- PROGRAM DATES: MAY 22 to JUNE 13, 2026
- OFFICIAL PROGRAM APPLICATION OPENS ON NOVEMBER 1, 2025
- PROGRAM AND SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 15, 2026
- PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT
- PH 375: NARRATIVE STRATEGIES, 6 CREDITS
- SYLLABUS INFORMATION
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Port to Port: From Baltimore to Buenos Aires is a short-term, faculty-led program that will spend three weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, a vibrant port city with rich architecture and dynamic city life, and a deep history of cultural contributions to the visual arts. We will spend our time on site in Buenos Aires exploring local culture(s), learning about Argentine history and food, meeting with local artists, developing our cultural and global competencies, and producing new artistic fieldwork.
The travel experience is a 6-credit MICA course: PH 375AR: Narrative Strategies. The studio course is structured to explore ideas of narrative and storytelling through the photographic medium. We are additionally interested in the intersection of the photograph with multidisciplinary methods and other forms of sequential art, including animation, video, illustration, collage, and other hybrid methods and media.
In the tradition of the best visual storytelling, students will traverse and explore the city of Buenos Aires, connecting with the people, music, social fabric, urban landscape, and most importantly, reflecting on their own positionality in the global community. We will meet with Argentine artists and photographers to learn about their work through artist talks and studio visits.
We will build our cultural competencies through visits to area museums, art galleries, and cultural centers, including the Fundación Larivière Fotografía Latinoamericana, Museo de Arte Moderno, Fundación Proa, and Centro Cultural Recoleta. And we will, of course, create flexible time for individual and small-group exploration of the city.
ABOUT THE FACULTY
Nate Larson (he/him) is the Area Head of Photography at MICA and a contemporary artist and documentarian. His projects have been widely exhibited across the US and internationally and have been featured in numerous publications and media outlets. His artwork is included in the permanent collections of the George Eastman Museum, High Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Orlando Museum of Art, Portland Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography Chicago. natelarson.com.
Veronica Melendez (she/they) is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and educator. Her work centers on the afterlives of Civil War, migration, and Mesoamerican Indigenous imaginaries. Her projects weave together original photography, archival imagery, collage, oral history, and stop-motion animation. These mediums allow her to delve into the hybridity that comes with living in the diaspora. Having ancestral roots in Guatemala and El Salvador and growing up in Washington, D.C., she is constantly confronted with the complex idea of home in a city deeply tied to her family’s history of displacement. Veronica is a founder of La Horchata, an arts publication highlighting creatives with Central American roots.
PROGRAM FAQ
Do I need previous experience in Photography?
Our program is open to all levels, from beginner to advanced. The faculty will work with each student to develop their photography skills and vision, meeting you where you are for maximum success!
Do I need a camera?
You may borrow one from MICA or use one you already have!
What will we do there?
So much! We will meet with artists in their studios, visit galleries & museums, eat good food, participate in local artist-led workshops, and make amazing new photographs (and friends!)
Where will we stay?
We have a hotel partner with individual rooms for students in the San Telmo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. There are plenty of food options near the hotel, as well as the Mercado San Telmo, a shopping and dining delight.
Are meals included?
The hotel includes a simple breakfast. Lunch and dinner are the students' responsibility. Exchange rates are favorable, but we suggest $600-$800 for the trip, which should provide a comfortable cushion.
Where will we make art?
As travel-intensive, we will be working itinerantly, adapting to different situations and carving out workspaces along the way. We will convene as a group in a common space in the hotel, but we will adapt depending on where we are in the city and which guests we are working with. Each student will also be able to use their individual rooms for basic workspace, in addition to our rotating gathering points.
What should I bring?
We recommend that you travel as lightly and compactly as possible. Our preference is one carry-on-sized bag for clothes and one carry-on-sized bag for camera/computer/art supplies. We suggest three pairs of pants, four tops, enough undergarments and socks for a week, one set of sleep clothes, one pair of good walking shoes, and one pair of shower shoes. Merino wool socks can also be worn many times without smelling. Laundry in Buenos Aires is predominantly drop-off-wash-and-fold. It’s also very cheap. It’s better to bring less and wash more.
What’s the weather?
Buenos Aires is in the southern hemisphere, so the seasons are reversed. While we will be leaving summer temperatures here, it will be late fall, early winter there. You can expect temperatures to range from 66° to 53° at the beginning of our trip and from 60° to 48° at the end. It may even dip into the lower 40°s. It is best to dress in layers. We’ll talk more about this in our orientation meetings.
What’s the money situation there?
Argentina is a highly cash-based country that uses the Argentine Peso. You must bring US Dollars in cash, which we will trade for Argentine Pesos at a relatively strong exchange rate. Credit Cards are accepted in some places with a high surcharge, but many shops and restaurants do not accept them at all. We will discuss this in more detail during the orientation meetings.
Should I be concerned about personal safety?
Buenos Aires is the second-largest city in South America. Just like any other big city, it is important to be vigilant and situationally aware. Partly due to reliance on cash and broader systemic inequality, Buenos Aires has a fair amount of petty crime, especially pickpocketing. We will discuss personal safety precautions. If you’re comfortable in NYC and Baltimore, you’ll be comfortable there.
PROGRAM FEES
TBA. The program fee (which does not include international airfare, travelers' insurance, incidentals, and personal expenses) includes tuition for 6 undergraduate credits in Photography, housing for the duration of the program, and some meals. Some programs do not provide meals—please consult the program's coordinator for further details.
All MICA faculty-led programs are self-funded and require student participation to operate. After an exhaustive application cycle, if the required number of students enrolled in the program is not met, the Office of International Education reserves the right to cancel the program at any time. Students should never buy airfare or plan to travel to the host country until instructed to do so by the Office of International Education or the faculty program coordinator.
NON-REFUNDABLE COMMITMENT DEPOSIT
After acceptance into the program, a $300 non-refundable deposit is required, and this fee cannot be waived. It's important to note that this deposit is non-refundable. Upon acceptance, students will receive an email outlining the next steps in the official matriculation process, including submitting the non-refundable deposit via Nelnet, MICA's preferred online payment service. In partnership with MICA Student Accounts, Nelnet offers payment plan options to help students and their families pay for their MICA faculty-led summer program in monthly installments. Please consult MICA Student Accounts for more details.
Accepted students will also receive regular, critical follow-up emails with instructions on proceeding with their official matriculation into the program. Students must check their MICA emails regularly throughout the remainder of the semester for essential communications from faculty and study abroad staff. MICA Global Pathways programs are self-funded and require sufficient enrollment to operate. If the program receives more applications than needed, the Office of International Education reserves the right to create and manage a waitlist.
CANCELLATION POLICY
We ask that all applicants carefully consider and commit to participate or not shortly after being accepted to the program. Students should be financially prepared to cover the entire program and travel expenses out of pocket, regardless of whether they receive a need-based scholarship. There is no guarantee of receiving a scholarship; even if awarded, it will only cover a small percentage of the total cost.
On Wednesday, February 28, a non-refundable acceptance deposit of $300 will be due in Nelnet, along with the student's total commitment to participate. Applicants who have submitted the $300 deposit will have until Thursday, February 29, 2024, to cancel without penalty. After that, the Office of International Education will begin making payments on each student's behalf to international and domestic program and service vendors (e.g., student residences, transportation, excursions, museum passes, materials) once students have been accepted into the program.
Refund amounts are at the sole discretion of the Office of International Education in consultation with MICA Student Accounts and Financial Aid. If a student withdraws their application after Thursday, February 29, they will be responsible for a $300 withdrawal penalty (the non-refundable program deposit) and any costs incurred or committed on their behalf. All applicants will sign an agreement acknowledging this policy in the program application. For further inquiries about this policy or to withdraw an application before the deadline, email Mike Rini at mrini@mica.edu.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarship opportunities are available to need-based undergraduate applicants in all majors. At this time, there are no need-based scholarships available for graduate students. The scholarship application is available in the program's application, and students can choose to apply for or decline a need-based scholarship. Additional scholarships are offered through professional and external organizations supporting study abroad can be found here. Please pay attention to external scholarship deadlines, requirements, and disbursement timelines related to committing to this program. External scholarship deadlines and decision timelines may not align with this program's timeline. In short, the Office of International Education cannot wait to learn whether a student has been awarded a scholarship outside MICA and how it will impact a student's decision to commit to or withdraw from this program.
Note: Applying for a MICA need-based scholarship does not automatically mean a student will be awarded one; scholarships are competitive and are based on a compelling scholarship statement submitted by the student as part of the program application. Award amounts for Global Pathways programs are not intended to cover the prospective student's entire program fee, including airfare, transportation, and on-site activities. However, these scholarships are being offered to help students and their families subsidize only a part of the total costs associated with their program, providing valuable support. All prospective applicants should be prepared to cover the full cost of their summer study abroad program from the outset if they are not awarded a need-based scholarship. The scholarship application deadline is February 15, 2025. For more information about program applications and scholarships, contact Mike Rini in the Office of International Education (mrini@mica.edu).
QUESTIONS?
Contact Program Coordinator Nate Larson (nlarson@mica.edu) or Assistant Program Coordinator Veronica Melendez (vmelendez@mica.edu).
