Arts & Culture

In a sepia-toned photos, a group of seven musicians with instruments

Livewire Explores the Transformative Power of Music

From October 18 through 21, Livewire, UMBC’s annual festival exploring the music of our times, takes center stage in Linehan Concert Hall. This year, Livewire investigates the power of music to transform. A recital by pianist Idith Meshulam Korman and her collaborator Reese Todd Basile opens the festival with an intimate view of how music has delivered hope and possibilities in a correctional facility; on Saturday, the Decoda ensemble will perform songs and music written by incarcerated musicians. “We’re asking some challenging questions,” says Airi Yoshioka, professor of music and violinist, who serves as director of this year’s Livewire festival.… Continue Reading Livewire Explores the Transformative Power of Music

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Inclusion Imperative spotlights six years of innovation in community-engaged humanities research and teaching

“I firmly believe that the humanities offer us crucial tools for addressing pressing issues of civic life,” said Jessica Berman, director of UMBC’s Dresher Center, at the Center’s Inclusion Imperative six-year capstone event. “Now more than ever, we need the tools of the humanities to advance local and national conversations about our history, our identities, and our common future.” Continue Reading Inclusion Imperative spotlights six years of innovation in community-engaged humanities research and teaching

UMBC student smiling while presenting research at URCAD 2023. (Marlayna Demond '11/UMBC)

Lighting design to flu treatment: UMBC students share research and creative work at URCAD 2023

In 2020, Renata Taylor-Smith ‘24, theatre, eagerly prepared for her first trip to Munich, Germany to study theatrical lighting design, but a week before she was meant to fly to Germany, her trip was canceled due to COVID-19. She learned that the show she was working on would be postponed indefinitely. Discover how she pivoted to have a valuable research experience, recently shared at UMBC’s annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD 23023), where hundreds of students presented their work. Continue Reading Lighting design to flu treatment: UMBC students share research and creative work at URCAD 2023

A black and white photo of a Black Vaudeville troupe of seven dancers posing in a row while sticking their leg out in unison.

Michelle R. Scott illuminates the lives of Black Vaudeville performers and their broader social impact in Jazz Age America

“My new book explores the lives of the performers, theater owners, producers, managers, and audiences that were part of Black Vaudeville and the Theater Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.),” says Michelle Scott, associate professor of history. “It’s a story about how these Black- and white-owned theaters fostered Black artistic exploration and development and the growth of Black-owned businesses.” Continue Reading Michelle R. Scott illuminates the lives of Black Vaudeville performers and their broader social impact in Jazz Age America

A postcard from the 1950s showing color and black and white photos of African American families at the beach.

UMBC humanities faculty receive NEH fellowships for research into “the why and how of our past”

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has announced that George Derek Musgrove ‘97, associate professor of history, and Elizabeth Patton, associate professor of media and communication studies, have received the highly competitive 2023 NEH fellowship for research on Black political and cultural mobilizations and Black leisure and tourism, respectivel. Continue Reading UMBC humanities faculty receive NEH fellowships for research into “the why and how of our past”

A hand holds an antique book.

UMBC Special Collections receives more than 12,000 volumes from Parapsychology Foundation

UMBC Special Collections has been given an extraordinary gift of one of the world’s largest collections devoted to parapsychology. It includes documents related to hauntings, poltergeists, out-of-body experiences, and séances, as well as spirit photographs and much more. Continue Reading UMBC Special Collections receives more than 12,000 volumes from Parapsychology Foundation

Three women stand side by side on a cement path with a white brick building behind them.

UMBC humanities faculty pursue groundbreaking archival research through over $135,000 in prestigious fellowships

Elizabeth Patton, Mirjam Voerkelius, and Amy Froide have received prestigious research fellowships to explore archives and reveal new findings about unique historical events in the United States, Soviet Union, and United Kingdom. Continue Reading UMBC humanities faculty pursue groundbreaking archival research through over $135,000 in prestigious fellowships

As global travel expands, UMBC faculty and staff earn Fulbright awards for research, collaboration abroad

Four UMBC faculty and staff members have received highly competitive Fulbright awards to conduct research and establish important connections around the world over the next year.  UMBC’s new recipients of Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards are Shimei Pan, associate professor of information systems; Corrie Parks, assistant professor of visual arts; and Tiffany Thames Copeland, adjunct faculty in Africana studies. Nancy Young, vice president for Student Affairs, has received a Fulbright International Education Administrators Award. They will travel to Germany, Austria, Ghana, and France, respectively. Continue Reading As global travel expands, UMBC faculty and staff earn Fulbright awards for research, collaboration abroad

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