Exhibition Preview & Reception: LANDLINE

Exhibition Preview & Reception: LANDLINE is a free opening event for a multimedia group exhibition presented by Islam & Print at the University of Maryland Art Gallery. Guest curated by Safiyah Cheatam, the exhibition brings together contemporary Muslim artists whose diasporic identities are informed by memory, language, spirituality, family history, and relationships to the natural world.

Through sculpture, printmaking, textiles, painting, and other media, LANDLINE considers homeland, heritage, belonging, land dispossession, oral traditions, and the ways memory is reimagined across generations. Its title refers both to communication across distance and to the geographic borders that shape identity. The exhibition presents contemporary Islamic art as a living network sustained by place, cultural traditions, spiritual practices, ancestral connections, and care.

When: Tuesday, September 15, 2026.

Showtime: The preview and reception begin at 5:00 p.m.

Tickets: Free.

Venue: UMD Art Gallery, Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building, University of Maryland.

Exhibition: LANDLINE is a multimedia group exhibition featuring work by contemporary Muslim artists exploring diasporic experience, heritage, language, spirituality, family histories, oral traditions, land, and belonging.

Curator: Safiyah Cheatam is the guest curator.

Presented by: The exhibition is co-organized by the University of Maryland Art Gallery and Islam & Print.

Islam & Print: Founded in Baltimore in 2022 by Dan Flounders and Safiyah Cheatam, Islam & Print is a biennial printmaking fellowship that supports emerging visual artists, documents diverse Muslim experiences, builds an archive of prints, and expands access to screen-printing through collaborative opportunities.

Exhibition team: Preparator Korey Richardson led the design and installation, with operational support from Business Manager Jonathan Ogbazghi. Curatorial Assistants Haojian Cheng and Fillipo Grassi also contributed to the exhibition.

Related conference: LANDLINE is presented in conjunction with “From the Balkans to Bengal in Baltimore: Engaging Diasporas, Shaping Publics, and Reimagining Islamic Art in American Museums,” taking place September 24–25, 2026, at the University of Maryland, College Park, and cultural sites throughout Baltimore. The conference is organized by Sarah Slingluff, Peter Wien, and Karin Zitzewitz and hosted by UMD’s Department of Art History and Archaeology.

Support: Major exhibition support comes from the Dorothy and Nicholas Orem Exhibition Fund, with additional support from the Maryland State Arts Council. The exhibition is also presented in association with the College of Arts and Humanities and the University of Maryland’s Arts for All initiative.

Festival: The event is part of NextNOW Fest, The Clarice’s annual multi-day arts festival featuring performances and other arts experiences by artists from across the country and the University of Maryland community. The festival is open to the general public.

Livestream: This event is not livestreamed.

Accessibility: The Clarice offers wheelchair-accessible seating, size-inclusive seating, large-print programs, assisted listening devices, adult and child-friendly sensory packs, and quiet spaces upon request. ASL interpretation, audio description, and captioning are available for select events or by request at least six weeks in advance.

Ages: No age restriction is stated.

Registration: The page provides a “Register for NextNOW Fest” option and an add-to-calendar link.