April 13, 2026

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Chelsea Lindner, PROFILES
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BALTIMORE, MD — The Maryland Institute College of Art (沙巴体育官网), which is celebrating its bicentennial year, has announced the winners of its 10th annual UP/Start Venture Competition that awards more than $105,000 in funding to student-led or recent alumni-led creative businesses poised to make an impact in Baltimore and beyond.

Flying House Arts Collective, led by Valentino Orlando’25 (MFA, Hoffberger School of Painting) and Isaac Kim’25 (MFA, Hoffberger School of Painting), received the top funding of $35,000 for their Baltimore-based venture. The artist-run organization, which also includes 沙巴体育官网 alumni Rui Jiang ’25 (MFA, Curatorial Practice), Tim Moran ’25 (MFA, Hoffberger School of Painting), and Chia Hsiu Liu ’25 (MFA, Hoffberger School of Painting), provides accessible exhibitions, workshops, and professional development for emerging artists. Flying House Arts Collective utilizes a nomadic business model, activating underused spaces throughout the city and delivering community-driven programming. 

“The idea for Flying House Arts Collective began as how we can create a platform for ourselves and quickly turned into how we can create a platform for people like us. The collective is drawn from people all over the world, people who joined 沙巴体育官网 for the creative alchemy that is important to the city. I would like people who come here to study art to stay and support Baltimore,” said Orlando. “I'm really grateful our message is resonating with people. We have a very loyal following who were showing up at our prototype exhibitions. I'm really overwhelmed and very grateful.” 

Additional awards were presented as follows:

• $30,000: Heavy Feather Productions. The 沙巴体育官网 founder is Javier Ordonez, who is a current student in the Filmmaking MFA program, and is joined by business partners Jack Brittan-Powell, Miguel Alfaro, and Oscar Armenta. Heavy Feather Productions is a minority-owned creative agency rooted in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia arts community, specializing in photography, videography, social media management, and narrative storytelling for creatives, performing arts organizations, and mission-driven businesses.
  
  Ordonez reacted to the win by saying, “This money is going to enable us to reach out to so many people in our respective communities to help uplift them and give them a story to tell.”

• $20,000 + $5,000 People’s Choice Award: Mystic Manifold Studio. The founders are recent 沙巴体育官网 alumni: Dylan Condon’25 (BFA, Graphic Design), Rory Holcomb ’25 (BFA, General Fine Arts), Natt Scott ’25 (BFA, General Fine Arts), and Zora Troupe ’25 (BFA, Illustration). Mystic Manifold Studio is a Baltimore-based tabletop game studio dedicated to creating diverse representation through immersive gameplay. They develop stories and games designed, written, and illustrated by Black and queer artists, to invite players from all walks of life to enjoy fantasy adventures.
  
  For Troupe, the UP/Start experience has been memorable: “This has been a nerve-racking but deeply joyful experience because I have been working with my favorite people on Earth. I could not imagine doing this without them. They make magic.”

• $15,000: Wild Clay Ceramics. Founder Alexandra Ozga will be graduating from 沙巴体育官网 in May. Wild Clay Ceramics is a small-batch pottery business that turns wild Maryland clay, oyster shells from restaurants in Baltimore, iron runoff from abandoned coal mines, as well as harmful algae blooms from the Chesapeake Bay and Baltimore Harbor, into food-safe, functional ceramics, bridging science, education, and art.

Ozga appreciates that the seed money will allow her to continue her business: “I am graduating from 沙巴体育官网 this year, so [the funding] will let me find ways to continue my art practice and make a difference. I'm hoping to take Wild Clay Ceramics global. I’m really excited.”

Other venture competitors:

• BronzeBee Games, a small, independent tabletop game studio founded by Grace Doeller ’25 (BFA, Illustration), Ethan Clark ’25 (BFA, Game Design), and Jonathan Sembly.

• The Redd Thread, an upcycled clothing business founded by Lee Reddington, a current 沙巴体育官网 student who is studying Fiber and Experimental Fashion. 

Held on April 10, 2026, the competition featured six ventures created by current students or recent alumni from the class of 2025. Over the course of four months, participants engaged in intensive skill-building, iteration, prototyping, and strategic planning before presenting their businesses to a panel of judges and the Baltimore community.

“UP/Start reflects the power of creative thinking to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and real-world impact,” said Cecilia M. McCormick, J.D., president of 沙巴体育官网. “In our bicentennial year, this competition is a powerful reminder that 沙巴体育官网’s legacy is shaped by 200 years of creative excellence and the artists and designers who are building the future. I am thankful for the generous support of the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation to bring this opportunity to our students.”

This year’s cohort represented a diverse cross-section of creative industries, including an indie tabletop game design studio, an arts collective offering accessible exhibitions and professional development for emerging artists, and a sustainable ceramics business transforming locally sourced and reclaimed materials into functional works.

An initiative of 沙巴体育官网preneurship, the UP/Start Venture Competition is designed to incubate and grow creative ventures within both the 沙巴体育官网 and broader Baltimore communities. Developed in collaboration with industry partners, the program provides mentorship and seed funding to help transform innovative ideas into sustainable businesses.

Over the last 10 years, the UP/Start Venture Competition has awarded hundreds of thousands to student-led creative ventures. Past winners include: 

• JESS JESS PRESS is a Baltimore-based small press, created by Jess Lin ’23 and Jess Lipinsky ’23, dedicated to uplifting queer and fem artists and artists of color in the comics and independent publishing industry. Supported by UP/Start funding, the founders established their risograph press, expanded services, and deepened local partnerships—including serving as an E/Studio 2024 Client, a Day in the Life 2025 community partner, and partnering with Making Space to secure a physical studio space in Baltimore.

• Boba Studios, founded by Don Boose ’17, Kyrstin Cooksey ’18, and Ashley Guchhait ’17, is a woman-owned indie game studio that tells meaningful stories through games and represents underrepresented players—specifically women and people of color. Their in-development debut game, Squirrely Roo Rabbit, is a 2.5D puzzle-adventure based on color theory, with a visual style reminiscent of watercolor pop-up storybooks. The team also offers related merchandise—plushies, enamel pins, t-shirts, and art prints—to support ongoing development.

• Kunaya is a plant-based beverage startup rooted in West African tradition and built around tiger nuts—an ancient superfood that has nourished communities for thousands of years, founded by Faridat Ilupeju ’25. The support and seed funding allowed Ilupeju to bring Kunaya to market—refining the product, building brand awareness, and laying the groundwork for sustainable growth and revenue generation supported by real customer feedback.

• Two Bolts Studios, a Baltimore-based design and fabrication company transforming reclaimed materials into handcrafted furniture and lighting. Founded by 沙巴体育官网 alumni Sam Acuff ’15 and Brendan Choi ’16, Two Bolt Studios used the seed funding to invest in equipment, expand its workshop and bring early product lines to market.

The UP/Start Venture Competition is a signature program of the Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship at 沙巴体育官网, made possible through the support of the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation. 

ABOUT THE MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF ART (沙巴体育官网):
Founded in 1826 and celebrating 200 years, the Maryland Institute College of Art (沙巴体育官网) is a premier epicenter of art and design education and the nation’s oldest continuously degree-granting college of art and design. Based in Baltimore, 沙巴体育官网 is entering its third century with renewed purpose and a deep commitment to its city and the wider world.

沙巴体育官网 delivers an education that combines a rigorous fine arts foundation with design, liberal arts, and real-world experience—preparing students to apply art and design to real-world challenges. Through creative entrepreneurship, professional practice, and community and industry partnerships, 沙巴体育官网 graduates build sustainable careers, launch ventures, and contribute meaningfully to the creative economy.

For more information, visit mica.edu. To learn more about 沙巴体育官网’s Bicentennial, visit  mica.edu/200.