ABOUT US
The Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator was founded in 2017 with a grant from The Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation.
The Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator is a creative entrepreneurial laboratory based at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus. RA+DI’s mission is to bridge the gap between creative practitioners and entrepreneurial success while promoting innovation within the FIU community. Our core program offers one to two-year fellowships to students in the disciplines that compose the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts (CARTA) providing a supportive ecosystem to turn their ideas into viable products, services, and businesses within a socially conscious, co-creative, mentorship, and mindset focused environment.
The Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator at Florida International University presents “Tech Conversations”, talks with experts innovating at the intersection of technology, creativity, and entrepreneurship.
Hosted by Director, Dr. Jacek J. Kolasiński, producer Maggie Salas-Amaro and guest co-host Neil Ramsay.

Vision
The Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator at FIU seeks to bridge the gap between talent and entrepreneurship success while promoting innovative art + design within the community.
Mission
The Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator is dedicated to push the boundaries of innovation and creativity and inspire the next generation of future entrepreneurs actively participating to the exponential growth of South Florida’s creative economy.
News + Events
01.30.2023
Science, Art, Design, and Business for The Oceans
A candid dialogue focused on the issue in the spirit of catalytic collaboration under our lead panelist, Dr. Sylvia Earle. The evening’s panel will highlight the conversation across, in, and through disciplines with the potential of discovering a common ground for local actions on behalf of the oceans, which are severely under attack.
Panel: Sylvia Earle, Roberto Rovira, Shireen Rahimi, Biayna Bogosian, Sara Pezeshk, Neil Ramsayi – moderator
01.23.2023
Highlights from the proclamation event at the Ratcliffe Art+Design Incubator for the project `Geographies of Trash’ by David Anasagasti. The project was recognized by Commissioner Daniela Jean from the City of North Miami Beach.
Thank you to FIU CARTA Dean Brian Schriner, Cindy Soloway, Dr. Dean Dent, Andrea Ramos from the Vice Provost Council at the BBC Campus, and media outlets WPLG Local 10 News, South Florida PBS, and SFMN for their support.
Media:


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11.08.2022
RA+DI is proud to host a workshop on Innovation & Fast Prototyping featuring RA+DI fellows Elena Tugusheva, Ilan Aronovski, Chelsea Julia Abella, and Tyler Oviedo as part of a Program on Digital Strategies & Communication Technologies: the Metaverse, XR and AI presented by @fiu_scj



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10.17.2022
WITNESS: Covering Conflict in the Multimedia Age
Panel with Ana Menéndez, Carl Juste, & Jerónimo Mura hosted by FIU RA+DI in partnership with the Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab at FIU
Three Miami-based journalists and photojournalists who have covered sites of conflict worldwide explore the special conditions posed by our current multimedia age. The panel is moderated by Dr. Jacek Kolasinski, director of CARTA’s Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator, with an introduction by Dr. Rebecca Friedman, director of the FIU Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab.



FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator and its accomplished mentors provide guidance and lend their expertise to this creative ecosystem while contributing mentorship support to its member community. Participating mentors will be announced closer to the start of the program (early August).
The Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator and its accomplished mentors provide guidance and lend their expertise to this creative ecosystem while contributing mentorship support to its member community. Participating mentors will be announced closer to the start of the program (early August).
- Taina Nikki Adam
- Chelsea Julia Abella
- Yery Lorena Alvarez
- Ilan Aronovski
- Gabriela Baluja
- Lauren Rosa Chmelnicky
- Kianna Coley
- John Dominic Colon
- Noah Farid
- Mariantonia Gutierrez
- Jeronimo Mura
- Jagoda Nowak
- Ana Oceguera
- Maribel Ornelas
- Tyler Oviedo
- Elena Tugusheva
- Diego Waisman
- Alexander Zastera
- Raphael Alegbeleye
- Dalia Berlin
- Leon Gomez
- Gabriel Homem Andrade
- Predrag Kovačević
- Jerchovia Moxey
- Zoe Nikirk
- Jeannie Ordonez
- Valentina Palm
- Sara Pezeshk
- Martina Potlach
- Valeria Rios
- Claudette Goico
- Dhani Shanti
- Kali-Ray Skinner
- Sofia Soriano de Figueiredo
- Jose Veliz Aragon
- Alberto Guevara
- Bernardo Dalla
- Diana Vazquez
- Karen Garcia
- Leslie Villegas
- Maisha Richardson
- Mara Stegaru
- Michelle Wade
- Milan Gibson
- Monica Lebro
- Paulina Reynaldo
- Silvana Soriano
- Sophia Cabral
- Stephanie Valdes
- Warner Chisholm
- Alex Rovira
- Alfred Cardenas
- Andrea Leon-Moreno
- Arina Plyanskaya
- Bemelyn Puchols
- Brett Serfozo
- Catalina Dugand
- Celeste Fastabend
- Marco Ordonez
- Neil Mayorga Garcia
- Sarah Oeschger
- Sarah Sassen
- Sofia Rock
- Sonia Gonzalez-Park
- Zaria Dennis
- Alexandra del Canto
- Karla Kantorivich
- Carrington Ware
- Chris Friday
- Daniela Fernandez
- Denis Rovinskiy
- Fortunee Cohen
- Iman Kiffin
- Latricia Russell
- Michael Fernandez
- Gianna DiBartolomeo
- Quincy Chery
- Laura David
- Catalina Muñoz
- Victoria Carballo
- Hector Brignone
- Victoria Yunta
- Daniel Tabet
RATCLIFFE FACULTY

Jacek J. Kolasiński MFA, Ph.D.
Program Director / Associate Professor. Areas of expertise: art and history, emerging digital technologies, 3D design and rapid prototyping, 3D printing and scanning, public art and social practice, exhibition curation, video installation, multi-channel projection and multimedia environments, cross-cultural visual communication, curriculum development and academic administration.

Neil Ramsay MS
Research Associate in the Department of Art + Art History. Areas of expertise: creative economics, strategic design, venture partnerships, integration of artistic-thinking in business contexts, developing alternate solutions to social and commercial challenges, functionally tinkering with nonlinear processes in problem-solving, business management constructs applied to institutional hierarchies.

Dimitry Saïd Chamy MFA
Faculty/Research Associate. Areas of expertise: design branding and corporate, product & experiential design, graphic design, content and exhibition curation, 3D modeling and visualization, presentation and motion graphics, writing for business / persuasion, small business coaching and development, UI/UX, interactive and web development, surface & pattern design.

Maggie Salas-Amaro MS
Podcast Producer / Social Media Coordinator. Maggie Salas-Amaro is an award-winning producer and media executive. During her media career, she has worked for some of the world’s most successful brands including Viacom, The Walt Disney Company, NBC Universal, FOX, Hola! TV and Univision. Currently, she produces and co-hosts the podcast “Tech Conversations “created by the Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator at Florida International University. Salas-Amaro currently leads Canela Kids part of Canela Media the first AVOD for Hispanics in the US and Latin America. In 2023, she was recognized by the Worldwide Women’s Audiovisual Association (WAWA), as an honorary member for her 30 years of career in media.

Octavio J. Visiedo MS
Faculty/Research Associate. Mr. Octavio J. Visiedo is a lifelong educator and had the honor of being the first Cuban American Superintendent of Schools in the history of Miami Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS). Mr. Visiedo was also the first MDCPS graduate to lead the 4th largest school district in the nation from 1990 to 1996.

Max Levine ESQ
Courtesy Research Associate. Mr. Max Levine is an attorney, investor, and entrepreneur in South Florida. He earned his Juris Doctorate cum laude from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and his LL.M. in taxation from the NYU School of Law Graduate Tax Program.
Ratcliffe Support
The Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation Inc. has made grants that fund the incubator. Specifically, the grant supports scholarships, two mentors who guide students, a monthly lecture series, state-of-the-art technology, office space, accessible meeting space, a small business library, market research assistance, legal and accounting support, seed capital programs, and training.
CONTACT US
If you’d like to set up time to speak with someone from the RATCLIFFE | Art & Design Incubator, or receive more information please feel free to send us a message and we will get back to you at our earliest convenience.