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Senior Capstone

The Photography program annually creates a Senior Publication, collecting the senior thesis projects and short statements from our graduating class.

Class of 2024

I Am: Class of 2024

Let us begin with an appraisal of the question: how are you? If you ask college students that, be prepared for a more than likely grunt of disavowal or a slowly shaking head. But our own Mathilde Kabuka Mujanayi, always one to aim for a deeper truth, has seamlessly delivered the answer of “I am” for years. The line to end all small talk - it is immutable. So when trying to sum up the experience we all shared, with its commonalities and disparate stretches, it felt only right to go back to basics. I am : We are. We are a cohort that not only has had the privilege to create these bodies of work that reflect our individual visions but also to strive, as a community, towards improving the landscape of photography into something reflective of who we are despite the challenges. As students of photography, we have chosen to use the medium as a tool to conceive bridges between our deviations, to peer closer at our impacts and to take on the responsibility of setting the record straight. It feels crucial to use this space to congratulate not only the fantastic work included in this year’s issue of the Senior Magazine but also to express gratitude for the support of all of those around us. These artworks are a testament to the countless late nights after long days spent working through thesis projects by the MICA Photo Class of 2024. We now move forward, continuing to become more ourselves through making, cameras in hand.

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Senior Capstone Archive

Senior Considerations: Class of 2023

A Collection of Images From Cassandra Awad, Matthew Bailey, Cameron Gutierrez, Carson King, Madeline Mclinden & Ayathma Wickramasinghe

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Class of 2022

This year’s photo book is the fruit of each student’s labor at the photography department of Maryland Institute College of Art.Though our timelines vary and our journies were unique, each student shared a common goal to create a cohesive body of work that reflects the artist’s vision. Despite several tectonic shifts in the way classes have been conducted, whether online or in person, Senior Thesis provided us with an opportunity to rebuild community, support each other, and most importantly, grow together. As students of photography, we often use the medium as a tool to become more aware of ourselves, question how we view the world, and what this tells us about ourselves. Our experiences in a tumultuous time influenced by the pandemic helped us turn inwards and question our own perspective, values, and identity as it relates to photography. As we make the transition from students of photography to artists making work outside the institution, we expect and hope to continue and learn as artists.

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Class of 2021

In your hands, is the culmination of our year long commitment to our work and each other, MICA Photo Class of 2021 has persevered through a pandemic and many long zoom calls, to create the following bodies of work. Through this unprecedented year, we have also come together to create the beginning of our creative lives. Although diverse in approach we have been grounded in a sense of unity. As light-workers and image-makers, we have created rich and complex narratives. We are unified in our processes, in the ways we capture imagery and how we see photography. Unity, especially critical in this poignant period of our lives, brought us together to protect the health and safety of ourselves and the people around us. We shall be certain to make it through any pathway or difficult time if we continue to protect, uplift, and recognize each other as the resilient, community-driven and thought provoking group that we are. As we progress in our practice and in our careers, we are prepared to learn and thrive in all the communities we extend ourselves to. This is the end of our undergraduate experience and the beginning of our extraordinary new adventure.

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Class of 2020

In your hands, is an acknowledgment of the dedication and commitment we, the MICA Photo Class of 2020, have spent to create the following bodies of works this past year. This book serves as a culminated preview of the different approaches we take in being light-workers and image-makers. Through long nights and much appreciated snacks provided by Regina and Sarah, we have come together to create the beginnings of our life’s works. This diverse collection of portfolios is complex, though, all together grounded in a sense of unity. We are unified in our processes, in the ways that we capture imagery and how we see photography. Unity, as it is especially critical in this poignant period of our lives as we come together to protect the health and safety of ourselves and the people around us. We shall be absolutely certain to make it through any pathway or difficult time if we continue to protect, uplift, and recognize each other as the resilient, community-driven and thought provoking group we are. As we progress in our practices and in our careers, we are prepared to learn and thrive in all the communities we extend ourselves to. This is the end of our undergraduate experience and yet, the beginning of a new adventure. Thank you to Dr. Deborah Willis, this year’s MICA Photo Endowed Chair of Photography, for guiding us along the way. Thank you to Regina DeLuise for creating a home for us. And thank you to Nate Larson and the MICA Photo Department for your continuous support.

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Existing Eternally, Existing Tomorrow: Class of 2019

When I arrived at MICA photo, I felt there was a looming mystique attached to senior thesis. The idea of making an exceptional body of art over an entire year was like a dark cloud that followed me around. As sophomores, my classmates and I would speculate about thesis. We shared ideas that we were saving for the class, as if we came to some kind of earth shattering artistic discovery. I watched the seniors develop their projects, and couldn’t help but be intimidated by their creativity and talent. They were so skilled, and I just thought of myself as undistinguished. In my Junior year we would talk about how quickly thesis was approaching. Just one year away. I was beginning to feel more confident in my artistic abilities. If I had questions I knew who to ask. As the semester progressed, I became more knowledgeable. I occasionally made work I was proud of. By the end of the second semester of junior year, I was no longer intimidated by the senior class and their aptitude. I was able to appreciate and understand their photographs. When my classmates and I first entered thesis this year, it felt as if all our development led us to this point. We knew by the end of the year our hard work and commitment would culminate in the senior thesis exhibition. Only now that I am nearing the end of my undergraduate career am I interpreting thesis in a new light. The classes that we took my sophomore and junior years not only helped prepare us for this course, but ultimately provided us with tools and strategies for years to come. Though the senior thesis undergraduate exhibition marks the end of our time at MICA, it is clearly the beginning of a new chapter in our lives as artists.

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