Current Exhibition

Tahir Hemphill: Rap Research Lab

January 31 – March 18, 2023

Tahir Hemphill on stage at Creative Time Summit The Curriculum NYC 2015 Brooklyn, NYC. Behind the artist is a slide with the words “Rap Research Lab: Student Research” and the subtitle “The 8 Different Types of N-Word by Gabriel Willoughby."
Tahir Hemphill at “Creative Time Summit: The Curriculum,” Boys and Girls High School, Brooklyn, 2015. Image by Ray Llanos/Cristos Katsiaouni, courtesy of Creative Time, 2015.

“Tahir Hemphill: Rap Research Lab” is a showcase of an artist who proudly occupies a space that he describes as the “hybrid area between art, technology, social engagement, and interdisciplinary research.” A technologist, researcher, facilitator, and artist, Hemphill’s experimentation, learning design, and 2021-2023 UMBC faculty fellowship research explore geographies of Hip-hop through a range of visual and material forms.

Between January 31 and March 18, 2023, the Center for Art, Design & Visual Culture (CADVC) will be taken over by an active classroom of UMBC students working with Hemphill to create data visualizations of rap culture and history. CADVC will also be a forum for learning through “Mapper’s Delight,” a middle-school curriculum designed by Hemphill in collaboration with Verizon Innovative Learning. All of these activities will happen in the context of an exhibition of Hemphill’s evolving body of multimedia artwork titled “Maximum Distance. Minimum Displacement,” alongside new works created for this presentation.

“Rap Research Lab” will begin with a “soft” opening on January 31, and run through March 18, 2023. A closing reception will occur on March 16, with details to be announced.

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Visitor Information

Admission is free. The CADVC is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Please visit here for directions and parking information.

COVID-19 Guidelines

UMBC is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and is dedicated to ensuring the health and safety of the university community. For complete information, please visit our COVID-19 website. Please note: Beginning October 3, visitors are recommended to wear a KN-95 mask or equivalent. Visitors may pick up free KN-95 masks at the CADVC desk when entering the gallery.