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Maryland Institute College of Art

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Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
TypePrivate
Established1826
Endowment$51 million
PresidentFred Lazarus IV
Academic staff
291
Students1872
Undergraduates1644
Postgraduates228
Location
Baltimore, Maryland
,
USA
CampusUrban
Websitemica.edu

Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is an art university in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1826, making it the oldest accredited art college in the United States. It is one of the most selective art colleges in the country and is among the top visual arts undergraduate and graduate programs in the nation. MICA is often considered to be in the top five art schools in the world ("Interview with Ms. Carmina Cianciulli, Assistant Dean for Admissions, Temple University's Tyler School of Art". Retrieved 2006-12-13.) MICA is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), a consortium of thirty-six leading art schools in the United States, as well as the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The school is located in the Bolton Hill neighborhood, along Mount Royal Ave. The main campus is about 1.5 miles (2 km) from downtown Baltimore, a city that offers an expanding array of cultural resources.

Buildings and histories

MICA's campus is a milieu of diverse buildings from different periods of Baltimore's development. The campus is constantly changing and developing. MICA has received accolades for its creative re-use of existing buildings and for new construction sensitive to the historic character of its neighborhood. Two buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Renaissance Revival marble Main Building, constructed in 1907; and the Mount Royal Station, a former B&O passenger train station erected in 1896 and renovated to academic use in 1966.

Brown Center

The Brown Center

The first newly constructed academic building in nearly 100 years, Brown Center was dedicated on October 17, 2003 and became fully operational in January 2004. Bolstered by a $6 million gift from Eddie and Sylvia Brown, the largest gift ever received by the College, Brown Center houses MICA’s nationally recognized programs in digital art and design, as well as the 525-seat Falvey Hall, which has expanded public programming at MICA. The building was designed by architect Charles Brickbauer and Ziger/Snead LLP.

The 61,410 square-foot, five-story contemporary structure has garnered wide acclaim as an architectural landmark. Awards have included the AIABaltimore 2004 Grand Design Award, AIA Maryland 2004 Honor Award of Excellence, regional award of merit in 2004 in the International Illumination Design Award competition, and several awards for excellence in construction. In addition, MICA President Fred Lazarus traveled to Italy in June 2006 to receive the Dedalo Minosse International Prize for Brown Center. Brown Center was the only American project among the finalists.

Some students and local residents refer to the Brown Center as "The Aggro Crag", a reference to the final mountainous challenge of the 1990s Nickelodeon game shows "GUTS" and "Global GUTS."

Mount Royal Station

Mount Royal Station

Built in 1896, the Mount Royal Station (now known as The Station Building) was the B&O Railway’s showcase passenger station until it ceased its operations at the Station in 1961. MICA purchased the building in 1964 and renovated the building under the direction of architect Richard Donkervoet, who took pains to retain as much of the building’s Richardsonian exterior as possible, and also preserved much of the interior character, including vaulted ceilings, columns, and mosaic floor. Architectural Forum recognized the Mount Royal Station renovation in 1966 for “sensitivity by later architects to the initial conception by the original,” and Margaret Meade, in a lecture given at the Station, commented that the renovation “is perhaps the most magnificent example in the Western World of something being made into something else.”

The clock tower was damaged in a 1967 storm, but was restored with the financial assistance of MICA alumnus Jacob Blaustein. In 1973, the Educational Facilities and Laboratories recognized Mount Royal Station in its Modernization Showcase. The Mount Royal Station was added to the National Historic Landmark list in 1973, granting it full protection as an historic site.

The Mount Royal Station’s train shed, one of the country’s last remaining shed structures, was renovated in 1985 due to extreme disintegration of the shed’s materials. The rights to the tracks themselves were purchased by CSX Transportation and freight service resumed at the Mount Royal Station, continuing through the present. In 1992, AIABaltimore honored the Maryland Institute and architects Cochran, Stevenson & Donkervoet with a 25 Year Award for Excellence in Design of Enduring Significance for their adaptive reuse of the Mount Royal Station.

In Summer 2005, MICA began a $6.3 million renovation of the building by the architectural firm Grieves, Worrall, Wright & O’Hatnick, Inc., to be completed in two phases. Phase one, the renovation of the interior, was completed in Fall 2005. During this phase, the interior finishes, such as the mosaic tile flooring, marble columns, tin ceilings, wood wainscot, and trim were cleaned and restored. Classroom space was also increased, as well as the quality and quantity of studio space.

Phase two, the exterior renovation of the building and train shed began in Fall 2006. Exterior stonework and wood will be cleaned, repaired, and repainted, the slate canopy will be restored, and the drainage system fixed; clerestory and structural timbers in the train shed will be replaced and the steel roof framing will be reinforced. In keeping with the pedestrian landscaping and streetscape that MICA has created along Mount Royal Avenue, a new plaza with benches, bike racks, shrubs, and ornamental grasses and groundcover will be created.

The Mount Royal Station currently houses the undergraduate departments of fiber and interdisciplinary sculpture, 3-D classrooms, and the Rinehart School of Sculpture.

Main Building

Main Building


Construction began on a new Maryland Institute campus in Bolton Hill when its downtown Baltimore building was destroyed in the Great Baltimore Fire on February 7, 1904. The State of Maryland and Andrew Carnegie contributed funds to build the Main Building, and local businessman Michael Jenkins donated the site for the building. It was the first building designed by New York-based architects Pell & Corbett, who were awarded the contract when they won a $500 design contest sponsored by the New York Association of Independent Architects. Otto Fuchs designed the interior studio plans.

In 1908, the New York Association of Independent Architects awarded the building a gold key, the highest award in architecture at the time. The Main Building was added to the National Register of Historic Sites in the 1970s.

From 1990 through 1992, the building underwent a major, $5.1 million renovation under the direction of architects Grieves, Worrell, Wright & O’Hatnick, Inc. The renovation upgraded the building’s facilities and created additional academic and office space while retaining much of the original design and décor. The Main Building houses painting and drawing studios, undergraduate photography department, foundation department, two departmental galleries, and administrative offices.

Other academic/administrative buildings

Bunting Center

The acquisition and renovation of Bunting Center, which opened in 1998, increased MICA’s academic space by 20 percent. The building, formerly the headquarters of AAA mid-Atlantic, houses the departments of art history, environmental design, and language, literature, and culture, as well as the Pinkard Gallery; Student Space Gallery; Java Corner, Writing Studio; Decker Library, one of the finest art college libraries; and the Media Resources Collection, with more than 120,000 slides, as well as videos and audiotapes. Offices in the Bunting Center include Human Resources, Office of Events, Postal and Print Services, Technology Systems & Services, and Graduate Admission and Graduate Studies. Architect Steve Ziger headed the building’s $5.5 million renovation, seeking to create “a real sense of neighborhood” for the college. The new building was named for trustee George Bunting, who was instrumental in the development of the Fox Building among other projects. The Bunting Center received the Grand Design Award and Honor Award from AIABaltimore in 1998.

Firehouse

MICA purchased an historic Firehouse along North Avenue in 2001 and renovated the building in 2003 to house the College’s operations and facilities management department. The building has 7,224 square feet of space. As part of the redevelopment agreement, MICA maintained the station’s front façade in accordance with Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation standards. Renovation architect for the project was Cho Benn Holback + Associates, Inc. Kajima Construction Services was the contractor. The Firehouse won an award from the Baltimore Heritage Foundation for preservation in 2004.

Fox Building

The Fox Building

Built in 1915 as the Cannon Shoe Factory, the Fox Building was purchased in 1976. After two years of planning by architects Ayers/Saint/Gross, work began in 1979 and the newly renovated building opened in 1980. This renovation retained most of the warehouse character of the building, including exposed ductwork and framing and the original exterior—providing more than 60,000 square feet of usable space. The renovations cost $2.5 million, and the building was named for architect Charles James Fox, a 1965 graduate of MICA whose family contributed over $1.5 million of the renovation cost. After the conversion, the Mount Royal Improvement Association granted MICA an Award of Merit for its contribution to the community.

In 2005, a second renovation of the Fox Building added Decker Gallery and Café Doris. The building also houses Meyerhoff Gallery, Center for Art Education, Division of Continuing Studies, Mount Royal School of Art, as well as ceramics, illustration, 2-D classrooms, and the Nature Library.

Studio Center

MICA purchased the former Jos. A. Bank sewing plant in August 2000. The all brick building dates back to the early 1900s and was home to Morgan Millwork for most of the century until Jos. A. Bank Clothiers bought it for a sewing plant. The 120,000 square-foot building houses the post-baccalaureate certificate program, Hoffberger School of Painting, the graduate photography and digital imaging program, and upper-level student studios. Although the official name according to MICA is The Studio Center, many if not all students know it as The Bank Building.

Additional buildings making up MICA's campus include 1210 Mount Royal Avenue, 1212 Mount Royal Avenue, 1229 Mount Royal Avenue, 1501 Mount Royal Avenue, Art Tech Center at 1206-1208 Mount Royal Avenue, Dolphin Building at 100 Dolphin Street, Jewelry Center at Meadow Mill, Kramer House, Main Building Annex, and the MICA Store at 1200 Mount Royal Avenue.

Student housing

The Commons

MICA’s first official student housing facility, The Commons is a three-building, four-story student apartment complex. Among the first student residences to be constructed on the apartment-living model, it houses approximately 350 students. When MICA proposed purchasing a lot on McMechen Street that had been vacant for more than 30 years to build the Commons, the Bolton Hill neighborhood not only approved the purchase, but also gave $50,000 in donations.

In 2000, American School and University included The Commons in its Architectural Portfolio awards, citing Mahan Rykiel Associates for their Landscape Architecture work on the project. The Maryland/Potomac Chapters of the American Society of Landscape Architects also gave the project an award.

Meyerhoff House

Meyerhoff House opened in August 2002 as a cutting-edge residence for upper-level students. The building also includes the College’s main dining facility, student life program, and recreational amenities. Originally built in to house the Hospital for the Women of Maryland, the building had been a nursing home until it closed in the 1990s. The building then lay dormant for seven years until the bank foreclosed, whereupon MICA purchased it in January 2001. Meyerhoff House retains the character of this historic building, the largest single structure in Bolton Hill, including high ceilings, exposed brick, interesting geometries, and spectacular views from the upper floors. The Edwin A. Daniels, Jr., Courtyard provides a central, landscaped gathering space for students, and the Alex. Brown & Sons Garden along the building’s front enhances the Bolton Hill neighborhood. Neighbors and city leaders hailed the College’s plan to return to active use an important and long-dormant structure.

The Gateway

The Gateway

Construction began on Baltimore’s newest landmark, The Gateway, in October 2006. Located at the intersection of Mount Royal and North avenues on a highly visible site alongside the Jones Falls Expressway (I-83), The Gateway is the next major investment by the nationally renowned college of art and design in the revitalization of the North Avenue corridor and Baltimore’s cultural district. MICA has been a major contributor to the strength of both the Station North Arts & Entertainment District and the College’s historic Bolton Hill neighborhood.

The Gateway includes apartments to accommodate 217 student residents, a translucent studio tower, a multi-use performance space, the College’s largest student exhibition gallery, and a new home for the Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Career Development. Construction is expected to last 20 months, with occupancy in fall of 2008.

The new building is the first major architectural landmark for visitors to Baltimore from the North, with approximately 155,000 commuters passing by the site daily. The building and its surrounding landscaped plaza create a dramatic major gateway to the city’s Mount Royal Cultural District, and it anchors the north end of the College’s 24-building campus.

Others include Sutton Place at 1111 Park Avenue, and 1500-1504, 1508, and 1534 Mount Royal Avenue.

Curriculum and degrees

Students and alumni information

Approximately 1,644 undergraduate students and 228 graduate students hail from 48 states and 53 foreign countries. The student body is 66% female, 34% male, 22% minorities and international students, and 97% traditional college-age. Sixty-five percent of MICA students receive some form of financial aid. Among the most selective art colleges in the United States, MICA has consistently enrolled more Presidential Scholars in the Visual Arts than any other college or university in the nation, and in the last several years has enrolled approximately 2/3 of those who received Scholastic Arts’ prestigious Gold Portfolio award. In 11 of the last 14 years, a MICA student has won the National Student Art Achievement Award, which is given by the National Art Education Association for outstanding studio achievement in candidates for teaching.

MICA’s approximately 10,000 alumni living in 58 countries have won international awards, attended prestigious graduate programs, exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the world, and are represented in public and private collections across the globe. Eighty-six percent of B.F.A. graduates who take jobs immediately after graduation are working in art related fields; 23% of MICA B.F.A. graduates pursue graduate study immediately after graduation. They are leaders of major arts and nonprofit organizations. They are successful entrepreneurs in a wide array of art-related fields. A small sampling of internationally recognized alumni include Donald Baechler, Willie Birch, Betty Cooke, Lesley Dill, Jason Dodge, Dorothy Gillespie, Edwin A. Gold, Doug Hall, Ethel Kessler, Jeff Koons, Mary Miss, Kate O’Connor, Nancy Rubins, Jan Staller, and Joyce Scott.

In the past eight years, 14 MICA graduates have received Fulbright awards for study abroad and five students have earned the prestigious Jacob Javits Fellowship for graduate study. Since 2003, two alumni have received the prestigious national Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship and three Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholars have also chosen to study at MICA. Additionally, four alumni have been awarded Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grants.

Notable alumni

See also

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