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The Arts

UMD is home to a vibrant arts community

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About Academics Admissions & Aid Student Life
4 dancers backlit in orange
The Arts

UMD is home to a vibrant arts community

 Research

The Arts

UMD is home to a vibrant arts community of students, scholars, faculty, alums and visiting artists who transform ideas into exciting and thought-provoking experiences—and who invite audiences to take part in the creative process.

silhouetted dancers , orange/red background
Sign at an angle: Clarvit Courtyard / Arts for All on yellow and pink sign. Background of a darkened sky

Arts for All

The campuswide Arts for All initiative leverages the combined power of the arts, technology and social justice to address the grand challenges of our time.

It bolsters a campuswide culture of creativity and innovation by spurring new and reimagined courses, programs and other opportunities to nurture different ways of thinking that spark dialogue, understanding, problem solving and action. 

More on Arts for All

Calendar

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The Clarice

An exhilarating mix of groundbreaking new works and reimagined classics will captivate audiences of all ages. Students can attend most performances for free, and events are open to the public. 

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

The Clarice

The world-class performing arts center features UMD’s nationally recognized School of Music and School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, and its own artistic platform, Clarice Presents. Together, they host hundreds of performances annually by student, faculty and independent artists.

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318K

square feet

1,000

events annually

6

performance venues
students at computers observing a theater set/performance

COLLEGE OF ARTS & HUMANITIES

Faculty and students in the College of Arts and Humanities study the cultures of the world, past and present, in all their rich variety. Its scholarship results in new productions, visual artworks, recordings, articles and books that address the complexities of the human experience.

College of Arts & Humanities

The Latest on Arts & Culture

Galleries and Research Spaces

Exhibition in the Driskell Center. Black and white photography on the wall in an art gallery.

David Driskell Center

Honoring the legacy of the late Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, trailblazing artist, collector, curator and scholar of African American art, the center provides an intellectual home for those interested in broadening the field of African diasporic studies. 

Person with backpack looking at a wide piece of art. Sign: What makes this painting significant?

Michelle Smith Collaboratory for Visual Culture

Combining sophisticated technology, adaptable workspaces and a dynamic visualization facility, the Collaboratory fosters the study of art and architecture in ways not previously possible.

View of modern art gallery with sculpture. African or African inspired

Parren J. Mitchell Art / Sociology Building

Galleries, high-tech media labs, light-filled studios, industrial-scale sculpture shops and digital fabrication facilities give students the tools and spaces to work and create across all media.

View of an art gallery, visitors looking at black and white framed photos on gray walls.

Art Gallery

With a permanent collection including masterpieces from John Baldessari, Lee Krasner, Paul Reed, Rembrandt, Maurice de Vlamnick and Andy Warhol, the Art Gallery has evolved into a leading academic museum that showcases art from around the world. 

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Exhibition of photographs

Stamp Gallery

The gallery in the student union is dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary art. Students participating in the Stamp Contemporary Art Purchasing Program help acquire new works, which are displayed throughout the building.

Visitors looking at banners in an exhibition. Writing and photos on banners

Kibel Gallery

The Kibel Gallery hosts exhibitions related to the built environment curated and designed by Maryland faculty and students as well as traveling shows borrowed from institutions such as the White House archives and the National Building Museum.

Unique Academic Opportunities

Colorful performance with binary numbers in colored lights

Undergraduates combine their artistic talents with computer science in this tech-focused program, where they code, create and collaborate. 

Immersive Media Design Major

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Room with large table with chairs around, book shelves on walls.

The close-knit living-learning program offers students a literary home base for the study of creative writing across cultures and languages.

Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House

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Student at artist's easel

Master’s programs in design, creative writing, dance and studio art offer advanced training with renowned scholars and practitioners along with access to top-notch facilities in preparation for careers in creative fields. 

MFA Programs

Student walking in front of a mural of a large close up face

Students in this interdisciplinary program learn how artists and designers play a vital role in advancing public dialogue, exploring our shared humanity and addressing important societal challenges.

Creative Placemaking Minor

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