Parent and Family Weekend at Mica

Family Weekend is coming soon!

Saturday, February 14 at 2:30pm-4pm in Leidy Atrium / Brown Center.  

This is an opportunity for your parents to meet us so, please, let them know.

We'll be there! 

Dates of the program: May 29th - July 1st. (5 weeks)

(Registration Deadline: March 6, 2015)

All Majors are welcome!

More information HERE + Facebook page (images from 2012) only)

Main Guest (and English/Portuguese translator): Canadian Illustrator Pierre Pratt

Pierre has been illustrating and writing children's books for over two decades. He is a three-time recipient of the Governor-General's Award and has won the Mr. Christie Book Award, among many other prizes. Pierre lives in Montreal and Lisbon.

Feel free to contact:

Alain Corbel (Coordinator & Faculty): acorbel@mica.edu
Andrea Pippins (Faculty - Graphic design): apippins@mica.edu 

Shadra Strickland (Faculty): sstrickland@mica.edu

Gregg Wilhelm, Continuing Studies (Scholarships, etc): gwilhelm@mica.edu

This beautiful painted was recently made by Jess Bastidas for her current exhibition at Bethlehem House Contemporary Gallery.

Some update about Unspoiled Africa (New locations where we'll go and new partners):

Jale Ecolodge

Logotype made by Jess Bastidas 

As usual, the plan if to stay there for one night (South of the island).

Mucumbli  on Facebook

This is a new place on the East coast that we must discover. They have donkeys coming from Angola.

Turtles in Sao Tome

Marapa is one of our partner and we'll do some project with them

Delicias das Ilhas

For the first time, we'll visit this small food company (plantations with amazing tropical fruits + processing unit)

An old movie about some plantations during the Portuguese Colonial Era.

After a day of work, I'm sure you'll want to relax by learning some new dances such as Kizomba or Semba. The Brazilian Embassy also provides some classes of Capoeira.

Bastien Loulom From Marapa, Delicia Maquengo from Delicias das Ilhas and their kids and a big Turtle!

Canadian Illustrator Pierre Pratt - Special guest and translator.

During our stay in Sao Tome, Canadian published author and illustrator of children's books, Pierre Pratt, who lives currently in Lisbon, Portugal, will be our guest/translator (English/French and Portuguese).

Tchiloli

Being involved with Saotomean people

Arum

Shadra sketching in Maria de Fatima's house. 

Agostinho Neto Plantation.

A snail tasting at Soledade plantation.

Shadra Strickland

Daniel Pagan

Here, Shadra with Luzia da Silva, who was kind enough to offer us a jar of jam, a juicy pineapple and mangos from her garden. Monte Cafe plantation.

After a few sketches realized with squid ink, a discussion on the improbable benefit of the Kung Fu practice was launched at the former customs office of Angolares.

Information Meeting Oct.3rd - F315 at 3.15pm

Friday, October 3rd - Fox building - Room 315 at 3.15 PM

Information Meeting about Unspoiled Africa, Mica Summer Trip Program in Africa (Cape Verde and Sao Tome  & Principe)

Feel free to contact: 

Alain Corbel (Coordinator): acorbel@mica.edu

Shadra Strickland (Faculty): sstrickland@mica.edu

Dan Krall (Faculty): dkrall@mica.edu

Gregg Wilhelm, Continuing Studies (Scholarships, etc): gwilhelm@mica.edu 

During our stay in Sao Tome, Canadian published author and illustrator of children's books, Pierre Pratt, who lives currently in Lisbon, Portugal, will be our guest/translator (English/French and Portuguese).

Students: What did they say about their journey

In college everyone is encouraged to try new things, experiment, and to broaden their horizons as an artist and as a person. No experience encapsulated all these things better than my time in Sao Tome and Principe with MICA in 2012.

Most colleges have abroad programs to Europe and Asia, but there are very few opportunities to visit a place so remote, different, and largely untamed. Sao Tome and Principe are places where you can explore something completely outside your realm of understanding. We explored overgrown cacao plantations, painted on the beach, attended the prom of one of our student translators, and drew portraits of people who’d never seen their own photograph. It was also a very individualized experience-- some of us worked with local woodcarvers and seamstresses, some of us learned how to break dance at the community center, and some of us chose to spend all our time making art. My memories from this brief time abroad are incredibly valuable, and it was an adventure in the truest sense. The trip requires some fearlessness, but all of us who went were very well rewarded. “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage” (Anais Nin), after all! 

Christina Dacanay  

Christina with Batuquadeiras in Cape Verde.

As a graduate of University of Maryland’s Landscape Architecture Program, I saw the Summer Travel Intensive to Sao Tome as a way to improve my skills while seeing an incredibly challenged part of the world. Admittedly, I had to Google search Sao Tome while looking into the program, however, after learning more about the Portuguese colonized country, I couldn’t contain my excitement. With each day’s activity we had the opportunity for cultural exchange leading to a great understanding of the complexity of the issues that typically plague a post colonial African nation. It seemed impossible to contain the richness of the experience in one medium. At the completion of the program myself and a group of 3 other students performed a modern dance piece wearing elaborate costumes made of found materials, to a group of international and national stakeholders. The piece was performed at a gallery exhibition of other students and artists work. 

The experience inspired me to explore in detail the complex issues that are integral to post colonized African countries. Upon returning to the United States I applied for the Peace Corps and spent two years in Zambia working and living in rural communities. Since returning from Zambia I have recently started graduate school at American University’s School of International Service studying Global Environmental Policy in hopes to dedicate a career toward solving problems associated with developing countries in Africa. 

Lauren Kovach

Lauren at the Cacau space. 

…I would have never guessed that my experience in Sao Tome would be tantamount to an awakening. Never before had I been immersed in a culture so rich in art, and also so willing to share this art with a complete stranger. Being immersed in the Sao Tomean culture revealed just how dynamic art around the world can be and how a country can be molded by art and vice versa. My exposure to the unspoiled way of life opened up my mind to the idea of international development work eventually leading to my current job as a Peace Corps volunteer in Burkina Faso working in Community Economic Development…and my exploration in art continues still!!!

John Pothro

John in Burkina Faso