November 16, 2023 - Arts & Life

The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper

THE DIAMONDBACK

Arts and culture guide

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Table of contents

CONTENTS 3 - Environmental Justice Art 4 - UMD ART GALLERY Features African, bipoc workS 5 - Our world STAMP gallery 7 - ‘the prom’ musical Founded 1910, independent since 1971.

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The “What We Do After: CAPP New Arrival 2023” collection in the Stamp Gallery on Sept. 12, 2023. (Kaya Bogot/the diamondback)

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Environmental justice art

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Meet the UMD student using public art to spark conversation on environmental justice

By Tara Goldstein | Diversions Reporter Maddie Olek has already found success in creating public artwork, and she hasn’t even graduated yet.

Odds are you’ve seen some of Olek’s work — the mural outside The Hall CP, the storm drains around campus and a mural in LeFrak Hall were all made by the senior studio art major. She loves creating public art and exploring how her work can help shape the culture and character of a community.

Olek’s latest project is a commissioned mural on the side of a house in Washington, D.C. This new piece is not only one of her larger creations, but also incorporates a unique painting medium she’s never worked with before. After commissioning Olek, one of the house owner’s only requests was that the entire mural be made using special limestone paint.

This paint challenged Olek’s skill, forcing her to adapt to the chalky texture and small color range.

This type of paint is normally used to cover entire surfaces and is not regularly used for artwork, but it offers environmental benefits, with the ability to absorb carbon dioxide and clean the air.

“It was definitely a little bit frustrating,” Olek said. “[But] the environmental impact of it is pretty cool.”

Olek has been working on the mural for a few months after starting the initial research process in July. She began by exploring the neighborhood, looking to nearby architecture for inspiration and brainstorming her overall message. She decided to include the phrase, “love each other, take care of each other” as a reminder to the community.

Olek enlisted Jak Lunsford, also a senior studio art major, and Maria Soboleva, a University of Maryland alum, to help complete the mural. The trio met in a required class last year and started spray painting together.

Olek’s passion for public artwork goes hand in hand with her creative placemaking minor. This recent addition to the university’s art curriculum explores the role of artists in improving public spaces and provoking conversations about important issues in the community. This is the first year the program was implemented, and Olek will be one of the first two studio art majors to graduate with the minor.

“Artists have an ability to think outside of the box, bring people together in interesting ways, create conversation,” said Ronit Eisenbach, an architecture professor and director of the creative placemaking minor.

Eisenbach said having Olek in her class has been a delight. Eisenbach was excited to learn about Olek’s commissioned mural piece and was intrigued by the unique painting medium. Eisenbach explained that this project aligns well with her goals for the creative placemaking minor — using art to improve the world. “[Olek’s] already confident enough to take the skills that she learned and the opportunity to make murals in the classes and to be doing her own mural is so exciting,” Eisenbach said.

Lunsford, who is also a creative placemaking minor, is passionate about public art and using non-traditional artistic methods to help uplift communities.

“Academic minors are missing out,” Lunsford said. “It’s very grounding to work on stuff that’s not canvases.”

Lunsford finds fulfillment through all they’ve learned in the creative placemaking minor, focusing on the idea that they should be working “with

the community, not for the community.”

After months of hard work, the mural is almost complete. It was both a major accomplishment and a learning experience for Olek.

“It’s one of the taller projects I’ve done,” Olek said. “I feel like it’s like a new personal record.”

Olek wants to continue on this path of pursuing public art projects and hopes to one day organize a community involved mural, involving locals with the brainstorming and painting.

“It’s kind of like civic work, civic art,” Olek said. She feels that this work allows her to “really connect with the community” and leave a lasting impression.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story’s photo caption misspelled Maddie Olek’s name. This story’s photo caption has been updated.

Maddie Olek’s Mural painted on the side of a house in Washington D.C., on Sept. 22, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Maddie Olek)

Bipoc art gallery

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UMD Art Gallery features new African, BIPOC works

By Olivia Yasharoff | Diversions Reporter Imagine a world-class museum on campus — that’s how Melanie Woody Nguyen, curatorial assistant and registrar at the University of Maryland Art Gallery, describes it now that it features two exhibits exploring African and BIPOC perspectives on spirituality, motherhood and reproductive justice.

This university’s Art Gallery, located in the Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building, held a preview Tuesday of their two exhibits, which are now open to the public: “African Art from the Dr. Gilbert and Jean Jackson Collection” and Coralina Rodriguez Meyer’s “Mother Molds.”

The preview was held in collaboration with the NextNOW Fest and exhibitions were made in association with the university’s Arts for All initiative. The preview and exhibits allow this university to “make incredible works of art accessible to a broad range of people,” said Arts for All director Craig Kier.

Art Gallery Director Taras Matla organized the “African Art” exhibit displayed in the gallery, fea-

turing objects from the collection of two university alumni.

“Every exhibition starts with a conversation.

The conversation moves to the concept, the concept turns into procuring material, and then the material tells the story,” Matla said. “These objects tell great stories of different areas.”

The Art Gallery has been presenting and interpreting African art for 50 years, according to information on the gallery’s walls. The current exhibit features a Yoruba offering bowl and wooden mother-child figures, among other objects from across the continent.

“This exhibit in particular really speaks to me because I’m from Nigeria. I grew up there,” sophomore psychology major Nel Odike said.

Stephanie Shonekan, dean of this university’s arts and humanities college, also highlighted her connection to the exhibit as a Nigerian woman.

Shonekan also emphasized the importance of the exhibition for students who are not of African descent, as it allows the university community to understand the continent’s “rich culture and rich histories,” she said.

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UMD Art Gallery

“This is a really important exhibition not only for the University of Maryland, but for so many of our students and our faculty,” Shonekan said.

The other exhibit currently featured in the Art Gallery is the contemporary “Mother Molds“ series by queer, indigenous Latin American artist Coralina Rodriguez Meyer.

Meyer’s work centers on BIPOC birthing people who have been impacted by the reproductive health crisis in the U.S. through the use of colorful plaster-cast sculptures of the bodies of pregnant people.

“Art is a way to kind of rethink or look anew at issues of our time,” Nguyen said. “Coralina does that really well in thinking about birthing and reproductive justice and the maternal health crisis.

And so I hope students can kind of come and also think about those things and also think about how they can kind of take that back to their own communities.”

The two exhibits will be on display until the beginning of December. The Art Gallery’s hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“Every time I come here I say this is the best one I’ve ever seen,” Shonekan said. “But this really is the best one.”

September 13th - December 8th

African Art from the Dr. Gilbert and

Jean Jackson Collection

Coralina Rodriguez

Meyer: Mother Molds

Maddie Olek’s Mural painted on the side of a house in Washington D.C. on Sept. 22, 2023. (Photo 2202 Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building, 3834 Campus Dr, College Park, MD 20742

courtesy of Maddie Olek)

STAMP GALLERY

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Our World Through Art in Stamp Gallery

By Rachel Brock | Diversions Reporter Stamp Student Union Gallery’s “What We Do After” exhibit is here and highlights important social issues impacting the University of Maryland community using art installations. Self-image, climate change, gender expression, womanhood and community loss are all topics the works explore.

Located on the first floor of Stamp, the exhibit is free and open to the public.

Featured at the front of the exhibit is a portrait by Megan Lewis titled “Together.”

Lewis redefines the meaning of traditional beauty in her piece, drawing inspiration from her experiences as a Black woman and helping bring representation to historically marginalized groups.

Lewis’ creation strikes visitors as soon as they walk in. It’s impossible to ignore.

The woman in the painting takes on a classic portrait pose, but her contemporary look along with the abstract details of the piece, which include bright orange, yellow and red colors, add a modern twist.

Another compelling work was a series of photographs by Beverly Price titled “Youthful Memories.” The black and white photos document the resilience of a group of young boys following the murder of their close friend, 11-year-old Karon Brow, in 2019.

Price has been documenting the boys’ lives since the murder took place. In this series of photographs, some of the boys are pictured on a local playground, illustrating how their experiences with loss and violence have forced them to grow up prematurely.

However, the photos also demonstrate a level of healing as they smile and enjoy the youthful activity.

A unique and refreshing artwork featured in the exhibit is a nine-minute video created by Rachel Garber Cole. In her “Questions for a Dinosaur” video, Cole asks 104 questions to a dinosaur about extinction. She vocalizes her fears about climate change and how it will impact the human race.

Her commentary raises genuine concerns regarding environmental issues that are often misunderstood or ignored. There is an eerie undertone that contradicts the bright coloring of the video, as it is made clear to the audience that living in ignorance is no longer an option.

This university’s Contemporary Art Purchasing Program curated the exhibit.

The curation process occurs biannually through a committee of this university’s students. The exhibit looks to display contemporary pieces from emerging artists.

Decision-making for artists in Stamp’s current exhibit was guided by four self-determined principles, according to the Stamp Gallery website – “critical compassion, process as art, equitable sourcing and deliberative dialogue.”

More than anything, this exhibit is a catalyst for important conversations about issues within this university’s community and beyond. Because students chose to display these pieces of art, they hold an especially resonant significance. These students know this university’s challenges with regards to uplifting marginalized voices, contributing to mass waste and more.

Art cannot fix the world’s issues, but it is a digestible way to take a hard look at the challenges we face. When “What We Do After” closes, the art will be displayed around Stamp for people to continue to enjoy.

STUDENTS explore the Stamp Gallery on Sept. 12, 2023. (Kaya Bogot/the diamondback)

The “What We Do After: CAPP New Arrival 2023” collection in the Stamp Gallery on Sept. 12, 2023. (Kaya Bogot/the diamondback)

the video “Questions for a Dinosaur” created by Rachel Garber Cole in the Stamp Gallery on Sept. 12, 2023. (Kaya Bogot/the diamondback)

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

THANK YOU CONGRESS FOR STANDING WITH JEWISH STUDENTS ON CAMPUS The U.S. Senate (unanimously) and House of Representatives (396 - 23) passed Resolutions condemning Hamas and those on American university campuses who stand with Hamas, fail to repudiate antisemitism and call for all universities to stand with their Jewish students.

Where do you stand in this moment of truth?

H. Res. 798

In the House of Representatives, U. S., November 2, 2023.

Whereas both Hamas and Hezbollah are recognized by the United States Department of State as Foreign Terrorist Organizations; Whereas, on October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack to deliberately target Israeli civilians, including the killing and abduction of men, women, children, and the elderly; Whereas Hamas’ stated goal is the entire destruction of the State of Israel and the murder of its Jewish citizens; Whereas a disturbing number of student organizations at institutions of higher education placed blame solely upon the State of Israel for the attack and expressed support for the terrorist actions of Hamas through the glorification of violence and the usage of antisemitic rhetoric; Whereas on October 9, 2023, the national leadership of Students for Justice in Palestine declared a “day of resistance” calling on student chapters across the United States to demonstrate by “not just slogans and rallies, but armed confrontation with oppressors” and following this announcement many chapters issued pro-Hamas statements; Whereas on October 10, 2023, a Stanford University lecturer targeted Jewish students during a class on colonialism, justifying the actions of Hamas terrorists by calling them “freedom fighters” and asking Jewish students to identify themselves and stand in the corner to illustrate what “Jews were doing to Palestinians”; Whereas on October 15, 2023, in a complete disregard for humanity, a Cornell University professor grabbed the microphone at a campus rally and pronounced that, “Hamas has challenged the monopoly of violence” and “it was exhilarating. It was energizing…I was exhilarated,” in reference to Hamas’ terror attack on Israel; Whereas on October 22, 2023, the Brandeis University student government voted down a simple resolution condemning Hamas and calling on the immediate release of all hostages back to their families unharmed; Whereas on October 24, 2023, George Washington University students at a vigil to support Hamas’ surprise attack prominently projected signs on the walls of the university’s library including, “Glory to our Martyrs”; Whereas many administrations of institutions of higher education do not follow the practice of institutional neutrality and frequently speak out on public issues, but have failed to speak out clearly after the October 7 attack by Hamas, and have exposed their lack of regard for their Jewish and pro-Israel students; and Whereas the glorification of violence and usage of antisemitic rhetoric creates a hostile learning and working environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— (1) condemns the support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations at institutions of higher education, which may lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff; (2) calls on campus administrators— (A) to condemn all forms of antisemitism on college campuses; and (B) to ensure Jewish faculty, students, and guests can exercise the same Free Speech rights as are guaranteed to all other faculty, students, and guests without intimidation; and (3) urges enforcement of Federal civil rights laws to protect Jewish students from antisemitism.

THE PROM

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‘The Prom’ showcases queer pride at Clarice premiere

By Rachel Brock | Diversions Reporter The University of Maryland’s theatre, dance and performance studies school opened its rendition of “The Prom,” a celebration of queer identity and overcoming adversity, at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on Friday.

The musical centers around four fading Broadway stars.

In an attempt to regain relevance, they shine the spotlight on Emma Nolan, a lesbian in small-town Indiana who is met with backlash for wanting to take her girlfriend to the prom. The Broadway personalities make it their mission to help her have the prom of her dreams, not allowing any parent-teacher association to stand in their way.

Senior theater major Jordan Embrack played Dee Dee Allen, an egocentric and lively Broadway veteran. Embrack’s performance was truly enthralling, especially when she sang. However, she worried that her character might be deemed unlikeable by audience members due to her over-dramatic nature.

“One piece of advice that our director Nathaniel gave was to play the role authentically and to never judge your character, because theater is a reflection of society.”

- Jordan Embrack

People like Dee Dee Allen exist in real life, and it’s possible that the character resonates with certain audience members. To see Dee Dee’s character development, the audience must witness her entire journey, including her self-centered start, which Embrack executed authentically.

During the performance, audience members were treated to comedic moments that provided a buffer between moments of despair. Jokes came in the form of quick, witty remarks and hilarious musical numbers.

The moment Emma finds out her entire school organized a separate prom to exclude her was heart-wrenching and phenomenally portrayed. The emotional whiplash from the comedy’s contrast was jarring but extremely effective.

Gab Ryan, a senior journalism and theater major, portrayed the Fosse-obsessed former Chicago star Angie Dickinson.

“I hope that the biggest thing that we’ll be able to evoke is reflection, change and, ultimately, love.”

- Gab Ryan

The production value of this performance was what truly brought it to life. The set pieces were detailed and well-thought-out. One stand-out detail was the posters boygenius and MUNA posters in Emma’s bedroom, both of which are beloved groups in the queer community.

Bailey Hammett, a theatre design graduate student at this university, designed the costumes that took the show above and beyond.

From colorful prom dresses to eccentric Broadway performer outfits, Hammett had many exciting creations.

She said she feels a deep connection to the show, having grown up as a queer person in Alabama.

“I feel really connected to [Emma’s] story and having to hide and just wanting to be who you are. I just honestly want people to leave the show feeling more love in their heart and more kindness to other people.”

- Bailey Hammett

ACTORS PERFORM in “The Prom” in The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. (Photo courtesy of Lisa Helfert)

The end of the musical was the most captivating part of the entire performance. Exuberant dancing, flashing lights and beautiful smiles of the cast radiated from the stage and brought everything together. All in all, The Prom cemented a message of hope, resilience and unapologetic queer joy.