Community Education & Professional Education
Convenient learning options for curious creatives, professionals, and degree-seekers.
Expand your career skills and options.
Advance your professional skills, pivot your career, or pursue competitive graduate degrees while building valuable creative connections for future collaborations. Our non-degree Professional Practice offerings are taught by industry experts and structured to make MICA’s rigorous art and design instruction accessible to working adults.
Cultivate your creative interests.
Explore new skills or deepen your practice with access to MICA’s specialized resources and equipment and personalized support from our experienced artist-instructors. You’ll get hands-on experience that results in finished pieces and plenty of interactive critique and feedback along the way.
Community Education
Beginner
Interdisciplinary Sculpture
Saturdays, Sept. 23 - Dec. 2 (no class Oct. 14); 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
In this course students will use a variety of materials to build forms, learn basic drafting, and create work that considers how scale, material, function and user experience interact with the body. Students will think about design as a spectrum, exploring how architecture, furniture, fashion, jewelry, and lighting can be used to expand their arts practice. This course is an opportunity for current designers to think deeper about the conceptual meaning of their work while also taking risks in media approaches.
Cost: $750
Register TodayElizabeth English
Community Education
Beginner
Mindful Colors: Natural Dyes from Plants and Cultures
Wednesdays, Oct. 4 - Dec. 6 (no class Nov. 22); 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
In this course, students will learn a variety of natural dyeing processes including both Korean, Asian traditional methods and contemporary methods. Students will build relationships with plants and learn more about various cultures and philosophies that are connected to nature, incarnation, and spiritual journeys with plant matters. Students will learn to enjoy the meditative and sustainable process of natural color development, cultural exchange, and interacting/observing the beauty of microorganisms from plant matter. Activities in the class will center around making and caring for a naturally fermented indigo vat as a community.
This course offers a comparative study of how different cultures use similar materials for very different processes. Students will practice various traditional processes that span both dip dyeing and direct application.
Persimmon, Gardenia, Madder, Safflower, and local plant dyes will additionally be covered. Students will apply historical research to their findings. As a final, each student will develop a body of textile art and two natural dye color chart books.
Cost: $750
Register TodayRosa Chang
Community Education
Beginner
Introduction to Hand-building Functional Art
Sundays, Oct. 8 - Dec. 10; 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
In this exciting 11 week course we will learn to create functional ceramic forms using hand-building techniques. This includes learning the fundamentals of three-dimensional design in addition to fundamental clay techniques of slab construction, coil building, and pinching. We’re going to use these techniques to create challenging and exciting projects that can fulfill many functions from planters and pitchers to baskets and bowls. We will dive into color and texture, as we learn to create surface decoration and apply slips and glazes to our hand-built pottery. Along the way, we will discuss ancient and contemporary approaches to making and decorating our functional forms.
Cost: $750
Register TodayPatrick Bell
Professional Practice
Beginner
Workshop: Digital Illustration
Thursdays, Oct. 12 - Nov. 16; 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
ONLINE: Learn digital tools like Photoshop and Illustrator to create beautiful illustrations. This course will help you practice various techniques based on prompts that will build your illustration voice. Students will develop skills in drawing various themes like nature, people and animals. If you are looking to take your drawing skills to the next level and build your digital toolkit, this class is just for you! A drawing tablet will be necessary for this class. Workshop will be held online via Zoom.
Cost: $228
Register Today
Kiran Joan
Professional Practice
Beginner
Intro to Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign
Thursdays, Sept. 21 - Nov. 30 (no class Nov. 23), 6:30 pm - 9:45 pm
An introductory course for artists, designers, and photographers getting started with Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. The basics of color correction, retouching, image manipulation, graphics, logo development, and page layout will be covered. Digital file formats and best practices will also be covered. This course will be taught online using Zoom and Canvas.
Cost: $750
Register TodayRandy Morgan
What our students
are saying
“I actually love the remote delivery. I still have access to the instructor and peers, but I don’t have to cart all my painting supplies (and wet canvases) back and forth every week!”
“Superb balance of information, demonstration, peer sharing, and hands-on application.”
“I most liked the lectures and class critiques. The teacher is a master at eliciting class participation and gleaning the important points of the lessons through the works.”
Stay up-to-date with MICA Open Studies.
Sign up for our newsletter to learn about new course offerings and registration dates.
FAQs
Are payment plans available?
Open Studies offers payment plans for all offerings! Enroll now and pay later with equal payment installments. For more details and to begin the process, please contact Open Studies Registration Staff at openstudies@mica.edu.
How will I access the software needed for the class?
Once enrolled, you will receive a MICA email with a link to your Student Getting Started Guide. Please check the email that you used to register for the course or workshop.
To note: The email you receive once you are enrolled will also include login instructions to access tools and software necessary for your class such as Canvas, Adobe Creative Suite, Zoom, and Google Drive.
I'm interested in taking a class in person. What are the COVID-19 related guidelines?
We are in Operational Mode 5 to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable educational experience with MICA. See Operational Mode 5 webpage for more information; this info will also be included in the Getting Started Guide with your registration confirmation email. Masks are encouraged, but not required.
I’m not sure if this class is for me. How can I talk to someone?
Contact the Office of Open Studies at (410) 225-2219 or openstudies@mica.edu
How will I interact with classmates if I choose an online course?
Classes will be held synchronously via Zoom, where peer and instructor discussions and critiques will be conducted.
How will I get my materials?
A materials list is included in the Student Getting Started Guide (PDF) once a student is registered and enrolled in the course. Materials will also be available to purchase through the MICA Art Store at https://shop.mica.edu/art-supplies/.
I see this course is for credit. What’s this for?
Students enrolled in this course also receive non-degree credits. Some teachers may be able to apply these credits towards renewals of teaching certifications.
Will I be on zoom the entire time?
Class format and “zoom time” will be structured to accommodate the needs of each class. Most classes incorporate a mix of instructor-led discussion, critique and independent work time.
What time zone are the courses held?
All courses and workshops are scheduled for an EST time zone.
What if I need to drop the class, how can I get a refund?
Please fill out this form to drop the course you are enrolled in and then submit a written request for a refund to openstudies@mica.edu including your full name and course information before the start of the second class.
Questions?
Contact Us
Office of Open Studies
Baltimore, MD 21217
openstudies@mica.edu
