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ARTS & UMA
The arts have always been integral to the work of UMA and previously MATV. Its indirect and direct involvement with artists and the arts have evolved through the years. It continues to engage with the arts community, providing a gallery and reception opportunity to local artists, encouraging creative use of media as a tool and platform for artistic expression, serving as a hub for arts-related initiatives and discussion, and of course providing media services and training or media coverage for artists and art events.
Here below is a list of past and ongoing initiatives involving the arts.
Gallery UMA offers local artists the opportunity to showcase their artwork on the walls of UMA or online. Each exhibition includes a reception. More recently, these receptions have been referred to as Art Salons and incorporate varied arts disciplines and forms of media to amplify the arwork and community discussion.
UMA organized an arts and culture summit for the arts community of Malden. This event featured Watertown Treasurer, who spoke about the Watertown art center; several performances; breakout discussion sessions; and a chance to network.
In partnership with the city of Malden and Malden Redevelopment Authority, UMA hosted a reception that featured talks by local developers and city leaders on the importance of the arts to stimulate the local economy.
UMA helped organize an Arts Matter Day in Malden during 2018 and then in 2019 #artsmatterdaymalden. This gathering took place in downtown Malden and allowed several local groups and businesses to work together to highlight local artists and celebrate the power of Arts. Among many activities, local artist Minghuang Zhang sketched portraits, here seen sketching Shikha Vyas.
Arts and Minds Virtual Salon
During Covid, UMA helped organize a virtual salon using Streamyard. This event that had a theme about how one weathers hard times, featured three local artists: Natalja Sticco, Jason M. Rubin, and karen Krolak. It was an attempt to gather artists even during the Covid restrictions.
Celebrating Artists
In service to Creative Malden, a local arts nonprofit, UMA produced a series of videos that feature local artists and their story.