ABOUT THE EVENT

Photon Motion is an ongoing series of abstract photographic video loops. To create these moving images, Alyson Denny experiments with ways to bend light and mix its colors, and then mines the resulting photonic material for captivating and beguiling imagery. These works are made to spark each person's imagination in a different way. Whether you see rainbow-infused abstract paintings, or outer-space adventures, or mysterious creatures dancing on the wall, come together to discover where these moving abstractions take you.

Artist Alyson Denny makes abstract photographic images. Since 2008 she has been a performing member of the famed Joshua Light Show, which got its start in the 1960s and was reformed in the 2000s with a mix of cutting-edge technology and their classic liquid light. She has performed abstract visuals with an eclectic group of musicians including Terry Riley, Lou Reed, John Zorn, MGMT, and Oneohtrix Point Never. She is currently on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts, NYC, where she teaches a course called Light Lab.

Alyson Denny is the daughter of longtime UMD Professor of Art History Don Denny (1926-2023), who is remembered for his scholarship in Medieval and Modern art history, his commitment to teaching, and his dry sense of humor. In 2022, the Dr. Lawrence Spielberger and Dr. Greta Spanierman Family Foundation was inspired to establish the Professor Don Denny Endowed Graduate Research Award in Art History at the University of Maryland to honor his legacy.

This event is co-sponsored by the UMD Department of Art and UMD Department of Art History and Archaeology.

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ABOUT NEXTNOW FEST

Started in 2014, Clarice Presents’ annual NextNOW Fest is an inspiring arts experience that celebrates imagination, creativity and community. In addition to the core festival nights at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, we’re thrilled to continue partnerships with student-led groups, academic departments and university-based arts venues to hold festival events throughout campus.

NextNOW Fest is a signature event in University of Maryland's Arts for All initiative, which leverages the combined power of the arts, technology and social justice to address the grand challenges of our time.

FUNDING

NextNOW Fest is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council and The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Additional support is provided by Terps After Dark and the University of Maryland's Arts for All initiative. NextNOW Fest's Silent Disc-Glo event is supported by UMD's Student Entertainment Events; and the Vital Signs Mini-Grants Showcase is supported by the Venable Foundation and Pepsi.