Some students venture to Washington to tour art museums, but last night, they didn’t have to leave the campus.

Jackie Milad, the Stamp Gallery’s collections coordinator, guided about 25 students through the campus’ galleries — the Stamp Gallery, David C. Driskell Center, MFA Studios, The Art Gallery at the University of Maryland, the Kibel and Linear Galleries and the Herman Maril Gallery — for the university’s ArtWalk. She said she hoped the tour could show students they have access to myriad sources of art, and that she could continue ArtWalk every year in the days leading up to Maryland Day.

“Our campus is quite rich with sources of arts. Our students are lucky to get access to those valued art works easily,” Milad said. “I hope more and more students can be educated from this ArtWalk and share their experiences with others.”

Milad, some graduate students and the galleries’ faculty members started planning about a month ago for the walk, which began at the Stamp Gallery and ended with a reception at the Herman Maril Gallery. Students on the tour, many of whom had taken university arts classes, spent about 15 minutes in each of the galleries.

Milad said the galleries interchange their works, which rotate about every six weeks. Some of the works in ArtWalk, Milad added, were students’ pieces, primarily showcased in the Stamp Gallery and the Herman Maril Gallery. Those galleries sometimes serve as stages for honors arts students to showcase their achievements, she said. The other galleries primarily display the works of middle-career artists.

“Young, emerging artists are always welcomed to us,” Milad said. “I hope not only the students on campus can have a chance to know their galleries, but also those young artists off campus. I think this ArtWalk could be quite inspiring to them.”

The galleries vary in focus — the Driskell Center features many African-American-centric works, The Art Gallery specializes in popular Internet videos and photos, and the works in the Kibel and Linear Galleries emphasize architecture and physical space design.

 

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Joe Zimmermann, a sophomore journalism major, said he hadn’t taken advantage of the arts resources available to students before ArtWalk.

“Most of the time, I just walked by these galleries but never walked through. It is really cool to see these galleries on our campus,” Zimmermann said. “It is quite important to see the works of some vibrant artists. It is kind of student involvement.”

Tyler Speier, a freshman criminology and criminal justice major and member of the Art History Association, said he enjoyed the educational nature of the tour.

“Most students on campus focus too much on math or other science subjects. The cultural experience is also as important as science. This is a good chance for students to learn more about culture,” Speier said. “Although I don’t quite read all these paintings clearly, I could feel the emotions through the colors.”

Iftekar Husain, a senior journalism major, said his friend Geena Gao, Stamp Gallery’s outreach assistant, invited him to the tour.

“I have been to some of the galleries on campus, but not all of them,” Husain said. “This ArtWalk is really educational. Some artworks here are quite inspiring.”