It has been 30 years since MICA’s Annual Benefit Fashion Show (ABFS) began as a Black Student Union program. According to MICA, the fashion show was created by Dr. Frankie Martin and initially designed to highlight students’ creativity and artistry of the African diaspora who were often overlooked. Since then, ABFS has encompassed larger diversity and inclusion initiatives and is one of the year’s most anticipated events on campus. Every year, the ABFS brings together a community of diverse majors, identities, and ethnicities into one dynamic event.
This year the ABFS is themed around the idea of “Upturn.” This year, the milestone event asks timely questions: What is the artist’s responsibility to their audience? When there is social unrest and dissent, how can art serve and save? (should it have to?) How can it hurt? The Upturn show calls upon the artist, and therefore the audience, to question their relationship with society– and ultimately, with themselves. This is not easy, nor is it comfortable.
According to ABFS, “Art serves as a material reflection of the human experience, from various abstract, individual, collective and cultural perspectives. OCI offers this show as a space to use your perspective to answer this question, to have difficult conversations, bravely. Upturn is a call to action and a reminder that your voice matters–and so does your action.”
Participating Student Designers: Hyphae-nate (Anaitza Brown, Austin Chia), Cat’s Cradle (Quinn Spence), Collide; Reform (Olivia Zheng, Nikki Zhao), remember how it felt (Sasha Kramer), Fear of the Feminine (Kai Nunnally), stain of you (Solli Kim), Just Clownin’ Around (Cedar Clark, Rachel Glen), and Veiled (Mahnoor Chaudry).
Photos by Andrew James Wies.
