![Cover of journal features painting of “tulip flowers with [a] watercolor technique.”](/elm-stories/Elm-Stories-Content/1807-Issue-2-Cover.jpg)
The second edition of the UMB Council for the Arts & Culture’s stylish art and literary journal went to print in July and is available for purchase.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Council for the Arts & Culture is pleased to announce that the second edition of 1807: An Art & Literary Journal, went to print in July.
It was a meaningful accomplishment in a challenging time given the trials of COVID-19, teleworking, and trying to achieve balance in a topsy-turvy world.
As Jennifer Litchman, MA, senior vice president for external relations, special assistant to the president, founder and chair, Council for the Arts & Culture, and 1807 editor-in-chief, says, “We need art now more than ever. The first half of 2020 has been an unprecedented time for all of us.”
And 1807 doesn’t disappoint. The council’s appreciation for art and our artists allowed UMB to transcend these obstacles and resulted in a beautiful anthology of artwork that speaks to the council’s goal of creating a collection of previously unpublished works that broadly and creatively relate to our themes of social justice, health, healing, the mind, and the body.
The cover features a beautiful painting by Fahimeh Razian, a student in the dental hygiene program at the School of Dentistry. She graduated from the Institute of Visual Arts in Iran and was an art teacher for 10 years. Razian describes her painting as “tulip flowers with [a] watercolor technique.”
Dana Rampolla, creative director and managing editor of the journal, describes the awareness you have as you open the cover: It has a sensual, soft-touch finish with an embossed title that features a clear foil overlay. The smell is reminiscent of a childhood art room. And the interior pages have a silky, smooth feel as you gently turn them.
“My goal is to make the journal itself part of the art,” Rampolla says. “From the layout to the printed product, I want the reader to relish each turn of the page as a tactile and visual experience while finding tranquility enjoying the creativity of our UMB community.”
A photograph of the Acadia coastline. An illustration of the pituitary gland. An oil painting on canvas of a tree trunk. A clay pot with an embedded zipper. The journal features beautiful paintings, photography, images of varied and visual art, and writings.
The art takes us to the beach; rock formations in Mexico; gardens in Oregon; a cliff over Svínafellsjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull (the largest icecap in Europe); Manitoba, Canada; Barcelona, Spain; and beyond.
Likewise, the artists used a variety of tools and materials to create their art — color-coated copper wire, clay, beads, a camera, paint, pastels, glass, pen and paper ... even lab objects and kitchen utensils.
“As the late civil rights activist and U.S. Rep. John Lewis said, ‘Art can take you to another place .. and the pieces said we could dream dreams and be a better people,’ ” Litchman said. “Let’s enjoy the extraordinary art on these pages that the faculty, staff, students, alumni, Medical Center employees, and West Baltimore neighbors have created for us to enjoy and to help us dream our dreams and become better people.”
You can see the journal, download a PDF, and find out how to buy a copy at the link below.