Right in the heart of Baltimore, the Maryland Institute College of Art is dedicated to the education of the whole artist, with the expectation that the specialist within will emerge. To that end, the freshmen take the same courses to give them a broad foundation in the visual arts and about a third of the MICA curriculum focuses on courses in the liberal arts. At MICA, a student majors in a visual art and can minor in a liberal art. Buildings are generally devoted to particular art forms and student art is displayed everywhere, including dorms and administrative buildings.
The MICA campus was bustling and active on the day I visited – students were hanging a show, working in class, sitting outside in groups, studying in the library and waiting for the shuttle bus get to the nearby Baltimore colleges (Johns Hopkins, Loyola Maryland, Goucher) to attend exchange classes or visit friends.
MICA is the oldest accredited art school in the nation and at 1800 students, it seemed a perfect size to me – big enough to have a community of students within each major and yet small enough to get very individual attention. The campus is located near downtown Baltimore, with all the advantages of that lovely mid-sized city and none of the concerns you might have if you have watched too much of The Wire. Programs engaged students in the community and brought the community to MICA.
MICA would be a wonderful spot for the visual artist who knew that art school was the right choice, wanted some freedom and time in choosing a medium and sought an urban environment for their educational experience.
