ICON12

Imagining education through the prism of collaboration, MICA faculty Rebecca Bradley and Sandra Maxa developed the graduate-level course, Graphic Design/Illustration Collaborative Studio, to fill a void in the curriculum. The course guides students through team-based, multi-disciplinary projects for non-profit clients and community partners. This presentation will share project case studies, workshops and lessons from 3 semesters, as well as stories of success and failure along the way. Collaboration and communication are the key outcomes — amongst the students, the co-teaching faculty and the clients. Students from diverse backgrounds and majors such as Curatorial Practice, Graphic Design, Illustration, Photography, Social Design and Design Leadership learn the challenges and the give-and-take of collaboration, and how, when engaged fully in teamwork, a project can be doubly rewarding. Students form a new understanding of professional practice that builds an appreciation for others and a process that is foundational.