MICA to Host 2026 CESI Conference on Creative Economy

The Maryland Institute College of Art will host its second annual Creative Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation (CESI) Conference on October 2–3, 2026, on its Baltimore campus at 1300 West Mount Royal Avenue. The Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship (RCCE), MICA's entrepreneurship hub, organized the two-day program around the theme "Envisioning the Creative Economy: Define It, Create It, Impact It."

The conference targets a working audience: students, alumni, educators, community artists and creative professionals. Its three program tracks are direct. "Define It" examines how creative entrepreneurship is understood within today's creative ecosystem. "Create It" covers the resources, practices and pathways that help creative entrepreneurs build sustainable careers. "Impact It" looks at how creative entrepreneurship shapes communities and regional economies.

For Baltimore, the event functions as a matchmaking exercise. The city's arts districts, independent studios and small creative businesses are central to its neighborhoods and its economy, according to the announcement, and the conference connects working artists with the state and regional partners who fund, advise and invest in them. Those partners include the U.S. Small Business Administration's Baltimore District Office, Maryland Capital Enterprises, the Maryland Women's Business Center, the Black Arts District and the Maryland State Arts Council.

Keynotes target the solo-founder trap

Maria Finkelmeier, a percussionist, composer and Associate Professor of Creative Entrepreneurship at Berklee College of Music, opens the conference on Friday with "Superpowers Aligned: Build Beyond Yourself," a keynote that challenges creatives to move past the "do-it-all-yourself" trap. Saturday opens with footwear designer and entrepreneur Tori Soudan, whose Italian-made designs have been worn by Angela Bassett, Zendaya and Carrie Underwood. Her talk is titled "The Future Belongs to Those Who Create."

The practical workshop slate runs from intellectual property to mental health. "The Art of Ownership," led by Baltimore attorney Krystle I. Myers, Esq., covers protecting, negotiating and monetizing creative work. "The Mind Behind the Vision," with Ebony S. Vaughan, LCSW-C, addresses mental wellness in the creative economy. A panel titled "Real Talk on Building a Sustainable Creative Business" features Maryland Poet Laureate and Black Arts District Executive Director Lady Brion, SBA Baltimore District Director Bryce Besaw, and Nick Rudolph of Maryland Capital Enterprises, moderated by Karen Sippel, Managing Director of the Maryland Women's Business Center.

Social innovation takes Saturday afternoon

Saturday afternoon shifts to community-focused programming. "FIELDwork," a plenary session moderated by Thomas Gardner of MICA, will examine the partnership between MICA, Stony Brook University (SUNY) and EcoDepot — a multidisciplinary initiative bringing art, design and science together to advance research across the globe. "Reap What You Sow," with Patricia Ofori of Make Space Studios, applies the principles of organic farming as a framework for neighborhood development. Steffanie Espat of MICA's Center for Creative Impact leads a human-centered design case study of the Falls Road Safety Project.

Attendees can also book one-on-one grant help sessions with Chad Buterbaugh, Deputy Director, and Emily Sollenberger, Program Director, of the Maryland State Arts Council, under the "Coffee with the Council" format.

Friday evening adds a "MICA @ 200" student fashion show marking the college's bicentennial, plus a welcome reception with DJ Melani Midas. Saturday features the Luminary Awards Luncheon, where RCCE will present the inaugural Lumière Awards to an educator, a community art project and an individual artist. The CESI Art Market runs from 3 to 7 p.m. on Saturday and is free and open to the public.

Logistics and tickets

Registration opens Friday, October 2, at 4 p.m.; Saturday programming runs from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Attendees can register for one or both days. The full conference pass includes the opening reception, awards luncheon, fashion show, both keynotes, the social innovation plenary session, access to nine workshops and a campus tour. Discounted tickets are available for groups, MICA community members including alumni, students and chamber members. Tickets are on sale until Friday, October 2 on Eventbrite, with the full agenda at micarcce.com/agenda and speaker list at micarcce.com/meetthespeakers.

The host institution carries weight of its own. Founded in 1826, MICA is the nation's oldest continuously degree-granting college of art and design and is marking its 200th anniversary this cycle. RCCE, the organizing center, runs curricular and co-curricular programs including the Creative Futures Residency and the CEINNOV LaunchLab-style CEINNOV LaunchPad, supporting creative entrepreneurs from students to community founders.

With state arts officials, SBA leadership and lenders sharing a stage with working artists, the conference signals how closely Baltimore's creative economy now depends on public-private infrastructure — and how institutions like MICA intend to broker those connections.