• PROGRAM DATES:  MAY 24 to JUNE 14, 2025
• OFFICIAL PROGRAM APPLICATION OPENS ON DECEMBER 1, 2024
• PROGRAM AND SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION DEADLINE:  FEBRUARY 15, 2025
• PHOTOGRAPHY/ILLUSTRATION CREDIT
  
  • PH 375: NARRATIVE STRATEGIES
    
  • IL 313: SKETCHBOOK INTENSIVE
    

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Based in Buenos Aires, this program explores the local culture(s), Argentine history, cuisine, connections with local artists, and the production of new artistic fieldwork onsite. In the best visual storytelling tradition, students will traverse and explore the city of Buenos Aires, connecting with the people, music, social fabric, and urban landscape and, most importantly, reflecting on their positionality in the global community. We will meet with Argentinian artists, photographers, and illustrators to learn about their work through artist talks and studio visits. We will build our cultural competencies through visits to area museums, art galleries, and cultural centers, including the Fundación Larivière Fotografía Latinoamericana, Museo de Arte Moderno, Fundación Proa, and Centro Cultural Recoleta. Of course, we will also create flexible time for individual and small-group city exploration.

The studio program comprises six credits: PH 375: Narrative Strategies and IL 313: Sketchbook Intensive. The parallel classes are structured to explore ideas of narrative and storytelling from a multidisciplinary perspective, utilizing photography, illustration, drawing, moving images, collages, digital collages, and other hybrid methods and media.

ABOUT THE FACULTY

Nate Larson (he/him) is the Area Head of Photography at MICA and a contemporary artist and documentarian. His projects have been widely exhibited across the US and internationally and have been featured in numerous publications and media outlets. His artwork is included in the permanent collections of the George Eastman Museum, High Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Orlando Museum of Art, Portland Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography Chicago. natelarson.com.

TLaloC (aka Eduardo Corral, he/him) is a faculty member in the MICA First-Year Experience and Illustration program. He is an award-winning illustrator, interdisciplinary artist, graphic designer, Fulbright Scholar, and educator born in the industrial city of Monterrey, México. He has received numerous recognitions in the Latin American Design Awards, among other projects and distinctions. His artwork has been featured in six solo exhibitions and more than 45 collective national and international exhibitions, including in México, China, Germany, Colombia, and the USA. elgreenproject.com 

PROGRAM FEES

$8100 (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 both Photography (3 credits) and Illustration (3 credits), 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 needed, 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.

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 Nate Larson (nlarson@mica.edu) or Assistant Program Coordinator TLaloC (ecorral@mica.edu).