By Niamh Gray

A diverse group of students, faculty and visitors gathered in the Gallery inside the Adele H. Stamp Student Union Friday for a special noon tour showcasing contemporary art pieces selected through the University of Maryland’s Contemporary Art Purchasing Program (CAPP).

The tour is a monthly event that offers an in-depth look at some of the 70 contemporary works displayed inside Stamp, which students involved in the program handpicked. 

Tara Youngborg, manager of the Stamp Gallery and advisor for the CAPP program, spoke about the significance of the tour and its unique location.

“We get a ton of people who are coming through this building every day to get lunch or to go to a meeting… they’re not expecting to find art,” Youngborg said. “There’s this really wonderful moment where you can kind of, like, find yourself captivated by something that’s really kind of lovely or magical or enriching to your life.”

Youngborg explained that the monthly tour is a great way for her to dive deeper into certain contemporary pieces, which can lead to individuals gaining more insight into the art around them. 

She also discussed the importance of the student-led selection process for the collection.

“Here’s also this identity in the contemporary art collection, where students are saying, ‘This is what we think is important, and this is what we think other students should be thinking about and talking about,’” Youngborg said.

Established in 2005, the program offers five or six students every other year the opportunity to explore the contemporary art world through weekly meetings, studio visits and discussions about potential acquisitions for the university’s collection. Students evaluate and select works based on what they deem important and relevant at that moment in time. 

At the end of the academic year, the students present their proposed collection to a panel of curators, collectors and artists, who make the final decisions on the pieces to be acquired. These selected works are then purchased by the university and added to the collection displayed at Stamp.

Grace Orellana, a senior immersive media design major and member of CAPP, highlighted the program’s focus on diversity and community engagement.

“Our CAPP group has been sort of prioritizing getting and looking at art from people who aren’t usually given a platform,” Orellana said. “We’ve been looking at art that sort of is representative of people here at UMD and within the community.”

She also expressed the importance of selecting art that resonates with a wide range of students. For Orellana, the program promotes the role of art in processing emotions, self-expression and empowering communities.

Orellana advocated for greater engagement with the collection, suggesting interactive activities such as a scavenger hunt related to the CAPP collection to increase visibility.

“I think tours are a great start, but I also think if people were a little bit more present within Stamp, they could find all of these cool pieces of art,” Orellana said. “It’s easy to keep your head down and sort of brush past the art in Stamp. It’s a very transitional point on campus.”

Zoe Fagnani, a sophomore environmental science and technology major, echoed some of Orellana’s opinions. Despite being familiar with the building, they had never truly noticed the artwork.

Fagnani, an artist themself, expressed appreciation for the student-driven curation of the collection, noting how it fosters a deeper connection between students and the art displayed at the university. They also showed gratitude towards the University of Maryland for supporting such an initiative. 

“It’s representative of the student body,” Fagnani said. “It’s nice to see pieces picked by students about issues that students are passionate about. It’s also really comforting to see the university allocating money toward art that supports their community and student body.” For more information about the CAPP and upcoming tours, visit Stamp Gallery.

Featured image by Niamh Gray, Nov. 15, 2024