.

Research

 MICA conducts research to seek a broader understanding of the impact of community art and social design on society through the development of new tools assessment, the convening of thought leaders, and the mapping of assets that pertain to socially-engaged art and design.

Academics

Students may enroll in myriad academic opportunities to learn outside the classroom and collaborate with the community.  The undergraduate level offers project-based courses in a particular discipline while graduate students may pursue community-centered degree programs.