--- title: "NextNOW Fest 2024: Handpicked Highlights From Curators" date: 2024-09-03T05:30:00-04:00 author: University of Maryland canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/nextnow-fest-2024-handpicked-highlights-from-curators" section: Articles --- # NextNOW Fest 2024: Handpicked Highlights From Curators *September 3, 2024* — by [Jessica Weiss ’05](/author/jessica-weiss-05) > Arts Extravaganza to Feature Nearly 70 Activities, Performances, Exhibitions *DSC 7629 1920x1080 — NextNOW Fest, which celebrates imagination, creativity and community at venues across campus, runs Sept. 4-10.* A Mario Kart competition set to live orchestral music. An immersive, “meditative” light display. And workshops and classes from screenprinting to salsa dancing. This year’s [NextNOW Fest](https://theclarice.umd.edu/nnf), a weeklong arts experience kicking off Wednesday, welcomes the University of Maryland community back to campus to enjoy the arts in a range of ways. Presented and produced by The Clarice, NextNOW Fest stems from partnerships with UMD student-led groups, academic departments, and local and touring artists and is a signature event of the [Arts for All](http://arts.umd.edu/) initiative. Nearly 70 free performances, art installations and activities will be held across campus, including at The Clarice, the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering, the Stamp Student Union, Tawes Plaza and the Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building. We caught up with some of the students, staff and faculty who’ve been planning this year’s event. Here are their can't-miss picks: **Silent Disc-Glo and Q&A with actress Liz Gillies** *students dancing in the dark* Student Entertainment Events (SEE) offers the long-running festival favorite "[Silent Disc-Glo](https://theclarice.umd.edu/events/2024/nextnow-fest-silent-disc-glo)," a type of dance party where participants listen to music through wireless headphones instead of speakers. This year, SEE expands its offerings to include a Q&A event that Tyler Clifford, senior artistic planning coordinator at The Clarice, said is sure to be another NextNOW highlight. [Elizabeth “Liz” Gillies](https://theclarice.umd.edu/events/2024/nextnow-fest-an-evening-with-elizabeth-gillies), an actress and singer known for roles in TV shows like Nickelodeon’s “Victorious” and CW’s “Dynasty,” will share insights from her career and answer audience questions. **Galleries galore** UMD boasts a number of vibrant art galleries, and Megan Pagado Wells, co-director of artistic programming at The Clarice, said she’s thrilled that multiple exhibitions will be opening and on view during NextNOW. They include painter Dewey Crumpler’s study of shipping containers and tulips as objects central to the story of capitalism and the global transport of goods at the [Driskell Center](https://theclarice.umd.edu/events/2024/nextnow-fest-exhibition-opening-for-dewey-crumpler-life-studies); Hana Ward’s painting, ceramics and printmaking delving into themes of personal, spiritual and environmental rejuvenation at the [UMD Art Gallery](https://theclarice.umd.edu/events/2024/nextnow-fest-exhibition-preview-reception-for-up-close-hana-ward); and multiple artists using mediums including animation, augmented reality, video and photography to reinterpret and understand the physical environment at the [Stamp Gallery](https://theclarice.umd.edu/events/2024/nextnow-fest-opening-reception-the-digital-landscape). Also at the UMD Art Gallery, the [Faculty Exhibition 2024](https://theclarice.umd.edu/events/2024/nextnow-fest-exhibition-preview-reception-for-faculty-exhibition-2024) includes works that span painting, sculpture, digital and print media, graphic design and installation by nearly all faculty members from the Department of Art. Students can “see the creative research made by our faculty firsthand … and faculty can interface directly with the university community about their own research practices,” said Associate Professor and Department of Art Chair Brandon Morse. “Our faculty frequently exhibit their artworks, but not often in the immediate College Park area.” *project white images* *students take pictures of strung lights* The “[Submergence](https://theclarice.umd.edu/events/2024/nextnow-fest-submergence-by-squidsoup)” installation by the U.K.-based collective Squidsoup immerses audiences in a mesmerizing display of thousands of suspended lights, creating a powerful sense of presence and movement within the physical space. “It’s ethereal and meditative … visually stunning,” said Pagado Wells, “and it totally transforms The Clarice's Grand Pavilion.” The 12-minute piece will run 10 times over two days. **WMUC Fest** Calling all indie and alternative music lovers: The university’s student-run non-commercial radio station will celebrate its third annual WMUC Fest at the NextNOW Main Stage. Local band [God Forgive This Dog](https://theclarice.umd.edu/events/2024/nextnow-fest-wmuc-fest-god-forgive-this-dog) kicks off the evening, followed by [They Are Gutting a Body of Water](https://theclarice.umd.edu/events/2024/nextnow-fest-wmuc-fest-they-are-gutting-a-body-of-water) and [feeble little horse](https://theclarice.umd.edu/events/2024/nextnow-fest-wmuc-fest-feeble-little-horse), hailing from Philly and Pittsburgh, respectively. Olivia Mezzullo ’25, a government and politics major who is one of three students on the curating committee of NextNOW Fest, said she’s excited to help bring such a diverse range of music to this year’s event and to spotlight up-and-coming artists. *Dreamer Isioma* **Topics:** [Arts & Culture](https://today.umd.edu/tags/arts-culture) **Tags:** [Arts and Culture](https://today.umd.edu/topic/arts-and-culture), [Arts](https://today.umd.edu/topic/arts) **Units:** [Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center](https://today.umd.edu/topic/clarice-smith-performing-arts-center), [College of Arts and Humanities](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-arts-and-humanities)