On the Harbor
Madi Diaz, Sarah Leiva
Flourish: 29th Annual Benefit Fashion Show
Are you ready to Flourish?
In the past year we’ve moved through constantly shifting ground, finding a precarious balance within the earth, cour bodies, and our communities. Now we have entered an arena fertile for restabilization, but in the face of this uncertain frontier, new questions loom. What do we keep and what do we leave behind? The endless possibilities open us up to fruitful conversations about how we cultivate shared space to address collective needs.
What are we allowing to flourish here, in this moment? How has the past shaped our current narratives around growth, and do we honor that? What do we sow now to reap later? Who helps us tend to this burgeoning landscape? What does it mean to flourish? How has change been nurtured in you?
Participating Student Designers:
Punchline
Donovan Kramer
All Dolled Up
Belle Sargent
SHEƎI
Ruth Huang
What does this say about me?
Caelan McCollum
Rodeo
Mo Green
Failure
Solli Kim
This Collection Cost $0 to Make
Jantzen Nolan
Barbie Disco
Paige Esposito
coccon
Kat Luna and Maia Malakoff
Dance of Fire Eulogy
Echo Zhang
Bio-Nautica Synthesis
Evan Cloeren
At My Mother's Salon
Mathilde Mujanayi
Creative Team
Kris Tapia, Director
Kris Tapia is a Nicaraguan-American Senior Fiber student from Gaithersburg, Maryland. They’ve been involved with the Benefit Fashion Show since their first year at MICA and have produced two collections for the show (“Contigo” 2019 collaboration with Hannah Moog, “Amilcar!” 2022).
Avionna Fitzhugh, Assistant Director
Avionna (they/she/he) is a Baltimore based creative, raised in Rochester, NY. Their work invites viewers into a space of communal reflection, blending indexical imagery from childhood and the natural world. Recently graduated from MICA’s Interdisciplinary Sculpture program, Avionna is committed to the practice of presence-within themselves, their community, and their ecosystem.
Sasha Danandeh & Stella Kim, Graphic Design
Sasha Danandeh is a designer based in Baltimore, focusing on interactive design, printed matter, and visual identities. Her interests intersect between experimentation with interaction and research based projects. Stella Kim is a multidisciplinary designer from Seoul, South Korea. Her design focus is on brand identity design and exhibition design, but she does not limit herself to being constrained by the categories.
Steven Zhu, Video
Steven Zhu (he/him) is a director, writer, editor, sound mixer, performer, graphic designer, father to two cats, and a big coffee drinker (with oat milk and creamer, paired with a blueberry cream cheese bagel).
Miracle Kendall, Photography
Miracle Kendall (they/them) is an artist living to create with intention across disciplines. Their vivid photography preserves the stories of Black people and Black DMV creatives with love.
David Neri, Photography
David Neri (they/them) is a photographer archiving everyday moments of joy through the camera.
Tatyana Twyman, Photography
Tatyana Twyman (she/her) is a third year in MICA’s photography program, engaging both community and environment through the intimacy of film.
Dr. Frankie Martin
Dr. Frankie Martin was the first Diversity Officer at MICA and founded the Annual Benefit Fashion Show, in partnership with the Black Student Union to showcase and highlight the beauty of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Since then, she has retired from the college and received MICA’s highest honor, the Medal of Honor.
Tyannis Carter
Tyannis Carter (she/they) is a Baltimore native, designer and the Assistant Director of the Office of Culture and Identity. She is a passionate arts and equity advocate and uses Black Feminist Thought as a springboard to inform her politics and pedagogy as she works with the MICA population. Through programming, mentorship and supervision she aims to amplify the voices and experiences of MICA’s students via authenticity, empathy and community building.
Jellema Stewart
Jellema Stewart is the Director of the Office of Culture and Identity (OCI). Her primary role is to provide leadership over student support, retention initiatives, identity-based programming, and the day-today operations of OCI, with a focus on students who have been historically under-served and under-represented.