Maryland Art Institute, Jewelry Institute

Now (checked 2026)

Status
Merged / renamed

Now known as
Baltimore Jewelry Center (independent successor nonprofit); MICA itself no longer offers a jewelry/metals program

What happened
In late 2012 MICA judged its ~20-year-old Jewelry Department financially unsalvageable and closed the program in spring 2014. It was neither absorbed into nor renamed within MICA — the college dropped jewelry/metals entirely. In spring 2013 a core group of MICA jewelry faculty and students, led by Shane Prada, organized to preserve the program's legacy; in summer 2014 they launched the independent nonprofit Baltimore Jewelry Center (initially at Meadow Mill), negotiating donation of MICA's equipment. BJC has operated continuously since 2014 as a metalsmithing/art-jewelry education center. Leadership change ~2024–2025: founding director Shane Prada stepped down and BJC searched for a new Executive Director (start targeted Oct 2025).

Link
www.baltimorejewelrycenter.org/