About the Event
Presented by the Artist Partner Programs
Monday, December 7, 2020 • 5:30PM EST
Presented in partnership with the UMD Office of Diversity and Inclusion, UMD Office of Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy and Black Terps Matter
In this showcase moderated by BlackLight Summit director Tariq Darrell O'Meally, members of the first Vital Signs mini-grant cohort will present excerpts of their Vital Signs works and discuss the intersection of their personal experiences with their art.
Honor Native Lands
Before we begin, we invite you to take a moment to reflect on and acknowledge the Indigenous roots of the land that you’re on.
Every community owes its existence and vitality to generations from around the world who contributed their hopes, dreams and energy to making the history that led to this moment. Some were brought here against their will, some were drawn to leave their distant homes in hope of a better life and some have lived on this land for more generations than can be counted. Truth and acknowledgment are critical to building mutual respect and connection across all barriers of heritage and difference.
The land that the University of Maryland and The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center reside on today is home to the Piscataway People, who were among the first in the Western Hemisphere to encounter European colonists. We pay respects to their elders past and present. Please take a moment to consider the many legacies of violence, displacement, migration and settlement that bring us together here today.
We encourage you to use a resource like Native-land.ca to learn more about the Indigenous roots of the land you are on right now.
About Vital Signs Mini-Grants
In an effort to support student voice and action related to the Black Lives Matter movement, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the UMD Office of Diversity and Inclusion and UMD Office of Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy in partnership with Black Terps Matter announced Vital Signs: Creative Arts for Black Lives Mini-Grants in Summer 2020. Grants have been awarded to artists in the UMD community who are creating projects that affirm Black life and vitality and interrogate white supremacy and anti-Blackness.
Fall 2020 Grant Recipients
Sadia Alao ('20)
Ines Donfack ('23) & Maya Lee ('23)
Hunter Jones ('20)
Stephen Lyons II ('23)
Chidinma Opaigbeogu ('21)
About Tonight’s Artists
Chidinma Opaigbeogu
Chidinma Opaigbeogu is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is an English major with a focus in Creative Writing. Her love of writing was ignited in the seventh grade when she wrote her first poem about frying bacon and the fear of grease splashing on her. Since then, her writing has led her to join the Writer's House (UMD), participating as a Lannan Fellow of Washington D.C. and performing poetry at local county events. Many of her poems and short stories focus on the cultural dissonance she has experienced as a Nigerian-American. She hopes to inspire other people from multi-cultural backgrounds to feel secure in their identity. She also wants to continue developing her poetry and to one day publish a realistic fantasy novel for middle-grade students.
When she’s not reading or writing you may find her watching dramas with her family and laughing diabolically with her little sister over memes.
Her work has appeared in Rattle Magazine and The Lyric. She is the 2020 first place recipient of the Jimenez Porter Literary Prize for prose and second place for poetry.
Jisike (Find Your Way Back)
by Chidinma Opaigbeogu (English-Creative Writing ‘21)
Jisike (Find Your Way Back) is a poetry and short story chapbook focused on the cultural dissonance that Opaigbeogu has experienced as a Nigerian-American. Individual poems and the chapbook have been submitted for publication in various journals and contests. A short film of the short story And the Water Called Her is forthcoming in 2021.
Ines Donfack
Ines Donfack is a 19-year-old student at the University of Maryland studying computer science. In her free time, she runs a freelance photo and video business called Ode To Future and is incredibly passionate about sharing stories through her work. She focuses on portraits, documentaries and short videos.
Redefine
by Ines Donfack (Computer Science ‘23) and Maya Lee (Graphic Design ‘23)
Redefine tells the story of pain and triumph among Black students at UMD. The project explores the internalized shame that Black students have been taught to feel for having common Black features. Redefine seeks to empower Black students to reject Eurocentric standards and embrace who they are.
Sadia Alao
Sadia Alao is a student in Marketing and Theater graduating this December! She is a spoken word artist, director, writer, actor and so much more. Her work involves uplifting and creating space for marginalized lives. Sadia plans to head her own multimedia production company highlighting the successes and narratives of people of color.
Black Vitality
by Sadia Alao (Marketing and Theater ‘20)
Black Vitality is a short film that explores the magnitude of what it means to be Black in America. It is a catharsis of pain as well as a celebration of culture. During the showcase, Alao will be performing poetry and spoken word pieces from the film.
Stephen Lyons II
Stephen Lyons II is a DMV-based dancer, choreographer and director. He began his dance journey with Aberdeen Dance Company in high school. Since then he has trained extensively in hip hop dance with Phunktions Hip Hop Dance Company and Culture Shock DC.
Stephen is now in his third year as Artistic Director of Culture Shock DC and works to enrich, educate and entertain his community through dance. He was selected by Dance Place for the 2020 New Releases Choreographer’s Showcase. Stephen currently studies Theatre at the University of Maryland.
IGOR: A Virtual Love Affair
by Stephen Lyons II (Theater ‘23)
After a decade of repressed feelings, a gay man finally declares his love for his longtime best friend at the risk of ruining their relationship. IGOR: A Virtual Love Affair is a dance film inspired by music from Tyler, The Creator’s 2019 album. Will this declaration be worth it?
Thank You to Our Partners
Black Terps Matter is a grassroots anti-racist communal coalition that aims to dismantle all forms and constructs of systemic racism and oppression at the University of Maryland. We employ transparency and intersectionality to support any and all forms of anti-racist idealism. We promote diverse experiences and perspectives substantiated by facts and data to educate expeditious activists whom we align ourselves with. We intend to hold all entities pertaining to the University accountable for every one of their actions, assertions, propensities, and implications.
Partner Links: Facebook • Instagram • Twitter • Web
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion serves the University of Maryland by providing leadership and expertise that enriches the experiences of individuals and builds stronger communities. ODI supports the efforts of campus units to achieve their diversity and inclusion goals.
Partner Links: Facebook • Twitter • Web
The Office of Multicultural Involvement & Community Advocacy [MICA], a unit within the Adele H. Stamp Student Union and the Division of Student Affairs, stands firmly in our role to empower students through education on issues of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion and their intersections. In support of our campus' commitment to diversity, multiculturalism, and social justice, we advance a purposeful campus climate that capitalizes on the educational benefits of diversity, through student-centered advising, advocacy, programs, research, and practices. Our collective work results in positive student outcomes observable in their learning, identity development, involvement, and leadership.
About The Artist Partner Programs
This season, the Artist Partner Programs (APP) at The Clarice have embarked on extensive and radical planning alongside campus and community partners and visiting artists to explore creative ways to artistically respond to the challenges of the twin pandemics plaguing the United States.
Virtual events this fall will amplify voices unfairrly silenced by systemic racism and build the new future of the arts through two engaging series:
Art Citizenship Talks (ACTNow)
From themes of racial violence and cultural appropriation to multiculturalism and gender equality, the work of The Clarice's 2020-21 visiting artists is complex, provocative and deeply sensitive. Arts Citizenship Talks (ACTNow) are opportunities to hear from these artists about the issues reflected in their works. These conversations are an invitation to act now!
Stay tuned for Spring 2021 Events!
NextLOOK
In partnership with Joe's Movement Emporium, NextLOOK supports the development of new music, plays, dance and other experiences by regionally-based performing artists. These artists are mentored by seasoned arts administrators from The Clarice and Joe’s Movement Emporium to construct innovative methods of deepening the audience’s involvement in their creative process. By removing logistical barriers of cost and space and providing a sounding board for artists creating new work, NextLOOK invests in the regional arts ecology and creates an accessible, exploratory environment that connects intriguing artists with adventurous audiences. Stay tuned to our website for Spring 2021 NextLOOK dates!
Stay tuned for Spring 2021 Events!
Artist Partner Programs Staff
Erica Bondarev Rapach • Acting Executive Director
Zach Bryant • Graduate Assistant, Marketing and Communications
Tyler Clifford • Assistant Artistic Administrator, Artist Partner Programs
Yarina Conners • Artistic Administrator
Paige Cook • Guest Experience Coordinator
Connie Dai • Graduate Assistant, Campus and Community Engagement
Lauren Floyd • Graduate Assistant, Campus and Community Engagement
Jane Hirshberg • Assistant Director, Campus and Community Engagement
Carlos Howard • Marketing Communications Coordinator
Jeannette-Marie Lewis • Graduate Assistant, Artist Partner Programs
Katie McCarthy • Graduate Assistant, Campus and Community Engagement
James Newman • Broadcast Technician
Tariq Darrell O'Meally • Guest Curator
Megan Pagado Wells • Associate Director of Programming
Kat Rother • Production Coordinator
Tiffany Richardson • Program Manager, National Orchestral Institute + Festival
Richard Scerbo • Director, National Orchestral Institute + Festival
Austin Sposato • Artist Services Coordinator
Liana Stiegler • Guest Experience Coordinator