At MICA, we embrace thoughtful and reciprocal local engagement, which serves as a foundation for building cultural vitality, community empowerment, economic benefits, environmental wellness, and social equity in the communities where our students will ultimately live and work. Two such individuals who exemplify this tenet — Dr. Leslie King-Hammond, graduate dean emerita, and Evelyn Serrano ’02 (General Sculpture Studies BFA) — were recently honored for their impactful presence on their communities.

Dr. King-Hammond — artist, curator, art historian, and MICA legend — was named to the Baltimore Sun’s Business and Civic Hall of Fame Class of 2023. Each year, the paper honors the achievements of outstanding leaders who have spent their careers investing in the transformation and growth of Maryland. Nominations are solicited from readers and inductees are selected by prior Hall of Fame honorees and the paper’s editorial board. Dr. King-Hammond was lauded for longtime work at MICA researching the ways in which race, culture, and identity influence art and the interpretation of it, in addition to her membership on the board of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum.

Serrano was among the 2023 Women of the Year honorees from California’s 30th Congressional District. The designation came from Congressman Adam Schiff, who annually selects honorees who have made outstanding contributions for their communities. An artist, educator, and curator working at the intersection of creative placemaking, community engagement, activism, and land stewardship, Serrano was extoled for her work as a founding member of Sunland-Tujunga Forward. The organization, which is made up of dedicated volunteers from Los Angeles’s Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood, seeks to create spaces for anti-racism, civic engagement, and input from diverse voices in the community.