From the artist's biography: John Aquila came to MICA because of Baltimore. Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, a city much like Baltimore, he saw it as a place he wanted to help grow and flourish. He wants eventually to get his MFA so he can teach at a college level. Though he's still exploring what he wants to do immediately after graduation, he is interested in the idea of PR and in "raising awareness of the possibilities of improving communities."

• www.johnaquila.com