According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, arts and cultural economic activity accounted for 4.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), or $1.02 trillion, in 2021 — a 13.7 percent increase over 2020. Art, quite simply, has the ability to be harnessed for growth and helps strengthen communities.

MICA has long understood this relationship, which is why it undertakes activities and partnerships that reflect a deep commitment to building stronger, more equitable neighborhoods in Baltimore. Recently noted for its part in the revitalization of the Station North Arts and Entertainment District — considered a model of how art can transform places — one of MICA’s newest endeavors is a partnership with the local nonprofit Art with a Heart (AWAH) to assist Baltimore City with a major community development initiative in three historic neighborhoods in East Baltimore: Perkins, Somerset, and Old Town, known collectively as PSO.

With $250,000 each from the Housing Authority of Baltimore City, funded through a larger grant from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, MICA and AWAH are developing durable public artworks in those neighborhoods. Last January, MICA selected faculty members — Whitney Frazier ’06, ’13 (Painting BFA, Community Arts MFA), Unique Robinson, Ernest Shaw, and Bruce Willen ’02 (Graphic Design BFA) — who will receive up to $75,000 to engage community residents in the design and installation of site-specific projects in the PSO area by 2025.