BALTIMORE — As the Maryland Institute College of Art marks 200 years of teaching students in Baltimore City, there's even more to celebrate.
Four of its students have been named finalists in the AXA Art Prize out of 600 submissions.
It has become a tradition to be included in the nationwide figurative art competition, which is in its ninth year.
MICA students continue winning tradition with 4 finalists in nationwide art competition
"It's really cool to be part of that legacy; AXA and MICA have such a deep-rooted relationship, there's a lot of winners that have come from here, so it feels really cool to be part of that history," said Malyssa Ollar, one of the finalists.
MICA students have taken home first or second place for four of those years. In 2025, they took home both.
Ollar is a second-year student in the class of 2028 and said the recognition came as a surprise.
"A lot of the finalists are juniors, seniors and grad students. I didn't think my work was good enough, but, you know, so pleasant surprises."
Ollar's work is based heavily on her childhood. She experiments with different materials, from embroidery and quilting to cardboard.
"I really like working in warm colors; warm colors to me just feel more nostalgic, it's really easy for me to kind of get lost in them, even if I don't intend to do it."
The piece chosen for the competition is entitled Pink Stripe.
"I have a lot of memories of growing up and going camping and stuff, the fish and playing with how when you're younger you see things differently than how you see them when you're older."
Fellow finalist Nadia Tomoney, a student in the class of 2027, uses blue tones to explore her dreams and memories. Her piece, Heirloom, is deeply personal.
"I wanted to tell the story of my sister and her relationship between her and her daughter and the relationship she had with our mother and our grandmother," said Tomoney. "When it comes to painting other people, I use warmer tones to make it more nostalgic."
Tomoney said her art is autobiographical, and Heirloom represents an evolution in her work.
"Like something that felt important, like it had more meaning than any of the things I've done before," said Tomoney. "Being selected as a finalist, it felt amazing!"
Two other MICA students, Grace Hall and Klara Seib, are also finalists vying for the grand prize of $10,000.
"Ten thousand dollars! Which is crazy; that's a crazy number to hear. I'm just proud of whoever gets it."
This year's winner will be announced in November.
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