In response to recent events and discussions around Title IX compliance, sexual assault, and sexual misconduct, the Department of Visual Arts has produced and submitted to the Faculty Senate and Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate a Memorandum of Advisement (MoA) that suggests several restorative approaches and points underscoring our dedication and commitment to the immediate concerns and long-term safety of UMBC students, faculty, and staff.  

As one of the larger departments in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, and as part of the greater UMBC community, the Department of Visual Arts is in full support of our students and their requests for remedies to flawed or dysfunctional supports, policies, and processes related to compliance with Title IX and enforcement of the Jeanne Clery Act. We fully support initiatives focused on building a robust and just climate of inclusiveness and safety for women, men, and non-binary people, including our LGBTQ communities. We commit to ensuring that survivors/victims of sexual assault and misconduct seek counsel and pursue due process proceedings fully and equitably. Most importantly, we are committed to holding the university accountable and have requested regular reports on steps taken by the UMBC administration to remedy all requests, including student, campus, and public concerns.

The full Memorandum of Advisement (MoA) document can be accessed in the attachment to this post.

As the incoming chair of Visual Arts, I would like to invite you to a relaxed and friendly reception for Adjuncts on Thursday, September 6 from 12noon to 1:30pm in Fine Arts 342. I want to take the opportunity to meet and talk with each and every one of you and to introduce you to your peers and other Visual Arts faculty and staff. We appreciate all that you do for us and hope that your semester will be a satisfying and productive one. I look forward to seeing you there.

May 11-19, 2018

Chesapeake Arts Center

Public Reception: May 11, 6pm to 8pm

This exhibition features the work of aerial photographer, Peter Stern. Inspired by both landscape and color, his photography is reminiscent of abstract paintings. The work presents the similarities between the landscape and textures of paint. The exhibit will run from May 11th to May 19th, with a reception on May 11th, from 6pm to 8pm at the Chesapeake Arts Center in the Hal Gomer Gallery located at 194 Hammonds Lane, Brooklyn Park, Maryland 21225. Gallery is open Monday-Friday 10am-6 pm and Saturday 10 am-12:30 pm.

The UMBC student curators include Valentina Anyanwu, Maggie Frost, Nicolle Konkel, Selene LaMarca, Sheila McFarland-Holt, Adam Stevens, and Kelly Thompson.

Peter Stern

In Peter Stern’s photography, viewers see the Mid-Atlantic from a unique and intimate perspective. Flying low, slow, and alone in his small airplane over the coal mines of Pennsylvania and the coastal landscapes of the lower Eastern Shore, Stern conveys an intimacy with his subject that echoes his deep personal connection to the region.

With the ability to fly between 500 and 800 feet above his subjects, and shooting primarily in “bird’s-eye” perspective, Stern discovered that he could create compositions with minimal reference to recognizable objects. These images occupy a place between the abstract and the representational, which Stern refers to as “Third Spaces”. As his preferred subject matter, these landscapes are not the sweeping vistas of natural splendor often seen in aerial photography. Rather he interprets the “in-between” spaces: the odd, unusual, and overlooked landscapes that provide deep visual intrigue. 

About Chesapeake Arts Center:  The Chesapeake Arts Center (CAC) is a vibrant community arts center that has nearly 70,000 visits annually through shows, art classes and community events.  The CAC’s diverse programming appeals to a variety of audiences and includes performances that educate and engage dialogue about social issues. CAC offers affordable and free arts programs to people of all ages and income levels, and it very proud to provide arts education classes and workshops for at-risk youth in the greater Brooklyn Park region.

For more information about the Chesapeake Arts Center visit www.Chesapeakearts.org or Call us at P: 410-636-6597.