- September 09, 2025
- By Jessica Weiss ’05
Students don headphones and dance to wireless beats at a Silent Disc-Glo. A parked car becomes a collaborative canvas. Crochet circles, dance workshops and high-speed music-making turn campus into a hands-on arts playground.
This year’s NextNOW Fest, a weeklong arts experience kicking off Wednesday, welcomes the University of Maryland community to engage in creativity of all forms. From poetry lounges and student film premieres to gallery exhibitions and indie concerts, some 40 free events will unfold across The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering, the E.A. Fernandez IDEA (Innovate, Design and Engineer for America) Factory, the Adele H. Stamp Student Union, the Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building and beyond.
Presented and produced by The Clarice, NextNOW Fest is a collaborative celebration built in partnership with UMD student groups, academic departments and local and touring artists. It’s also a signature event of the university’s Arts for All initiative.
“There’s live art, music, comedy, workshops; it’s a great way to create memories and find your creative community—whether or not you think you’re ‘artsy,’” said Edna Adissu ’26, a computer science major and one of the students helping to organize this year’s event as an artistic planning fellow. “There’s something for everyone.”
We caught up with some of the folks behind this year’s programming. Here are their can't-miss picks:
Buzz-worthy musical acts
Get ready for two high-energy nights of breakout sounds. This year’s music lineup features the return of redveil, the rising DMV rapper-producer whose soul-soaked beats and sharp lyricism have earned national acclaim. “His music and DIY spirit really reflect the hunger and passion of the DMV creative scene—and of NextNOW itself,” Adissu said. Spencer. brings his genre-blending style from Brooklyn, combining smooth vocals with jazz-infused production, while WMUC Fest returns with student-curated sounds from across the indie spectrum. This year’s lineup features Six Foot Blonde, a Midwest-born soul-pop band known for lush ’90s-inspired hooks, and Flowers for the Dead, a D.C.-based trio offering a fresh take on grunge with wit, heart and distortion pedals.
A film fest for the culture
Come for the red carpet, stay for the storytelling. Catch the premiere of short films by rising local storytellers at the For the Culture Film Festival, presented by the UMD student groups Young Black Creative and Student Success Media. From one-minute shorts to documentaries and comedies, the festival celebrates student voices and bold creativity across genres. “This was something I dreamed about—giving young filmmakers a chance to showcase their work and reach the community,” said organizer Reece Amari Temoney ’26, a communication major and photographer who is part of Young Black Creative. The lineup includes films like “Why I Bring My Camera” by Kedrick Glasper, a documentary exploring identity through the lens of friendship and sport, and “Rule #1” by cinema and media studies and information science double major Jeffrey Beamer ’26, which includes a Nerf gun cowboy showdown.
An evening of poetry and music
Presented in collaboration with Mind Matters, a student organization uplifting the mental health of students of color at UMD, this intimate open mic experience blends poetry, rap and community. Headlined by New Jersey-based hip-hop artist Sol ChYld, the evening will also feature performances by artists girly!, ROSE and Fontana, inviting students and artists into a space of raw, unapologetic expression.
“We’re creating something that feels like a cozy poetry-jazz bookshop: bookshelves, plants, couches, rugs,” said artistic planning fellow Gabrielle Tesheira ’26, a psychology major. “The line between audience and performer blurs. It’s about participation, not just performance.”
A pop-up skate park
Whether you’re ready to drop in or just want to soak up the vibe, an outdoor skate park and market will spotlight local skaters, vendors and creatives, with chances to shop from DMV-based artists and cheer on the action from the sidelines. “This year, skaters and non-skaters can celebrate the culture together by participating, watching or just hanging out,” Adissu said. “It’s beginner-friendly and super inclusive.” Hosted in partnership with UMD’s Skate Club, the event will feature demos, music, zines and plenty of opportunities to get involved—even if it’s your first time on a board.
Galleries galore
UMD’s vibrant art spaces will come alive during NextNOW Fest, with exhibitions across campus exploring themes of memory, identity, protest and care. “It’s an incredible moment to see so many shows open in tandem,” said Megan Pagado Wells, co-director of artistic programming at The Clarice.
At the Driskell Center, works in collage, photography and mixed media reflect the strength and solidarity of Black sisterhood. The Stamp Gallery brings together artists who reinterpret memory through abstraction and reinvention, while in the Clarvit Courtyard, an outdoor video sculpture critiques wellness culture and misinformation with humor and edge. Numerous other galleries—including the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library, the Herman Maril Gallery and the UMD Art Gallery—will also host exhibitions exploring a wide range of themes, from the political power of Cold War-era music to Chinese calligraphy.
Tag the Art Car
Grab a paintbrush and leave your mark at this interactive live art installation, where a real car becomes a collaborative canvas. Led by Baltimore-based graffiti artist and mixed media creator Mike Byson, the Graffiti Art Car invites festivalgoers to paint, draw and express themselves in front of The Clarice. “Graffiti is so often seen as taboo,” said Tyler Clifford, senior artistic planning coordinator at The Clarice. “This gives students a legal, safe and super fun way to engage with the art form.”