Location: Decker Gallery (Fox Building, Floor 1 )
On view: January 29 - March 8, 2026
Reception: Thursday, January 29th, 5:00-8:00pm (Performance at 6:30pm in Brown Center Atrium)
Featured artists: Devin Allen, REED Bmore, Phaan Howng, Joyce J. Scott, Ernest Shaw, Bria Sterling-Wilson, Jordan Tierney, René Treviño, Wickerham & Lomax, Jen White-Johnson
Celebrating two centuries of creativity, the Exhibition Development Seminar (EDS) Bicentennial Exhibition Rooted/Growing honors the intertwined histories of MICA and the city of Baltimore, whose relationship is defined by resilience and mutual transformation. MICA has long acted as a launchpad for creatives, providing students the support and opportunity to plant their practice. Here, the original seeds of an artist’s work are set in fertile ground, encouraged to rise and explore. EDS aims to highlight the memories, stories, and histories of all peoples that have contributed to the shared experience of the college and all of those to come.
As a city full of creatives, Baltimore is a hub for all different kinds of makers and movers, from sculpture to street art and everything in between–a beacon for students looking to develop their practice. It is no surprise that Baltimore is a garden in which artists thrive and continue to foster the arts more and more. Through exhibiting an array of selected artists, creatives, and community leaders, this exhibition has positioned itself as a vivid dialogue of the past, present, and future of MICA and the greater Baltimore community.
The exhibition encourages everyone to both reflect on MICA’s legacy and continue the conversation about what it means to learn, create, and sustain art in Baltimore, as well as craft a future guided by a precedent of innovation and ingenuity. Viewers are encouraged to consider how the future of artists relies on the Baltimore community and in turn, how the community benefits from artists, posing a conversation of how their shared ecosystem has enriched the community as a whole. Each aspect of this exhibition invites viewers to encounter these histories not as static memories, but as cross-pollinations and active collaborations across generations and communities.
Text © 2026, Maryland Institute College of Art