December 5, 2025 6PM
CADVC
One-night-only outdoor projection and performance
Friday, December 5, 2025
6–7 p.m. reception; 7 p.m. performance
Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture (CADVC), UMBC
The Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture (CADVC) at UMBC presents a special one-night-only outdoor screening and performance with KaMag, the performance collaboration between artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons and musician Kamaal Malak.
Vignettes in 3 Sessions: An Immersive Ancestral Experience with KaMag (María Magdalena Campos–Pons and Kamaal Malak) is an interactive performance created for CADVC. KaMag members of the public into a shared ritual environment—"a sacred space where ancestral energies transcend temporal boundaries, creating a transformative portal between past and present." The performance unfolds as a multi-media, multi-sensory sanctuary combining spoken word, live music, sound design, and other sensorial experiences in an intimate, participatory format.
The performance launches a new public projection of "I am Soil – My Tears Are Water" (2025), a single-channel video by Kamaal Malak and María Magdalena Campos-Pons that has been adapted for the UMBC Fine Arts Building amphitheater projection program. Conceived for large-scale projection and collective viewing, the work transforms the amphitheater into a reflective gathering space, bringing KaMag's layered meditations on ancestry, land, and healing into public space.
KaMag's recent work has included major multi-sensory performances at institutions such as Tate Modern and KaMag's recent work has included major performances at institutions such as Tate Modern and the São Paulo Biennial, where Campos-Pons and Malak have developed a practice that bridges performance, sound, and moving image to explore Afro-diasporic spiritual, historical, and ecological inheritances.
This CADVC event is presented as part of UMBC's Arts+ initiative, a new campus-wide platform that celebrates and connects UMBC's vibrant and multi-faceted arts scene through public-facing programming and interdisciplinary creative research. Arts+ positions UMBC as a welcoming arts destination for the region, bringing together students, faculty, visiting artists, and community audiences for exhibitions, performances, and other collaborative events. CADVC also thanks CIRCA at UMBC for their support of the event.
María Magdalena Campos-Pons was born in 1959 in the province of Matanzas, in the town of La Vega, Cuba. Her work is autobiographical, investigating themes of history, memory, gender and religion and how they inform identity. She is a MacArthur Fellow (2023) and currently serves as the Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair and Professor of Fine Arts at Vanderbilt University, where she founded the Engine for Art, Democracy & Justice Program. She also launched Intermittent Rivers, a multi-artist initiative in Matanzas, Cuba, as part of the 2019 Havana Biennial. Her work has been presented at venues including the Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University; Peabody Essex Museum; National Portrait Gallery; Museum of Modern Art; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; List Visual Arts Center, MIT; Pérez Art Museum; Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin; Johannesburg Biennial; Gwangju Biennale; Documenta; Venice Biennale; and the Brooklyn Museum.
Kamaal Malak is a multifaceted musician, producer, academic, and researcher whose career spans diverse areas of the music industry. As a bassist and songwriter with the 2x Grammy-winning group Arrested Development, they significantly influenced conscious hip-hop in the early 1990s. His versatility as an artist is further exemplified by his collaborations with country music icon Shania Twain, bridging genres and expanding his musical reach. Beyond his performance career, Malak has made significant strides in music production, blending hip-hop, electronic, and world music influences.
Any other major, minor, certificate, and/or honors that will be on your graduation records
Degree Mentors
Why did you choose to major in INDS?
I wanted to do work for narrative design in game creation, and INDS seemed like the perfect way to specialize in what I wanted to do.
What are your plans for after graduation, and how do you see using your INDS degree?
I hope to use my degree to find employment with a game studio that I feel comfortable working for.
Were you involved in any clubs or organizations? Did you hold any leadership positions? URCAD? URA? Off-campus internships? On-campus research experiences?
Clubs/Organizations:
For More information on Alex's INDS journey please click here
This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.
On November 24, 2025, Kara Seidel of LLC Cohort 23 successfully defended her dissertation and earned the title of Doctor of Philosophy. Her degree will be conferred later this month.
Her virtual defense went smoothly and she gave a powerful presentation of her dissertation research, Faculty as Translators: Disability Policy, Culture, and Discourse in Higher Education.
The program
wishes to acknowledge the guidance and commitment of Kara's committee:
Chair:
Ramon Goings, Language, Literacy,
and Culture
Members:
Amy Tondreau, Education
Kerrie Kephard, Faculty
Development Center
Pamela Bennett, Public
Policy
Lauren Edwards, Public Policy
Congratulations, Dr. Seidel!
Any other major, minor, certificate, and/or honors that will be on your graduation records
Degree Mentors
Why did you choose to major in INDS?
I chose to major in INDS because it allowed me to design a degree that truly reflects both my academic and career goals. Before coming to UMBC, I knew I wanted to study Neuroscience, but at the time it wasn't offered as an official major. While planning my courses, I realized that a traditional Biological Sciences B.S. with a Psychology minor wouldn't provide the depth in neuroscience that I was looking for. Around that same time, I attended UMBC's Involvement Fest, where I learned about the INDS program from the Neuroscience Club president and then through an information session with Ms. Carrie Sauter. Through those conversations, I discovered that INDS would give me the flexibility to integrate my passion for Neuroscience with my interest in Spanish intercultural communication—something no single major could offer. This path allows me to prepare for my long-term goal of becoming a bilingual neurosurgeon that addresses the need for culturally competent healthcare.
What are your plans for after graduation, and how do you see using your INDS degree?
After graduation, my plan is to pursue a Master's in Medical Science to strengthen my academic foundation and prepare for the rigor of medical school. From there, I intend to matriculate into medical school and ultimately pursue a career in neurosurgery. My INDS degree—integrating Neuroscience, Biological Sciences, and Spanish—has prepared me to approach medicine from both a scientific and cultural perspective. By combining research training in neuroscience with intercultural communication skills, I will be able to contribute to advancing neurological research while also breaking down language barriers in healthcare to provide more equitable and compassionate care.
Were you involved in any clubs or organizations? Did you hold any leadership positions? URCAD? URA? Off-campus internships? On-campus research experiences?
Clubs/Organizations:
Volunteer:
For More information on Kayla's INDS journey please click here