- SUMMER 2025 PROGRAM DATES: JUNE 3 TO JUNE 30, 2025
- APPLICATION AND NEED-BASED SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 15, 2025
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
In this interdisciplinary program, you will visit historical national pavilions in the Biennale Gardens and the nearby Arsenale. You will witness first-hand the magical transformation of these spaces, including the work of Jeffrey Gibson, the first-ever indigenous artist to represent the nation with a solo show in the U.S. pavilion.
In addition to exploring the historical sites of the Biennale, we will seek out projects and installations located throughout the seductive architecture of this labyrinthine city. You will tour the centuries-old Accademia museum, Peggy Guggenheim’s jewel-like collection of modern art, the creatively curated Mario Fortuny Museum, the François Pinault Collection, and the Prada Foundation to gain insights into the international art scene embedded in Venice. As you absorb the sights and sounds of contemporary Venice, the Murano glass industry, the dramatic mosaic of the Last Judgment in the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta on Torcello, and Giotto’s Arena Chapel in Padua, you will practice the craft of art criticism on site. Finally, we will investigate centers of Venetian crafts, including museums and workshops centered around glass, lace, and textiles, such as the Stanze del Vetro on the nearby island of San Giorgio as well as the Museo del Vetro on Murano and the textile archives of the Rubelli Foundation. We will also make day trips to nearby towns such as Ferrara, Trieste, and Rovereto.
Classes are held both in the classroom and on location throughout the program. Local experts, curators, art historians, and participating artists in this year’s Biennale will provide special lectures. As you experience the sights and sounds of Venice, you will live on the beautiful breezy island of San Servolo, just ten minutes away from the historic Piazza San Marco. Fully equipped with wireless connections, an affordable cafeteria, luxurious grounds, and access to the nearby Lido beaches, San Servolo provides a wonderful balance to the academic side of this program.
ABOUT THE FACULTY 
Jennie Hirsh has taught modern and contemporary art history at MICA since 2007. Co-editor of Contemporary Art and Classical Myth (2011), and Ventriloquism, Performance, and Contemporary Art (2023), she has published numerous essays on modern and contemporary Italian art, architecture, and cinema. She is currently completing a monograph on painter and writer Giorgio de Chirico. She has directed MICA’s program in Venice since 2009 and has lived and taught in various cities in Italy for the past 25 years. She holds a BA in Classical Studies, with a minor in Italian Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Italian Studies from Middlebury College, and an MA focused on Italian Renaissance Art, as well as a PhD in the History of Modern and Contemporary Art from Bryn Mawr College.
Firmin DeBrabander has been a faculty member in the Humanistic Studies department at MICA since 2004. He focuses on political theory but has taught and written in the fields of Aesthetics, Philosophy of Religion, Ethics, and the History of Philosophy. He has written articles for various national publications, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, and the New Republic. He is the author of two books, Do Guns Make Us Free? (Yale University Press, 2015) and Life After Privacy (Cambridge University Press, 2020). He is currently working on a manuscript regarding faith and secularization. He has interests in the nature of public and private space and theories of the home and is excited to work with MICA students at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2025.
PROGRAM FEES
$8300 (Estimate Only). The program fee (which does not include international airfare, travelers' insurance, incidentals, and personal expenses) includes tuition for 6 undergraduate credits (total) in Art History or 3 in Art History and 3 in Humanistic Studies, housing for the duration of the program, and some meals. Some programs do not provide meals—please consult the program's coordinator for further details.
All MICA faculty-led programs are self-funded and require student participation to operate. After an exhaustive application cycle, if the required number of students enrolled in the program is not met, the Office of International Education reserves the right to cancel the program at any time. Students should never buy airfare or plan to travel to the host country until instructed to do so by the Office of International Education or the faculty program coordinator.
NON-REFUNDABLE COMMITMENT DEPOSIT
After being accepted into the program, a $300, non-refundable deposit is required, and this fee cannot be waived. It's important to note that this deposit is non-refundable. Upon acceptance, students will receive an email outlining the next steps in the official matriculation process, which include submitting this non-refundable deposit via Nelnet, MICA's preferred online payment service. In partnership with MICA Student Accounts, Nelnet has payment plan options available to help students and their families pay for their MICA faculty-led summer program in monthly increments - please consult MICA Student Accounts for more details on payment plan options.
Accepted students will also receive regular, critical follow-up emails with instructions on proceeding with their official matriculation into the program. Students must check their MICA emails regularly throughout the remainder of the semester for essential communications from faculty and study abroad staff. MICA Global Pathways programs are self-funded and require sufficient enrollment to operate. If the program receives more applications than required, the Office of International Education reserves the right to create and manage a waitlist.
CANCELLATION POLICY
We ask that all applicants carefully consider and commit to participate or not shortly after being accepted to the program. Students should be financially prepared to cover the entire program and travel expenses out of pocket, regardless of whether they receive a need-based scholarship. There is no guarantee of receiving a scholarship; even if awarded, it will only cover a small percentage of the total cost.
On Wednesday, February 28, a non-refundable acceptance deposit of $300 will be due in Nelnet, along with the student's total commitment to participate. Applicants who have submitted the $300 deposit will have until Thursday, February 29, 2024, to cancel without penalty. After that, the Office of International Education will start making payments on each student's behalf to international and domestic program and service vendors (e.g., student residence, transportation, excursions, museum passes, materials) once students have been accepted to the program.
Refund amounts are at the sole discretion of the Office of International Education in consultation with MICA Student Accounts and Financial Aid. If a student withdraws their application after Thursday, February 29, they will be responsible for a $300 withdrawal penalty (the non-refundable program deposit) and any or all costs that may have been spent or committed on their behalf. All applicants will sign an agreement acknowledging this policy in the program application. For further inquiries about this policy or to withdraw an application before the deadline, email Mike Rini at mrini@mica.edu.
We ask that all applicants carefully consider and make a commitment to participate or not shortly after being accepted to the program. Students should be financially prepared to cover the entire program and travel expenses out of pocket, regardless of whether they receive a need-based scholarship. There is no guarantee of receiving a scholarship, and even if awarded, it will only cover a small percentage of the total cost. On Wednesday, February 28, a non-refundable acceptance deposit of $300 will be due in Nelnet, along with the student's total commitment to participate. Applicants who have submitted the $300 deposit will have until Thursday, February 29, 2024, to cancel without penalty. After that, the Office of International Education will start making payments on each student's behalf to international and domestic program and service vendors (e.g., student residence, transportation, excursions, museum passes, materials) once students have been accepted to the program. Refund amounts are at the sole discretion of the Office of International Education. If a student withdraws their application after Thursday, February 29, they will be responsible for a $300 withdrawal penalty (the non-refundable program deposit) and any or all costs that may have been spent or committed on their behalf. For further inquiries or to withdraw an application before the deadline, email Mike Rini at mrini@mica.edu.
We ask that all applicants carefully consider and make a commitment to participate or not shortly after being accepted to the program. Students should be financially prepared to cover the entire program and travel expenses out of pocket, regardless of whether they receive a need-based scholarship. There is no guarantee of receiving a scholarship, and even if awarded, it will only cover a small percentage of the total cost. On Wednesday, February 28, a non-refundable acceptance deposit of $300 will be due in Nelnet, along with the student's total commitment to participate. Applicants who have submitted the $300 deposit will have until Thursday, February 29, 2024, to cancel without penalty. After that, the Office of International Education will start making payments on each student's behalf to international and domestic program and service vendors (e.g., student residence, transportation, excursions, museum passes, materials) once students have been accepted to the program. Refund amounts are at the sole discretion of the Office of International Education. If a student withdraws their application after Thursday, February 29, they will be responsible for a $300 withdrawal penalty (the non-refundable program deposit) and any or all costs that may have been spent or committed on their behalf. For further inquiries or to withdraw an application before the deadline, email Mike Rini at mrini@mica.edu.
We ask that all applicants carefully consider and make a commitment to participate or not shortly after being accepted to the program. Students should be financially prepared to cover the entire program and travel expenses out of pocket, regardless of whether they receive a need-based scholarship. There is no guarantee of receiving a scholarship, and even if awarded, it will only cover a small percentage of the total cost. On Wednesday, February 28, a non-refundable acceptance deposit of $300 will be due in Nelnet, along with the student's total commitment to participate. Applicants who have submitted the $300 deposit will have until Thursday, February 29, 2024, to cancel without penalty. After that, the Office of International Education will start making payments on each student's behalf to international and domestic program and service vendors (e.g., student residence, transportation, excursions, museum passes, materials) once students have been accepted to the program. Refund amounts are at the sole discretion of the Office of International Education. If a student withdraws their application after Thursday, February 29, they will be responsible for a $300 withdrawal penalty (the non-refundable program deposit) and any or all costs that may have been spent or committed on their behalf. For further inquiries or to withdraw an application before the deadline, email Mike Rini at mrini@mica.edu.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarship opportunities are available to need-based undergraduate applicants in all majors. At this time, there are no need-based scholarships available for graduate students. The scholarship application can be found in the program's application, and students can opt to apply or not apply for a need-based scholarship. Additional scholarships are offered through professional and external organizations supporting study abroad can be found here. Please pay attention to external scholarship deadlines, requirements, and disbursement timelines related to committing to this program. External scholarship deadlines and decision timelines may not correspond with the timeline of this program. In short, the Office of International Education cannot wait to learn if a student has/has not been awarded a scholarship outside of MICA and how it will impact a student's decision to commit or not commit to this program.
Note: Applying for a MICA need-based scholarship does not automatically mean that a student will be awarded one; scholarships are competitive and based on a compelling scholarship statement provided by the student in the program application. Award amounts for Global Pathways programs are not designed to pay the prospective student's entire program fee, including airfare, transportation, and onsite activities. However, these scholarships are being offered to help students and their families subsidize only a part of the total costs associated with their program, providing valuable support. All prospective applicants should be prepared financially to assume the total cost of their summer study abroad program fees from the outset if they are not awarded a need-based scholarship. The scholarship application deadline is February 15, 2025. For more information about program applications and scholarships, contact Mike Rini in the Office of International Education mrini@mica.edu
QUESTIONS?
Contact Program Coordinator Jennie Hirsh at jhirsh@mica.edu. For more information on how to apply or to inquire about need-based scholarships, contact Mike Rini, Associate Director of Education Abroad: mrini@mica.edu
