Meet MICA new faculty 2025: Veronica Melendez, Emily Hanako Momohara, and Hope Simpara.

MICA new faculty 2025 includes acclaimed artists in visual storytelling, textile design, and cultural photography. See who’s joining.

BY ARTCENTRON NEWS STAFF

MICA New Faculty 2025 Appointments Set for Fall

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND- As the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) prepares for the 2025–2026 academic year, the institution announces a significant development. Three distinguished faculty members will join its Animation and Media Arts, Fiber, and Photography programs. This strategic addition introduces the MICA new faculty 2025 cohort: Emily Hanako Momohara, Hope Simpara, and Veronica Melendez. Each brings a unique artistic vision, global perspective, and a strong commitment to education.

These visionary professionals come from diverse cultural backgrounds. Their groundbreaking practices and academic leadership will enrich MICA’s already renowned programs. Their appointments reflect MICA’s continued dedication to interdisciplinary learning and academic excellence.

Emily Hanako Momohara: Animation and Media Arts

Emily Hanako Momohara brings a powerful new voice to the Animation and Media Arts Department. As a multidisciplinary artist, she works at the intersection of photography, video, and documentary film. Her work explores themes of identity, legacy, and displacement.

Emily’s perspective is deeply informed by her multicultural upbringing and Japanese American heritage. She creates emotionally resonant narratives that engage audiences across cultural and generational lines.

Her international exhibitions include the Okinawa Prefectural Art Museum in Japan and the Changjiang International Photography & Video Biennale in China. She has also presented work in Beijing’s Beyond the Border showcase. In the United States, she has exhibited at the International Center for Photography in New York and 21c Museum Hotels in Louisville and Cincinnati.

In 2022, Emily released her debut documentary, Namba: A Japanese American’s Life of Incarceration and Resilience. The film received critical acclaim for its moving storytelling and powerful visuals. It screened at several prominent festivals, including the Black Bird Film Festival, Seattle Asian American Film Festival, and Crown Point Film Festival.

Her collaborative work with For Freedoms resulted in four large-scale billboards that addressed civil rights and cultural memory. This project was featured in Where Do We Go From Here?, a 2024 publication by Phaidon Press. Emily has also held prestigious residencies at the Center for Photography at Woodstock, Headlands Center for the Arts, and Red Gate Gallery in Beijing.

More than an accomplished artist, Emily is a mentor and educator. She brings a bold vision for inclusive media education that aligns with MICA’s mission. As part of the MICA new faculty 2025, she will foster critical discourse and creative excellence.

Hope Simpara: Reimagining the Fiber Program 

The Fiber Program at MICA is entering a new era with the appointment of Hope Simpara. She is a designer and educator whose work blurs the boundaries between fashion, fine art, and technology. Her approach combines surface design, textile development, and geometric abstraction.

Hope’s career spans an impressive range of industries—from freelance fashion and costume design to interior consulting and startup development. Hope’s work examines the psychological impact of color and form. She uses an activist framework to infuse her teaching with themes of feminism, equity, and social critique.

She holds a BA in Fashion Merchandising from Howard University and an MFA in Fashion Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her educational background bridges industry knowledge and conceptual innovation.

Her portfolio includes work for independent films, collaborative art installations, and mentorship programs aimed at uplifting underrepresented voices in design. In the classroom, Hope promotes critical pedagogy. She encourages students to explore the socio-political context of their work. At the same time, she equips them with both traditional and digital textile production skills.

With her appointment to the MICA new faculty 2025, Hope brings a fresh and dynamic vision. She is poised to transform the Fiber Program into a center for experimental, socially conscious design.

Veronica Melendez: Expanding the Photography Program 

Veronica Melendez joins MICA’s Photography Department with a multifaceted practice rooted in cultural memory. She works across collage, stop motion, oral history, and documentary photography. Her work focuses on diaspora, identity, and generational memory. Raised in Washington, D.C., Veronica draws deeply from her Guatemalan and Salvadoran heritage. Her cultural background informs a powerful visual language that resonates with global and local narratives alike.  She co-founded La Horchata, a publication dedicated to Central American artists. Through this platform, she has amplified marginalized voices and reshaped contemporary art discourse.

.Her work interrogates complex notions of home, trauma, and belonging, offering visual meditations that resonate across borders and cultures. As co–founder of La Horchata—a groundbreaking publication for Central American artists—Veronica has cultivated a dynamic platform for marginalized creatives and amplified voices that are often overlooked in mainstream art discourse.

Veronica’s photography and mixed media works have been featured by NPR, VICE, The Washington Post, and The Brooklyn Rail. She is a recipient of the Archive of Documentary Arts Collection Award from Duke University, and most recently completed a residency at the Studios at Mass MoCA, one of the most prestigious artist communities in the country.

Her publication La Horchata has been showcased at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California, and is currently exhibited at the Smithsonian’s Molina Family Latino Gallery. Veronica’s contributions are reshaping the landscape of photographic education and will offer MICA students a holistic, culturally rooted framework for visual storytelling.

A New Chapter for MICA Academic and Creative Vision

The inclusion of Emily Hanako Momohara, Hope Simpara, and Veronica Melendez represents a major advancement for the Maryland Institute College of Art. The MICA new faculty 2025 cohort strengthens the college’s legacy of innovation, diversity, and academic rigor.

Each of these faculty members brings a distinct artistic voice and a strong professional foundation. Their shared commitment to community engagement and inclusive pedagogy will inspire transformative change across MICA’s programs.

As the Fall 2025 semester approaches, students can anticipate an expanded vision for the Animation and Media Arts, Fiber, and Photography departments. These programs will continue to blend tradition and experimentation. Personal histories will evolve into platforms for global artistic impact.

MICA’s Next Chapter Begins with Bold Leadership 

With these new faculty appointments, MICA reaffirms its status as a national leader in visual arts education. Emily Hanako Momohara, Hope Simpara, and Veronica Melendez exemplify the values of diversity, innovation, and excellence. They set a compelling precedent for future generations of artists, designers, and cultural thinkers.

Their arrival is more than a staffing update. It marks a cultural milestone for MICA—one that will shape its creative future and affirm its mission to educate visionary artists prepared to transform the world.

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