BALTIMORE--Grounded in the principles of social justice, MICA's M.A. in Community Arts (MACA) program immerses artists in intensive work with children, youth and adults in community settings, with most of the fieldwork conducted in the surrounding Baltimore neighborhoods. This exhibition, on view Thursday, July 15-Saturday, July 31, throughout the Brown Center from Leidy Atrium up to the third floor, 1301 W. Mount Royal Ave., will feature thesis work from the artists in MACA's graduating class of 2010. Their work represents their growth and development at MICA and at their community organizations.

Nora Howell uses food to develop a visual language to explore characteristics of race and systemic racism. Quentin Gibeau tackles the issues of race and privilege in a different way, looking at "hipsterism" and "Whiteness" as a social disconnect from urban Baltimore. Ashby Foote uses saved mementos to tell the story of her teenage pregnancy and miscarriage, shedding light on an experience often swept under the rug in middle to upper class social realms.

Through contour drawing and portraiture, Sarah Edelsburg alters and abstracts faces and figures, revealing human characteristics and qualities while striving to capture daily life in Baltimore. Similarly, Natalie Tranelli uses the camera to illuminate the individual and examine our connection to one another.

Participating artists: Lindsey Bailey, Hannah Brancato, Barbara Joann Combs, Christina Cooke, Holly Crawford-Seay, Sarah Edelsburg, Michelle Faulkner, Robert Fitzgerald, Ashby Foote, Quentin Gibeau, Nora Howell, Zoe Reznick Gewanter, Katti Sta. Ana, Natalie Tranelli and Jessie Unterhalter

Hours for MICA's galleries, which are free and open to the public, are Mondays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sundays, noon-5 p.m. They are closed on major holidays.

 

Image captions: (top) Michelle Faulkner, Weight of the World, C-print, 2009; (inset) Sarah Edelsburg, Who Rides the Bus?, permanent marker on rice paper and watercolor, pencil and permanent marker on watercolor paper, 2009.

 

Founded in 1826, MICA is among the top visual arts colleges in the nation. It enrolls 1,714 undergraduate and 218 graduate students from 48 states and 52 foreign countries, offering programs of study leading to the bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.), master of arts (M.A.), and master of fine arts (M.F.A.) degrees. It also offers post-baccalaureate certificate programs and a full slate of credit and noncredit courses for adults, college-bound students, and children. MICA is recognized as an important cultural resource for the Baltimore/Washington region, sponsoring many public and community-outreach programs-including more than 100 exhibitions by students, faculty, and nationally and internationally known artists annually-as well as artists' residencies, film series, lectures, readings, and performances.

Image captions: (top) Nora Howell, White Girl's Birthday Suit, saltine crackers, oyster crackers, 2009; Katti Sta. Ana, Memory Vessel, ceramic, 2009.