March 2013
1 post
Liz Ogbu—Design Acts: Creating Impact, by Design
We had the honor of spending a week w/ Liz Ogbu, a designer, social innovator, and academic. Liz is an expert on sustainability and spatial innovation in challenged urban environments. She runs her own multidisciplinary consulting practice and is serving as the first-ever Scholar-in-Residence at the Center for Art & Public Life at California College of the Arts. Previously, she held senior...
February 2013
1 post
Andréa Pellegrino—Implementing Social Change
This week we were fortunate enough to host Andréa Pellegrino fromPellegrino Collaborative as our first visiting scholar of the Spring semester.
Andréa works at the intersection of strategy, communications and business development for forward-thinking organizations dedicated to driving positive social change. She launched Pellegrino Collaborative out of a belief that working with a network of...
November 2012
3 posts
Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson—Designer as Storyteller
Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson joined the MASD team this week to to talk about designer as storyteller and the role storytelling should play in the MASD thesis proposals.
Elizabeth is a journalist, author, and editor whose articles, essays, and fiction have appeared or are forthcoming in publications and Web sites including The New York Times Magazine,Slate, Next American City, The Baltimore Sun,...
Lee Davis—Social Design + Social Enterprise
Lee Davis Rules!! and was our first Robert W. Deutsch Foundation Visiting Scholar.
Lee Davis is a social entrepreneur and designer with over 20 years of experience in the international development, philanthropy and social enterprise fields, and author of several books on social enterprise and venture philanthropy. He is co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) ofNESsT, and served for 15...
September 2012
4 posts
Dr. MA Greenstein—Neuroscience & Design Thinking
Dr. M.A. Greenstein (a.k.a. Dr. G) delivers the power and wisdom of truly applied neuroscience into the hands of leaders and learners to inspire and transform education, health and media across the globe.
For thirty years, Dr. G. has been on the front lines of the arts and sciences to help decode the complex data of neuroscience into relevant insights and whole-system strategies. Her work, and the...
Myra Margolin—Community Psychology
This week we reconnected with the amazing Myra Margolin (actually the virtual version of Myra) as she left Baltimore last year to work with youth in India. Myra received an MA in Community Psychology from the University of Illinois and a BFA in Film and Video Production from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has been involved in the field of youth media for a decade, having...
Paul Rucker—Interdisciplinary Artist
Thanks to Neil Didriksen from the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation for introducing us to Paul Rucker. Paul is an interdisciplinary artist, who combines mediums. He finds inventive ways to integrate live performance, sound, original compositions, and visual art. The music he creates on cello involves extended technique, prepared cello and electronics. His compositional style ranges from improvised to...
John Bielenberg & Greg Galle—Future Blitz
It was a pleasure to welcome our good friends John Bielenberg and Greg Galle of Future to the East Baltimore studio this week.
Future is an innovation firm that creates positive change by uniting the powers of design, enterprise, and humanity. They recognize that human ingenuity has been responsible for the many crises that we face in our world—but believe that human ingenuity can and will solve...
August 2012
1 post
David Sachs—Teams & Teaming
Today we welcomed David Sachs to lead a workshop on collaboration, leadership and personal working style.
David believes strongly in the power of design thinking to drive social innovation. As a Professor of Practice and Program Chair of the Executive Masters in the Management of Aging Services at UMBC’s Erickson School, David taught human-centered design, innovation and leadership within the...
April 2012
2 posts
“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Mark Stern, PHD
MICA welcomed Mark Stern for a lecture and roundtable discussion involving MASD, MFACA, and MFA Curatorial Practice students. Dr. Stern is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania in Social Policy & Practice. His research focuses on US social history and the social impact of the arts.
Stern’s work has documented the role of community cultural providers in improving the quality of...
March 2012
2 posts
Keetra Dean Dixon
Keetra Dean Dixon came to the studio to lead a workshop for the MASD students on How to give an effective presentation. It was an effective presentation, and the students were very happy to have Keetra before she (sadly) heads out of Baltimore.
Keetra is a designer and artist working under the handle FromKeetra. Her often frazzled workshop pushes its focus towards non-commissioned work, but...
Edward Boatman
We had the privilege of hosting Edward Boatman of the Noun Project at MICA PLACE this week. In addition to working directly w/ undergraduate students from Kyla’s Design for Change course in the graphic design department, he participated in MASD’s thesis review and led an Iconathon w/ MASD, MFAGD and the Baltimore City Health Department. We focused on community health, specifically food...
February 2012
5 posts
Rosten Woo
We had the privilege of hosting Rosten Woo at MICA PLACE for a lecture and discussion Friday night.
He posed these questions: How does new information become meaningful to a public discussion? How can graphic design help or hinder the creation of a public?
Rosten Woo is a cultural producer living in Los Angeles. He makes work that helps people understand complex systems and participate in...
James Rojas
James Rojas led a Create Your Own Ideal Place workshop w/ Kyla’s Design for Change students and the Reservoir Hill Community.
James is an urban planner who devotes a lot of his time to translating the impenetrable maps and language of land use planning into a activities that are visual, tactile, and playful — the language of how we actually experience the world. His basic goal is to...
Scott Burkholder
Scott Burkholder is the executive director of The Baltimore Love Project, whose self-described mission is to connect people and communities across Baltimore City through love themed murals. He visited MASD this week and led a workshop titled: What it takes to make LOVE! He talked about the 5 Knows of Business:
• Know your story
• Know your market
• Know your needs
• Know how to get it done
•...
Cindy Plavier Truitt & Henry Posko, Humanim
It was a pleasure and honor to have Cindy and Henry from Humanim, join us as MSD thesis advisors.
Cindy Plavier Truitt
Ms. Truitt serves as the Chief Development Officer of Humanim a NPO which provides workforce development and human services to over 4,500 individuals a year throughout Maryland. Ms. Truitt has been employed with Humanim for over 23 years. In her current role, she oversees all of...
Rebecca Yenawine
Rebecca joined us on Monday, February 6 as an advisor for the first Thesis Review.
She works as an adjunct faculty member at the Maryland Institute College of Art in the Masters of Community Art Program where she teaches social justice curriculum. Rebecca is the founder and co-director of Kids on the Hill and oversees all art and curriculum at KOH, insuring that the projects that young people...
January 2012
2 posts
Kel Smith
I am Kel Smith
I own a digital accessibility company calledAnikto
I write stuff onTwitter
I write other stuff onTwitterrelated to Anikto
I’m writing abookon accessibility and innovation
There’s aTwitter feedon that as well
I’ve been published inSpringer Press, theJournal of Virtual Worlds and Education, theE-Access BulletinandSTC Intercom Magazine
I wrote something for...
Myra Margolin
We started the semester off with an amazing workshop hosted by Myra Margolin focused on Community Psychology. Myra holds an MA in Community Psychology from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and a BFA in Film and Video Production from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has worked with children and youth in a range of community contexts, helping them to use media to tell...
December 2011
2 posts
Thesis Proposal Presentation Critics
Jon Kaplan, Executive Director, OSI Fellow, B’more Fit
Myra Margolin, Community Psychologist & Program Manager, Wide Angle Youth Media
Guna Nadarajan, VP for Research & Dean of Graduate Studies, MICA
Kalima Young, Project Coordinator, Baltimore Art + Justice Project
Lauren Poor, Clean Water Community Organizer, Blue Water Baltimore
Karen Stults, Director of Community Engagement, MICA
Sandie Maxa & Mark Sanders
It was great to have Sandie Maxa & Mark Sanders (MICA GD faculty) in the studio this week to host a grid workshop. It was an all day-event and the work produced will become autobiographical posters for the final thesis proposal presentations.
Sandie and Mark are new to MICA this year, coming from NYC. Visit their website, Q Collective to learn more about the couple and their amazing work.
...
November 2011
7 posts
Bob Quilter, Baltimore City Planning Department
It was a pleasure to host Bob Quilter from the Baltimore City Planning Department. Bob is an architect and the Community Planner for SE Baltimore. The students shared their open space mapping work as well as the research they did for Healthy Baltimore 2015.
The mission of the planning department is to provide the highest level services and leadership in urban and strategic planning,historical...
Amy Gilder-Busatti
It was a pleasure to host Amy Gilder-Busatti from the Baltimore City Office of Sustainability. Amy is a landscape architect and has been working in Baltimore for many years. The students shared their open space mapping work as well as the research they did for Healthy Baltimore 2015.
The Office of Sustainability develops and advocates for programs, policies, and actions by government, citizen,...
Josh To
This week we welcomed Josh To to our East Baltimore studio.
Josh founded Brute Labs in early 2006 as an experiment to explore what impact a small group of passionate but fully-employed young people could have. Since their inception, they have launched over 12 projects including implementing clean water projects in Africa, tackling childhood obesity through a program called RUN! and...
Dr. G
We had a great visit today from Dr. M A Greenstein, founder of the George Greenstein Institute (GGI), a 21st century neuro-consulting/design thinking lab, dedicated to supporting educational communities with 21st century, whole-brain learning strategies, platforms and entrepreneurial partnerships.
Dr. G has spent most of her life and career seeking to understand best and future practices for...
Jane Brown & Neil Didriksen
It was a pleasure to share our studio, students, and vision with Jane Brown and Neil Didriksen from The Deutsch Foundation.
The Deutsch Foundation has been built on the interests and values that marked the lives of Bob and Florence Deutsch: innovations in science and technology, investments in education, and concern for the welfare of others. The foundation is committed to sustaining their...
Pat Tracey & Barbara Bates-Hopkins
Today we had the pleasure of starting a friendship w/ Pat and Barbara from the Environmental Justice Partnership. They visited the studio and we discussed community issues in East Baltimore.
The overall goal of the EJP Community Board is to improve the quality of life in our communities. The Mission of the EJP Community Board is to address public health problems that impact East...
Mark Cameron
Today we got a visit from Mark Cameron, Executive Director of the Neighborhood Design Center, a non-profit organization providing design and planning assistance to low and moderate income communities in the Baltimore - Washington D.C. area.
He talked to us about using design for: Education, Engagement, and Empowerment. He also introduced us to the teachings and writings of Ian Mcharg, and about...
October 2011
9 posts
John Hawks
John Hawks is a pioneer in translating the scientific research on social networks into a commercial application across many markets. He founded Community Analytics in 2004 in order to extend his knowledge and experience of social networking across various industry sectors.
Prior to Community Analytics, Mr. Hawks founded COMSORT in 1989. Working with leading researchers, COMSORT built a series of...
Ed Casabian
Ed lived with us at MICA Place for a week. Below is his farewell email to the group.
Hi all,
It was great to meet all of you and I thought you might enjoy this interview with Mary from the Northeast Market. The name of the store is now Loretta’s (her daughter), but she’s at the market most days. Go say hi ! http://soundcloud.com/thenycnomad/middle-east-baltimore Thanks for...
Vu Dang, Chief Service Officer, Baltimore City
Vu’s two-year position, funded by a Cities of Service Leadership Grant, is dedicated to engaging residents to volunteer to confront challenges and serve vulnerable people throughout the City.
Mr. Dang, who grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, is a native of Vietnam. His family fled the communist regime in 1975 and lived in a refugee camp at Camp Pendleton in California. He is a graduate of both...
MICA's MFA in Curatorial Practice
MASD hosted successful and energetic happy hour with MICA’s new MFA in Curatorial Practice students.
The new Curatorial Practice program prepares students to take a responsible approach to the expanding role curators play in creating a vibrant cultural life in the 21st century’s global society. Designed to forge connections among art, artists, and the community, the program’s...
Dan D'Oca
Daniel D’Oca is Principal and co-founder of Interboro Partners, a New York-based architecture, planning, and research firm that has garnered many awards for its innovative projects. With Interboro, Daniel won the New Practices Award from the AIA New York Chapter in 2006, and the Architectural League’s Young Architects Award in 2005. Daniel is also the co-founder of The Metropolitan...
Erica Schlakjer, Creator and Curator
Two years ago, I left the turbulent world of print journalism and declared that I would become a “Benevolent Media Creator.” This blog is the literal manifestation of that declaration.
Since my transition from newsrooms to nonprofits, I have been working for EMBARQ. My official job title says I’m a “Media Relations and Online Engagement Coordinator,” but when people ask me what I do, I tell them,...
Teddy Cruz
Teddy Cruz (BA-1982 : Rafael Landivar University Guatemala City, BArch-1987 : California State Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo, Fellow-1991 : Rome Prize in Architecture, MDesS-1997 : Harvard University GSD), beginning with an experimental summer workshop at SCI-ARC, his LA/LA Latin America / Los Angeles studio, has taught and lectured in various universities in the US,...
Robert Karimi
Robert Farid Karimi is an interdisciplinary playwright, multimedia humorist, activist, and poet and the artistic director of kaotic good productions. His works include self (the remix), The Cooking Show con Karimi y Comrades, Shaving time, and the Approximate Value of a Foot Bubbler. Karimi has collaborated with artists such as Guillermo Gomez Peña and Laurie Carlos; performances include the Edge...
Jamie McDonald, CEO, Give Corps
Deutsche Bank, Alex. Brown, Managing Director. Co-head of Private Equity Coverage
Entrepreneur, Velocity, Started, built and sold new concept gym. Growth Strategy Consultant. Community Volunteer with particular passion for organizations addressing entrenched poverty.
www.givecorps.com
September 2011
8 posts
Katie O'Meara, MICA Environmental Design Faculty
Katie is a registered architect, landscape architect and a geographer. A member of MICA’s fulltime faculty, She has been teaching in the Environmental Design Department since its inception, bringing together students, faculty and professionals to look at our buildings and our cities in a critical and informed way. With special emphasis on developing tactical design solutions for our most...
Oxiris Barbot, M.D., Baltimore Commissioner of...
Oxiris Barbot, M.D., was appointed Commissioner of Health for Baltimore City on July 7, 2010. As Commissioner of Health for Baltimore City, Dr. Barbot leads an agency of approximately 1,200 employees with a budget of approximately $138 million in fiscal year 2010. The Health Department is responsible for numerous areas of health policy and programs including control of infectious diseases, school...
Melody Simmons & Joan Jacobson
Melody Simmons covers development and real estate for The Daily Record. She has been a reporter in Baltimore for more than three decades, focusing on urban and regional issues including development, housing, education and poverty. A staff writer for The Evening Sun and The Sun for 20 years, she was part of a team that investigated a $60 million no-bid city public housing repair program in 1995...
Jessica Ladd & Melodie Kinet, Social Innovation...
Mélodie Kinet, a current MPH/MBA student, has recently become keenly interested in social enterprise by working on her career project. Mélodie has written a business plan for a community farm model to host torture survivors seeking asylum in the US. She submitted the business plan to the Hopkins Business Plan competition and won third place in the Social Enterprise category. She also presented the...
John Bielenberg
What John does best is help companies and their people, find the courage and the sense of humor to consider whole new, wrong ways of bringing their stories, ideas, and innovations out into the world.
John feels so strongly about the value of thinking wrong that he created a program called Project M that is designed to inspire and educate young designers, writers, photographers, and filmmakers by...
Antero Pietila, Author
Baltimore is the setting for this examination of bigotry and residential segregation. In his book, Not in My Neigbhorhood: How Bigotry Shaped a Great American City, Antero Pietila shows how continued discrimination practices toward African Americans and Jews has shaped the cities in which we live.
Eugenics, racial thinking, and white supremacist attitudes influenced even the federal...
Glenn Ross, Community Advocate
In 1980 as a single parent with two young daughters Glenn Ross bought and rehabbed a decaying and vacant house at 509 N. Milton Avenue in East Baltimore. He soon realized his home was rat infested and began tearing down every wall until his entire home was gutted. It would appear this is where Glenn began his interest in urban environmental issues and community development.
Since that time he...
Mindi Levin, Founder & Director, SOURCE
SOURCE provides academic, professional and personal development opportunities for the members of the JHU Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health through community outreach and service-learning partnerships with community-based organizations.
SOURCE was founded by the three Schools on the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions campus - Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health - in January 2005 to...
August 2011
1 post
Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson
Elizabeth is a writer, editor, educator, and facilitator based in Baltimore. She is a Contributing Editor with Architect and Architectural Lighting magazines and her articles on design, architecture, cities, and culture have appeared in publications from The New York Times Magazine and Conde Nast Traveler to Slate, Metropolis, and Next American City. During her tenure as the editor in chief of...
