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Art + Technology + Social Justice

The Arts for All initiative partners the arts with the sciences, technology and other disciplines to develop new and reimagined curricular and experiential offerings that nurture different ways of thinking to spark dialogue, understanding, problem solving and action. It bolsters a campus-wide culture of creativity and innovation, making Maryland a national leader in leveraging the combined power of the arts, technology and social justice to collaboratively address grand challenges.

EVENTS

An outdoor patio with string lights, heaters and picnic tables.The Hall CP
Free

Kick off your winter with this new monthly jazz jam session led by D.C.-based saxophonist Elijah Balbed! The house band will play a set starting at 7:30PM. Bring your instrument! After enjoying their set, you’ll have a chance to call a tune! Participation in our jazz jams is free–no tickets required and all levels welcome.
 

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A white lowercase d in the middle of a black circle.David C. Driskell Center
Free

Join the David C. Driskell Center for a special event celebrating the launch of their online exhibit, "The Public Art of Alonzo Davis." In collaboration with Driskell Center archivists, the exhibit is the product of a semester-long project by Master of Library and Information Science students in Adjunct Lecturer Eric Hung's course "Arrangement, Description and Access for Archives" this fall. At the event, students will present their exhibition and will be joined by artist Alonzo Davis who will discuss his collection.

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Student band members play an array of instruments during a performance.The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Dekelboum Concert Hall
Tickets required.

Some of the School of Music’s finest bands come together for a crowd-pleasing extravaganza. Featuring the University Band, the Maryland Community Band and the grand finale: the Mighty Sound of Maryland Marching Band! It’s an upbeat, lively show that is fun for the entire family.
 

Buy Tickets Through The Clarice

A capella members in all black concert attire pose for a photo in a concert hall.UMD Memorial Chapel
Free, no tickets required.

The annual winter concert presented by the School of Music’s student directed a cappella ensembles is a special evening of music making.
 

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Members of the UMD Korean Percussion Ensemble play hourglass drums on stage.The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Dekelboum Concert Hall
Free, no tickets required.

Experience the vibrant beat of samulnori under the direction of Sebastian Wang. This modern incarnation of traditional Korean folk music celebrates harvest time and provides a lively soundtrack to dancing. The ensemble is comprised of four types of percussion instruments—an hourglass drum, a barrel drum, a small gong and a large gong—each representing a natural element: rain, clouds, lightning and wind, respectively.
 

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A man touches a clay mask of a face.The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Kogod Theatre
Tickets required.

A multimedia performance installation about “human value,” Food for the Gods is a three-part expression of rage and indifference. Inspired by the killings of Black men, this work uses object and puppet performance to explore dehumanization, light, invisibility and well…the magical-less-ness of it all.

Nehprii Amenii is a Brooklyn-based writer, director, production designer and educator. As a theater artist, she has a passion for personal narratives, puppetry and grand-scale spectacle. She is known for creating experiences that dismantle the wall between players and audiences, enchant the imagination and inspire new ways of seeing and thinking. Amenii has worked with Bread & Puppet Theater, Alvin Ailey, La Mama, The O'Neill, NY Philharmonic and more. She is a member of Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab and a resident director with the Drama League. Amenii is artistic director of Khunum Productions, a platform for creative anthropology.

Food for the Gods has been presented at Sarah Lawrence College, The University of Cape Town, South Africa, Connecticut Repertory Theatre and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Company, NYC.

This performance is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
 

Buy Tickets Through The Clarice

NEWS

A wooden art exhibit by Foon Sham

UMD Professor Exhibits Large-Scale Sculptures in New DC Exhibition

November 20, 2023

The Diamondback features University of Maryland Art Professor Foon Sham and his work. 

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The entrance to the David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland.

Book Lecture at UMD Highlights Black Power Movement

November 20, 2023

The Diamondback features the David C. Driskell Center's lecture with scholar and writer Sampada Aranke on November 16. 

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Crystal Davis

Crystal Davis is ‘Biased About Bias’

November 17, 2023

The associate professor of dance says that transparency around bias will ultimately create more welcoming and inclusive dance classrooms.

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Paige Peercy sings to a young child and her parents in a hospital room.

A Tuneful Alternative to Beep-Beep-Beep

November 15, 2023

UMD professor and student bring sing-alongs to children in hospital.

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David Obajemu poses for a photograph outside.

David Obajemu ’25 Aspires to Bring Social Change Through Storytelling

November 13, 2023

The immersive media designer says technologies like AR and VR have the potential to create empathy, understanding.

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A dancer sits on a dark stage with an electric sensor on her arm.

A Dramatic Step Forward in Robotics

November 9, 2023

Human body becomes robot playground in project funded by Arts for All Initiative.

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The Arts for All initiative seeks to ensure that the arts are woven into the very fabric of life at the University of Maryland...so the Terrapin identity is writ large and forged strong.

Portrait of President Darryll J. Pines
Darryll J. Pines President, University of Maryland
UMD School of Music student viewing a virtual reality opera thru VR goggles

Arts Improve the Student Experience

We are prepared to address the growing student and industry demand to integrate the arts into student life, both within and beyond the curriculum, helping students access and amplify their creative talents and fostering collaborative and innovative thinking to solve problems.

Student performance on stage

Arts Create an Inclusive Environment

We are harnessing the power of the arts to spark civic dialogue, increase community engagement and activate social change.

Immersive Media Design classroom

Arts Advance the University

We are accelerating innovation, discovery and insights through collaborations among the arts, the humanities and the sciences through research, creative activity and technological innovation.


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