Though UMBC won’t soon lose its title as a STEM school, the Arts Departments are pulling out all the stops to commemorate and celebrate UMBC’s 50th anniversary. Students will get to experience everything from artist talks to museum bus trips.
Paul Rucker, a visual artist, composer and musician who’s show “REWIND” was showcased at the Baltimore Museum of Art, spoke on Thursday, Sept. 8. The artist works with many different mediums, and he challenges his viewers. The exhibit at the BMA showcased, most notably, statues of Klu Klux Klan members dressed in robes made from different types of fabrics. Rucker’s pieces, often multimedia, challenge racial stereotypes and usually center on social justice.
Later this week, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, a performance artist, journalist and educator (just to name a few of his titles), will speak in the Performing Arts and Humanities Building at 7 p.m. on September 13. His pieces are visually striking and engender discomfort, exploring topics like immigration, alienation and activism.
Then, David Yager, president of The University of the Arts in California, will give a talk called “The Future of the Arts at UMBC” in Linehan Hall on September 19. This event has an extra level of audience participation as there will also be an essay competition where the winner will get a cash award deposited into their student account. The conversation will be an interesting peek into seemingly overlooked departments.
Towards the end of the month, the events take a shift towards the digital. In the Center for Art Design and Visual Culture, Revolution of the Eye: Modern Art and the Birth of American Television will open on Thursday, Sept. 29. The exhibit that was the production of a collaboration between the CADVC and the Jewish Museum, and explores the role that avant-garde art played in the aesthetic and production of early network television.
Revolution of the Eye will look at early television’s modernist design appeal and features works by artists Georgia O’Keefe and Andy Warhol. With more than 260 pieces included, this is definitely an exhibit you won’t want to miss.
Similarly, Professor and Media Theorist Lynn Spigel will be giving a talk at the Performing Arts and Humanities Building room 132 on Thursday, November 17. Spigel has written multiple books analyzing television, so her talk will be a good accompaniment to the CADVC exhibit.
