BALTIMORE, MD – The Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship (RCCE) at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) will host its second annual Creative Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation (CESI) Conference on Friday, October 2, and Saturday, October 3, 2026, on MICA's campus at 1300 West Mount Royal Avenue in Baltimore. Themed Envisioning the Creative Economy: Define It, Create It, Impact It, the conference brings together students, alumni, educators, community artists and creative professionals for two days of conversations, workshops and community events about how creative ideas are shaped, built and brought to life.
This year's program is organized around three statements. Define It explores how creative entrepreneurship is understood within today's creative ecosystem. Create It highlights the resources, practices and pathways that help creative entrepreneurs build sustainable careers. Impact It examines how creative entrepreneurship shapes communities and regional economies. For Baltimore, a city whose arts districts, independent studios and small creative businesses are central to its neighborhoods and its economy, the conference connects working artists with the state and regional partners who fund, advise and invest in them, including the U.S. Small Business Administration's Baltimore District Office, Maryland Capital Enterprises, the Maryland Women's Business Center, the Black Arts District and the Maryland State Arts Council.
Program highlights include:
- Two keynotes. Maria Finkelmeier, a percussionist, composer and Associate Professor of Creative Entrepreneurship at Berklee College of Music, opens the conference Friday with Superpowers Aligned: Build Beyond Yourself, which challenges creatives to move past the "do-it-all-yourself" trap. Saturday opens with footwear designer and entrepreneur Tori Soudan, The Future Belongs to Those Who Create whose Italian-made designs have been worn by Angela Bassett, Zendaya and Carrie Underwood.
- Practical workshops. Sessions include The Art of Ownership, on protecting, negotiating and monetizing creative work, led by Baltimore attorney Krystle I. Myers, Esq.; The Mind Behind the Vision, on mental wellness in the creative economy, with Ebony S. Vaughan, LCSW-C; and Real Talk on Building a Sustainable Creative Business, a panel featuring Maryland Poet Laureate and Black Arts District Executive Director Lady Brion, SBA Baltimore District Director Bryce Besaw, and Nick Rudolph of Maryland Capital Enterprises, moderated by Karen Sippel, Managing Director of the Maryland Women's Business Center.
- Community building workshops. Saturday afternoon focuses on social innovation, with three sessions on how creative work strengthens neighborhoods and the institutions that support them. Sessions include FIELDwork, a pleniary session about the partnership between MICA, Stony Brook University (SUNY) and EcoDepot that will examine the multidisciplinary initiative bringing art, design and science together to advance research across the globe, moderated by Thomas Gardner of MICA; Reap What You Sow, on using the principles of organic farming as a framework for neighborhood development, with Patricia Ofori of Make Space Studios; a human-centered design case study of the Falls Road Safety Project, led by Steffanie Espat of MICA's Center for Creative Impact; and Coffee with the Council and one-on-one Grant Help sessions with Chad Buterbaugh, Deputy Director, and Emily Sollenberger, Program Director, of the Maryland State Arts Council.
- Other events. Friday evening includes a MICA @ 200 student fashion show celebrating the college's bicentennial and a welcome reception with DJ Melani Midas. Saturday features the Luminary Awards Luncheon, where RCCE will present the inaugural Lumière Awards to an educator, a community art project and an individual artist, and the CESI Art Market (3–7 p.m.), which is free and open to the public.
Registration opens Friday, October 2, at 4 p.m.; Saturday programming runs from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Conference registration is available for one or both days. The full Conference features an opening reception, awards luncheon, fashion show, both keynotes, a social innovation plenary session, access to nine workshops, and a campus tour. Discounted tickets are available for groups, MICA community members (including alumni), students and chamber members. Tickets are available until Friday, October 2 on Eventbrite, and the full agenda and speaker list are at www.micarcce.com/agenda and www.micarcce.com/meetthespeakers.
###
About the Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship
The Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship (RCCE) at MICA equips students, alumni and community creatives with the skills, resources and networks to turn creative practice into sustainable ventures. Through curricular and co-curricular programs, the Creative Futures Residency and the CEINNOV LaunchPad, RCCE supports creative entrepreneurs at every stage. Learn more at www.micarcce.com.
About the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA):
Founded in 1826 and celebrating 200 years, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a premier epicenter of art and design education and the nation’s oldest continuously degree-granting college of art and design. Based in Baltimore, MICA is entering its third century with renewed purpose and a deep commitment to its city and the wider world.
MICA delivers an education that combines a rigorous fine arts foundation with design, liberal arts, and real-world experience—preparing students to apply art and design to real-world challenges. Through creative entrepreneurship, professional practice, and community and industry partnerships, MICA graduates build sustainable careers, launch ventures, and contribute meaningfully to the creative economy.
For more information, visit mica.edu. To learn more about MICA’s Bicentennial, visit mica.edu/200.