Original Event Post

Global Asias Symposium & Celebration
Monday, May 4
11am-6:30pm

April 2, 2026 6-8pm: Artist reception

April 4, 2026, 1-3pm: "Sharpening Her Oyster Knife" Panel discussion 

April 15, 2026 12-1pm: RTKL Lecture featuring Taylor Goad

Visitor Information:

For links to maps, directions, and parking information, visit: cadvc.umbc.edu/visit-us

Our exhibitions and events are free and open to the public 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.

If you need specific accommodations at one of our events, whether in person or online, or to experience an exhibition, please contact CADVC at cadvc@umbc.edu or 410-455-3188 as soon as possible.

The event will be on Friday, May 1, from 2-3:30pm in the Library Gallery.

Taking migration as a central premise, artist Wei Leng Tay will share about modes of narrative-making in her art. From her beginnings in journalism to her current practice, she will speak about shifting ideas and uses of representation and materiality in relation to the photographic medium. She will discuss ways migration moves through some of her works, from topic to medium to form. The Other Shore, a photographic and interview-based audio work, tells a story of a new generation of mainland Chinese migrants in Hong Kong. you think it over slowly, slowly choose…, considers statelessness through the materiality of the photograph. Works in Untitled (family slides 60s-70s) question how the objecthood of photographs shape the ways personal and collective memory converge, and how photographs can constitute ideas of history. Through these examples, Tay will surface the complex relationships between history, embodiment, and representation entangled with the photographic image. 

Bio:

Based in Singapore, artist Wei Leng Tay works across photography, video, and installation and explores constructions of identity, memory, and history through her practice. Her works draw on long-term engagements with individuals, families, and communities, and include research into photographic archives, interviews, and collaborative processes. Central to her practice is a sustained inquiry into the medium of photography through its materiality, modes of circulation, and communicative possibilities. By working at the intersection of the intimate and the structural, Tay unpacks the complexities of belonging, displacement, and the politics of representation, bringing attention to what it means to be human within today's shifting political and cultural contexts.

Originally trained in biology at McGill University, Tay's early professional experience was in photojournalism, working as a photo editor and photographer for news organisations such as TIME Magazine's Asia edition in Hong Kong. This background continues to inform her inquiry into the instrumentalization of photography and the politics of image-making. Tay later completed her MFA at Bard College and has since developed a practice that bridges research, pedagogy, and collaboration. She was most recently a lecturer of art practice at Yale-NUS College and remains invested in teaching as a form of knowledge exchange and artistic inquiry.

This artist talk is supported by the Department of Visual Arts and CIRCA, with additional support from the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery, the Asian Studies Program, the Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture (CADVC), and the Global Asias Initiative.

Time: Wednesday, March 25 from 12:00-12:45 PM

Location: PAHB 132

Save the date for UMBC BookFest '26! Celebrate all things books--making them, reading them, preserving them, donating them, advocating for them--across campus during National Library Week on April 21 & 23. Events will include BookMarkIt on the Library Plaza, featuring letterpress printing, zinemaking and swaps, a book drive, giveaways, and more! In collaboration with Maryland Humanities' One Maryland, One Book program, we'll welcome Lawrence Burney, author of the 2026 OMOB selection No Sense in Wishing and in partnership with the Maryland State Library Agency, we'll learn from the Maryland state librarian, Morgan Miller, how to protect the freedom to read. Stay tuned for a full schedule of events!

Check for updates on the UMBC BookFest '26 event page. 

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The AOK Library's Spotlight! Symposium will host a hybrid public symposium titled Are You Good? Checking In With Maryland's Young Adults on Wednesday, March 25th, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m in the Library Gallery and online.

A link to join the event online, as well as driving instructions can be found here.

This long-standing symposium is a themed conversation in which invited speakers discuss their research and experience on a selected topic – the lives of young adults in Maryland. The Symposium supports the University's vision of creating an inclusive culture that connects innovative teaching and learning, research across disciplines, and civic engagement. 

The goal of the symposium is to highlight the research of our community, but also the library collections and the subject expertise of our librarians. 

The guest speakers will include UMBC faculty, alumni, students, and external community members. We've established a connection with community members of the Charlestown Assisted Living community to integrate them in the symposium, not only as guests but as speakers. The speakers, topic, and language are inclusive and intentionally highlight the voices and concerns of the marginalized and underrepresented.

With the help of our attendees, we aim to critically examine the current factors impacting Maryland's young adults aged 18-25. We hope to acknowledge the many challenges young adults are facing, as well as the glimmers of hope on the horizon for our emerging adults. 

Accompanying the speakers will be a librarian-curated reading guide that spotlights the collection of the Library related to the topic. The reading guide was crafted by our subject expert librarian, Katy Sullivan. 

SCHEDULE 

t the season for advising and enrollment once again. Please email your advisor to set up a mutually convenient day and time for fall 2026 advising. We would like you to complete this process by the time of your registration appointment. You can find the day and time of your registration appointment at https://registrar.umbc.edu/calendars/registration-appointments/ (scroll down past graduate dates). 

Eligibility is based on the number of credit hours you have earned. The earliest day and time for registration is March 31 at 9:30 am, if you have 130 credits or more; the latest date for most of you will be April 16 at 9:30 am (15 credits).

If your last name begins with letters A-B, your advisor is Dr. Rosenbloom

If your last name begins with letters F-L, your advisor is Dr. Lane

If your last name begins with letters M-R, your advisor is Dr. Kutner

If your last name begins with the letter S, your advisor is Dr. Jones-Lewis

If your last name begins with letters V-Z, your advisor is Prof. Phin