studio baltimore is a system that connects mica students to the city around them and challenges them to bridges the gap between art for arts sake, and art that makes things happen.
by challenging the creative energy in an art school environment to address the problems existing in the city around it, studio baltimore it urges students to leave the MICA bubble and begin to think of using art towards something bigger than themselves. baltimore, like any other city, has it's share of issues. but baltimore has an inherent resiliency. we believe that our city can change, and it has the resources necessary to perpetuate progress. studio baltimore combines two of these resources, the thriving art scene and the large number of colleges and universities, to challenge social realities in a city creatively.
why studio baltimore?
it's amazing how long we put up with things simply because we assume that they are a certain way for a reason. as ideo, an innovative design firm, asserts, everything is designed. nothing is untouchable. with that being said, we should always be questioning if things are working at their full potential and pushing to rethink things that fall short of serving the people who use them. at a micro level, this can be redesigning a shopping card to better serve shoppers, something ideo did to demonstrate their deep dive approach. at a macro level, this can be redesigning entire cities to better serve the people that live there. this ambitious idea is at the core of everything studio baltimore does, taking one location, team, and solution at a time.
studio baltimore is a two way street; both sides benefit. it allows young creatives to see the impact their art can have while bringing change, big or small, to communities across baltimore. the beauty of studio baltimore is that it is simply a structure. the outcome of each session depends on the nature of the collaboration between the mica team and the baltimore community in focus. both parties determine just what the reach of their action will be. the potential for impact is, in many ways, immeasurable.
studio baltimore is a two way street; both sides benefit. it allows young creatives to see the impact their art can have while bringing change, big or small, to communities across baltimore. the beauty of studio baltimore is that it is simply a structure. the outcome of each session depends on the nature of the collaboration between the mica team and the baltimore community in focus. both parties determine just what the reach of their action will be. the potential for impact is, in many ways, immeasurable.
how does studio baltimore work?
each studio baltimore session will be comprised of a small team of students from different majors who, with the guidance of a faculty member, connect with a different neighborhood in baltimore. the process is broken into three parts. the first step is visiting the neighborhood; walking around, observing, talking to people, and essentially finding its essence. the second step is creating a plan of action; debriefing the experience and beginning to process what the role of an artist can be in the community. the final step is implementation; returning to the neighborhood, and actually creating something that will bring some sort of change. it can be anything, just as long as it starts the ripple effect.
so when do we get started?
the first studio baltimore team will participate in a "test run" during the spring 2009 semester. after that, four different teams, four different neighborhoods, and four different projects a school year. we're looking for 12 people from any major at mica who want to make things happen in the city around them with art. email studiobaltimore@mica.edu for more information.
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