UMBC’s Margaret Re will develop the exhibition and catalog for A Designed Life: American Textiles, Wallpapers, Containers and Packaging (1951-52) through support from a new $30,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Re, an associate professor of visual arts who teaches design, is both the exhibition curator and principal investigator of A Designed Life, which is based on three historically significant traveling exhibitions of contemporary mass-produced, American-designed consumer goods that were commissioned by the U.S. Department of State in the early 1950s. It recreates and interprets those early Cold War exhibitions—including American textiles, wallpapers, containers, and packaging—restating and interpreting part of each display as it might have appeared in the early 1950s.

The three historical exhibitions—Contemporary American Textiles designed by Florence Knoll; Contemporary American Wallpapers designed by Tom Lee, and Containers and Packaging designed by Will Burtin—were each developed as collections of industry-specific consumer goods, designed and manufactured in the spirit of American modernism. The Traveling Exhibition Service (TES), an organization later known as the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, organized these exhibitions for display in post-WWII Germany and France on behalf of the U.S. Department of State in order to help promote the grown of democratic governments within postwar Europe.

UMBC’s Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture (CADVC) will exhibit A Designed Life September 13 – December 8, 2018. Symmes Gardner, executive director of the CADVC, notes that the exhibition “will be a first for the CADVC investigating decorative arts. The exhibition will foster a unique and timely interdisciplinary dialogue encompassing design, history and political science that is in keeping with the CADVC’s mission to build connections between visual culture and the society at large.”

This new NEA-supported exhibition project is the result of extensive research by Re, who first came across a drawing of the Knoll-designed textile exhibit at the Archives of American Art in Washington D.C., before rediscovering the other two design exhibits. Over several years she continued her research through the National Archives and Records Administration, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Carey Graphic Arts Collection at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Berlin’s Bauhaus Archives, and the Document Library in Kassel, Germany. Re received support from a $30,000 Coby Foundation grant, UMBC’s START fund for new directions in faculty research, the Dresher Center for the Humanities scholars program, a CIRCA Summer Faculty Research Fellowship, and a grant from the Kunststiftung des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt to complete the work of developing the project.

The project includes several important partners. Morgan State University’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning will build the recreated traveling exhibition components, led by Adam Bridge. A team from The Johns Hopkins Graduate Program in Museum Studies led by Karen Wizevich and Deborah Howes will help develop visitor knowledge of, interest in, and reaction to the topics found within this exhibition, as well as public outreach.

Re is excited for the potential of the exhibit to help audiences explore the U.S. Department of State’s decision in the early 1950s “to connect consumer choice with political choice as well as the reception of European audiences to such cultural diplomacy in the post WWII years.”

Some scholarship exists chronicling the outcome of Department of State-sponsored art exhibits used in a similar capacity as soft power to promote American culture, such as exhibits of Abstract Expressionist painting. However, Re notes, “design exhibitions sent abroad that presented examples of consumer goods billed as readily available to American citizens are largely undocumented, especially those coordinated by the Smithsonian Institution and the Department of State.”

A Designed Life, Re explains, “makes evident the political potential of design to connect people, their activities, experiences, needs and desires, and shape attitudes as it broadens insight into design’s relevance as a tool for diplomacy.”

Public programming, including lectures and the publication of a catalog, will accompany the exhibition at UMBC in the fall of 2018.

UMBC is well-known for being an institution that welcomes many students who attend classes on campus without living here. University life as a commuter student means potentially missing out on many of the things afforded to peers.

As the semester draws to a close and commuters are reflecting on their time in college and how their living arrangements affected their experiences, it is a perfect time to figure out ways to improve life for those who commute to this school.

UMBC needs to keep striving to make sure that commuters have a college experience that is as fulfilling as that of on-campus students who have many advantages. While there are levels of privacy and freedom that only come from living at home, such as a nice home-cooked meal, commuter students still deserve more opportunities than they currently have.

Students who live on campus have the privilege of attending many of the 100 events that SEB hosts a semester. Unfortunately, commuter students do not always feel that there is enough happening on campus geared toward them and their schedules.

The events held on campus provide students with ample opportunities to meet other retrievers, hang out with their friends and have fun while relaxing from the stress of classes. However, commuter students are not always able to reap these benefits.

Off-Campus Student Services is an organization that seeks to help adult learners, veterans, transfer students and commuters. Among the many services that OCSS provides is programming specifically created so that commuter students feel more welcome at UMBC.

Freshman computer science major Desmond Oliver said of OCSS, “I’m actually really surprised by how well they do with how little they have. They actually try to make fun things happen, especially the commuter breakfasts, I love that.” Oliver added, “If they had more resources and did more things they would probably be even better than they are now.”

Another issue Oliver spoke about besides lack of resources for OCSS is parking on campus. Sophomore math major A’mon Griffin echoed Oliver, detailing his struggle in planning trips to and from campus when taking the bus. “I have to wake up really early to get here … I wish that there were [sic] more parking for commuter students,” Griffin said.

UMBC should make sure to have plenty of activities on campus and things to do during the day so that people do not miss out if they have to go home at night. In addition, students should apply to work at OCSS to make sure that the organization is well-staffed. Then the university will be able to devote more resources to the program and ensure that everyone’s education is fortified by strong community ties with the school.

TONIGHT!  

Thursday, April 26, 5-7pm: Get Involved! Advocacy Event                          Lower Flat Tuesdays

Friday, April 27, 6-8:30pm: Cultural Exposé                                                Sports Zone - 

LAST YEAR, THIS EVENT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Once a hair stylist in Baltimore, singer Lauren Ruth Ward is now hailed as a rising vocal powerhouse in the music scene. With her first album, “Well Hell,” freshly released and a reputation for powerful live shows, Ward is on a roll.

Her brand of bluesy, 70s-style rock has been compared to famous artists like Janis Joplin and Florence Welch. Ward will play a special hometown show at Baltimore’s Ottobar on April 28. This week, she answered some questions about her career, album and more.

What song from your debut album would you most encourage new listeners to hear?

Oooh, that’s a hard one. I guess, “Sideways.” It’s energetic like most of our songs, [and] the lyrics are relatable — getting lost while finding your way in a new city, for me, LA. Also, it’s one of my favorite music videos. I had a blast creating it with all my buddies. My best bud Tess O’Connor shot, produced and co-directed it. She’s one of my favorite humans to work with. Lastly, I love India’s cowbell.

Have you listened to “Well Hell” on vinyl? Do you think it sounds better?

Of course I have! [laughs]. As soon as Rainbow Records sent me my test presses, Eddie came over and we sat criss-cross-applesauce in front of my player and let her spin. I wouldn’t say one is better than the other. Vinyl definitely ads a vibe, a warm warble. CD/mp3 is very clean, also super enjoyable.

Was there a moment when you doubted that you would make it to this point in your career?

I am still in a baby band in the beginning phases of my career. I don’t manifest an exact end goal. I hate disappointing myself. When I was younger, I had very specific goals and if I didn’t achieve them perfectly, I would have a hard time carrying on. I don’t do that anymore. Not only because the stress isn’t worth it, but because that’s not what life is about. Everything is always shifting. My current approach is to keep the ideas coming, stay organized and positive, follow through and enjoy myself. What comes out of it is what comes out of it, regardless if I stress or not.

Do you have any favorite artists from Baltimore at the moment?

Beach House for [life].

When was the last time you played in Baltimore? Does playing a show in your hometown feel different than in other cities?

We played Ottobar June 1, 2017. I love playing shows in my hometown. I have so many sweet people that come out to support this new journey. It’s very inspiring and emotional. I am extremely lucky to feel as loved as I do.

Is there a venue you have always dreamed of playing?

The Red Rock Amphitheater in Colorado. Such an incredible creation.

Do you have any music-related goals you’d like to accomplish this summer?

I can’t wait to play LA Pride on June 9! I would LOVE to play Desert Daze Festival this October. It’s a three day psych-rock fest in Joshua Tree. I went with my lady last year for the first time. It is the perfect size with such magical energy. Finger crossed!

The third annual Light City festival shone as brightly as ever this year, bringing art and ideas to hundreds of thousands of visitors to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Included among spotlit talent from around the world was a broad selection of work and scholarship from the UMBC community. Launched by the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts in 2016, Light City Baltimore is the first large-scale international light festival in the United States, and it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

We hope you will enjoy these highlights from UMBC’s week at Light City 2018, including The Herd, the Spark II Gallery, Labs@LightCity, and alumni and donor receptions. Photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC Magazine.

The Herd: Luminous Beings Seeking Safe Harbor

[PHOTO ABOVE] Associate professor Kelley Bell ‘06, MFA, created a sea of vinyl “herdlings” to bring attention to the poor health of Baltimore’s waterways, and the fact that the harbor is not clean enough for children to swim in. After floating hundreds of the creatures for Light City, the herdlings will be sold, with all proceeds going to three non-profit partners: Waterfront Partnership’s Healthy Harbor Initiative, the Baltimore-based performance group Fluid Movement, and the Living Classrooms Foundation. Read more about the project here.

Spark II Gallery

Spark II, a pop-up gallery of projection-based artworks was on display in Harborplace’s Light Street Pavilion during Light City Festival. Made possible through the vision and generosity of PNC, the gallery featured the work of UMBC faculty and graduate students, as well as artists from Towson University.

The Labs@LightCity

The daytime Labs@Light City, a series of innovation conferences dedicated to sparking social change, were organized in seven half day, topical labs: EduLab, SocialLab, GreenLab, HealthLab, ArtLab, MakerLab and FoodLab.

Community Receptions

Alumni and donors came from near and far to enjoy the sights of Light City Baltimore, and to reconnect with fellow Retrievers. See additional photos from the UMBC Alumni Reception at the Baltimore Visitor Center here, and find more photos from the VIP Reception here.

Every April, the Women’s Center hosts its sexual violence awareness program, Take Back the Night, to support survivors. While this month was no different, the discourse after the event highlighted that more can be done about sexual violence on campus. Coffee and Conversation, an SGA forum, took the lead on maintaining the momentum throughout the year.

Markya Reed, a senior psychology major and SGA Vice President, organized a panel of leaders and activists from UMBC and the surrounding community. The panelists included Latrina Gillam, a storyteller from the House of Ruth; Ava Pipitone, executive director of the Baltimore Transgender Alliance; Aliya Webermann, a sexual violence activist and PhD student at UMBC; Haley Owens, a freshman biochemistry major and co-leader of We Believe You; and Erick Kim, a Title IX investigator. Jess Myers, director of the Women’s Center, served as the facilitator.

The panelists emphasized the importance of not only believing and supporting the people who were violated, but also holding the violators accountable. “For there to be survivors, there also have to be perpetrators,” Meyers reminded the audience. Some panelists agreed that universities, including UMBC, should be more transparent about the rate of sexual violence on their campuses. Gillam went further: “These organizations are trying to save their image. We have to forget about the image. We have to support the survivors.”

Reed hosted Beyond Take Back the Night as a part of the Coffee and Conversation series because “we only talked about Take Back the Night… We should have more discussions.” She and Webermann agreed that there is insufficient information about where or how to report sexual violence on campus. Webermann explained: “The information is buried on the Human Relations website. Most of our students aren’t getting this information.”

Kim, a representative from the UMBC Title IX office, described the actions his office takes to inform students about the presence of Title IX on campus. “We have been going to orientations at the beginning of the semester to put our faces out there and put our information out there,” Kim told the audience. “It really catches attention in April and dies down.” April is sexual assault awareness month. “If there’s one thing you remember, it’s that we’re here for you,” Kim added.

Kim identified resources for survivors, such as SAFE, UMBC’s partnership with local hospitals to provide free sexual assault forensic exams. Furthermore, all UMBC employees are trained in reporting sexual violence to the Title IX office. However, Owens said, “the narrative as of right now is that [survivors] feel unsupported by the university.” She went further and said “students don’t know who to go to; they don’t have a face to a name; they feel lost.”

Reed stated her personal interest in sexual violence discourse was “knowing women.” “Being a woman on a college campus, I know many other women who know about this thing,” Reed clarified. Owens later supported this view: “you cannot tell your story unless there’s someone to listen to you.” By giving survivors the space to speak and be heard, the panelists agreed that more could be done to prevent sexual violence. “Survivors should be at the table, leading the issues,” Webermann said.