Maryland Today write-up: From the Walls of UMD to the Halls of Congress
By Jessica Weiss ’05
February 28, 2023
Staff and visitors to the office of U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty meet with more than the former Congressional Black Caucus chair and her staff—they come face to face with African American art that invites them to think, feel and open their minds.
The University of Maryland Art Gallery recently loaned the Ohio Democrat seven works from its permanent collection, including wooden masks, two prints and a photograph, as part of a larger effort by the gallery to expand its reach into the community, said gallery Director Taras Matla.
“Our goal is to allow artworks to be reexamined and appreciated under new contexts and conditions—not just in the traditional museum environment but really anywhere,” he said. “We want to get people excited about looking at art.”
The UMD Art Gallery’s permanent collection comprises some 5,000 prints, drawings, paintings, sculptures and photographs, all used for teaching and study. Since 2015, Matla has overseen a steady increase in both acquisitions and donations, effectively doubling the collection. (The gallery is currently showing “Here and Now,” an exhibition of recent acquisitions.)
The gallery began its lending at Lost Sock Roasters, a coffee shop in Washington, D.C., in 2021. Matla established their relationship in 2018 when he invited the roastery to supply coffee for a monthly “coffee and conversation” pop-up event at the UMD Art Gallery. Years later, the owners approached him with an offer to curate a wall space in their first brick-and-mortar space, and rotate works out two or three times a year. The arrangement has been ongoing since.
“We like art but we’re not experts, so this has allowed us to really elevate that side of the experience,” said Lost Sock co-owner Nicolas Cabrera. “It’s really brought the space together.”