As we reflect on the artistic legacy of this institution, we are asking our designers to investigate and expand on this year’s theme, RECLAIM.
To reclaim is ‘to return to or recover something that was lost or taken’. Our show means to inspire appreciation and action to preserve historic cultural art practices. What can we salvage from the past? How can we ensure these histories move forward with us?
Through research, craft, & performance, our 8 collections by MICA students explore what it means to acknowledge our roots as artists and take them into the future.
This year, the show will be accompanied by an art exhibition by the Baltimore Design School that will be open for viewing from April 15th-27th, and a Community Marketplace on the 18th, starting at 5 p.m.
Mugdha Nath is an Indian animator and filmmaker currently studying at MICA. Her work spans across stop-motion, 2D and 3D animation, with a strong focus on lighting, sound and narrative experimentation. Alongside her animation practice, she is also minoring in Experimental Fashion at MICA. This separate body of work explores form, texture, and concept-driven design, expanding her creative language beyond the screen.
Zoë Brielle Payne is a dancer, multidisciplinary artist and educator from Belington, West Virginia. She is also the Founding Director of ZBRI, a dance ensemble based in Baltimore, Maryland that performs locally and tours regionally. She received her BFA in Dance from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. As an Appalachian artist, her work is inspired by rural landscapes and the rich depth of social connections that stem from communal support networks. Zoë is currently getting her MFA in Community Arts at MICA. @zoebriellep @zbridance zoebriellep.com
Maia Hollien is a community artist with a practice based in honoring her ancestors by passing on artistic traditions to future generations. A proud Black Southerner, her fervent use of color, maximalist style, gothic nods, and “something from nothing” nature draw through-lines to the roots of the many places and people she has called home. With her BFA in Kinetic Imaging from VCUArts, Maia is currently studying for her MFA in Community Arts from MICA.
Simone Isip is a fiber and community-based artist based in Brooklyn and Baltimore. Their work, a wide array of textile, installation, wearables, performance, and community organizing, is motivated by a desire for human connection amidst the complexities of navigating the presence and histories of colonialism, extraction, and exploitation. Exploring and utilizing material language, with an emphasis on the unconventional and outcast, they call attention to these intersecting experiences through visual metaphor.
Loulie Rossmassler is a weaver whose work favors bright colors, contrast, and pattern to grab the viewer’s attention. Employing highly time consuming and laborious techniques, immersion in the weaving process honors weaving’s departure from the demands of modern life. Using both meticulous planning as well as spontaneity, the work maintains a high standard of craftsmanship. Academic and material research aids in communicating ideas behind the work clearly and accessibly. Utilizing weaving traditions to maintain the cultural importance of weaving goes hand in hand with reflecting the need for community and solidarity as we continue the struggle against oppression in the world.
Sofie Jarrett is a multidisciplinary artist based in Maryland, currently pursuing a BFA in Ecosystems, Sustainability, and Justice with a minor in Photography. Her work explores themes of identity, environment, and self-expression. Moving across mediums, she examines how personal experiences shape the way we see ourselves and the world around us.
Annie Knotts is a Maryland-based interdisciplinary artist and current senior pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in General Fine Arts at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Working across drawing, painting, sculpture, and fashion design, her practice blurs material boundaries to explore power, consumption, femininity, and the grotesque. Her work is rooted in her experience as a young queer woman coming of age amid political unrest, using the body as both subject and site of resistance. She has exhibited in Walls of Demand in Washington, DC (2019) and Spring Cleaning in Baltimore, MD (2025).
Jayden Henry is an Afro-Asian American born in 2005, from Kent Island, Maryland. They are a Junior Printmaking major with a minor in Interactive Arts and Experimental fashion. Jayden is a multidisciplinary artist and enjoys working with the themes of deep feelings, vulnerability, relations and trying to psychologically work through feelings of confusion. They're working on pushing themselves to be more okay with visibility through creation and intimate themes. This is the first collection and performance they have ever put together.
MY WORK EXPLORES THE COMPLEX REALITIES OF BLACK IDENTITY ALLOWING GARMENTS TO FUNCTION AS TRIBUTE, A VESSEL OF MEMORIES, CULTURAL LINEAGE, AND THE MESSAGES OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE US. THE PROCESS CONSISTS OF SOURCING REPURPOSED MATERIALS AND CREATING MY OWN TEXTILES. I COLLABORATED WITH ARTISTS OF DIFFERENT MEDIUMS TO EXPRESS IMAGES THAT COMMUNICATE SPECIFIC STORIES, CENTERING BLACK EXPERIENCE AND MEMORY. EACH PIECE BECOMES A SPACE WHERE HISTORY IS ACKNOWLEDGED, MEMORY IS PRESERVED, AND NEW NARRATIVES ARE INSCRIBED.
Anahita Arun (Graphic Design, Interactive Arts, Humanistic Studies; ‘26) is a multidisciplinary designer and artist from Mumbai, India. Her work explores art, design, writing and immersive experiences through the lenses of politics, socio-economics, intercultural communication, art history, and curation. Her work is also heavily based on the internet and media culture. She aims to use her practice as a way to bridge human understanding of the intersecting worlds we inhabit across time, geography and reality.
LJ is a graphic designer and part-time art historian currently based in Baltimore, MD. Specializing in print and motion, she uses her practice to explore the unique ways that design is used to communicate complex ideas and casual day-to-day happenings. She enjoys researching the intersection of design history, politics, and Black visual culture and strongly believes that the best art is the ones made by humans.
Kai Nunnally has earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textiles and Fashion at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Her art practice seeks to discover how complexity can be created through repetition of a movement or process. Kai is also interested in material culture of textile objects and hopes to apply the hand skills she has learned at MICA to an art conservation degree. Her interest in material culture has landed her two museum internships through the Smithsonian and further inspired her interest in the development of dress within African American culture.
Kiara is a graphic designer specialising in branding, packaging and UX design. Her work is an intersection of experimental typography, print techniques, and audiovisual motion design. She aims to create visual identities that communicate authentic stories and foster connections, while always considering the impact that design has on shaping human perception.
Washington D.C. - Baltimore based designer with a concentration in social, economic, and environmental sustainability, Brady Smith is a versatile designer whose work spans a wide range of mediums, including branding, packaging, posters, layouts, book spreads, magazines, UI/UX research, and web development. With a strong foundation in sustainable design, he emphasizes eco-friendly materials, ethical production processes, and inclusive strategies that foster community engagement.
Eyek Ntekim is a videographer, filmmaker, and creative director committed to telling purposeful and visually compelling stories. As the founder of Purposefull Media LLC, she produces strategic visual content that helps brands and organizations communicate with clarity, authenticity, and impact. Her work blends cinematic storytelling with intentional creative direction, focusing on lifestyle, beauty, and documentary-style narratives.
Alaina Lurry is an Atlanta and Baltimore-based photographer studying at MICA. Her work explores the intricacies of black womanhood and selfidentity through comparison, by foraging spaces of comfort for members of her community and honoring them with care and authenticity. By utilizing people of her community framed in different settings, she aims to push the boundaries of black portraiture and question the societal perceptions of blackness.
Raúl Fernando is a Baltimore-based photographer, videographer, and music producer known for his editorials, fashion commercials and fine art photography. With a deep passion for visual storytelling, his work blends personal narrative with cultural exploration, often focusing on the immigrant & hybrid identity experience in America. Through his images, he seeks to shed light on diverse communities, redefining identity and belonging in the modern world.
sara kaltwasser is the Associate Director of the Office of Mission & Community Learning at MICA, and oversees the Community Art & Service Program. She holds a BFA in Painting from Pacific Northwest College of Art, as well as an MFA in Community Arts from MICA. Her primary role with Mission is to connect students, staff and faculty to the broader Baltimore community through leadership opportunities as well as strong community partnerships.
Marissa Vazhappilly is the Mission Specialist at the Office of Mission & Community Learning. They support student leaders, support community based programming, and help facilitate the Annual Benefit Fashion Show from behind the scenes. When they aren't working, they're making animated films.
Dr. Frankie Martin is the founder of the Annual Benefit Fashion Show! 32 years ago, she conceptualized & realized the show in collaboration with MICA’s Black Student Union to showcase and highlight the creativity of our students across various disciplines and backgrounds who choose to focus on wearable art and performance. In her work, she was dedicated to making sure MICA’s students felt heard, scene, and connected to the community. The Dr. Frankie Martin grant supports students facing emergent needs by investing in their creative careers. After retiring from the college, she has also received MICA’s highest badge of recognition, the Medal of Honor. We are so glad to be able to commit to her legacy during our 31st year.
Dr. Frankie Martin founded the Annual Benefit Fashion Show, in partnership with the Black Student Union (BSU) to raise funds for student scholarships. Since then, she has retired from the College and received MICA’s highest honor, the Medal of Honor.
ABFS raises funds for the Dr. Frankie Martin Grant, which goes towards students in need of financial support. This grant has a marked effect on the students who receive it: alleviating financial stress, helping them complete creative projects, and building their futurity as professional artists.
Donate to the Dr. Frankie Martin Grant here.
Join the festivities as MICA honors its 200-year history, recognizes its present success, and looks forward to a bright future. Throughout 2026, the College will be sharing community stories and announcing one-of-a-kind events on campus, in Baltimore, and beyond.
