upcoming
The BCaT Lab hosts several events each semester, alongside open lab hours between 10am - 3pm from Tuesday to Thursday. If you’re interested in being active with BCaT, explore what events we’re hosting below or subscribe to our Google Calendar to be the first to know what we’re planning each month.
TRYING TO JOIN an event?
For all the events that use Zoom, we use the same link. To join an event, click below.
BCaT Calendar
Want to learn more about an event? Click the calendar to see details about each event for that day!
BCaT Event: Collaborative Mural Project
Drop into the lab between 1st - 4th December at any time between 10-5pm to contribute to BCaT lab’s collaborative mural!
You’ll be painting alongside our artist-in-residence for the week as we create a full-wall mural commemorating the Black Homeplaces project.
We’ll have a variety of paints and canvases set up for painting individually or in groups, and we hope you will join us in making our lab a home!
Skinner 3115 (3rd Floor, first door on the right, to the right of the Stairs & Elevator.)
Reach out at bcat@umd.edu with any questions/comments/concerns.
BCaT Eats
Join us at 1pm EST in Skinner 3115 for a special BCaT Eats event, directly before our ‘Art and the Archive’ panel. Nourish yourself as you prepare for the finals sprint, and we encourage you to join us for some painting before you make your plate!
Art and The Archive
Join us at the BCaT Lab for an in-conversation about Black art in the diaspora, individual and collective identity, and radical archiving!
Art and the Archive
Whether you're an art enthusiast or a history buff, this event is perfect for you.
Join us at the BCaT Lab in Skinner 3115 for an in-conversation between artists and archivists Amber Robles-Gordon, keondra bills-freemyn and Maïa Walcott. The session will explore artistic practice as/and archival methods, the role of Black art in filling archival silences, and explore themes of personal vs. collective Black diasporic experience.
Lunch will be served in the lab from 1pm, with the panel from 2-3pm.
This is a hybrid event - to join us on Zoom, please register here.
We also have an Eventbrite registration link here.
Drop into the lab between 10-5pm any day between 1st - 4th December to participate in our collaborative mural project!
Panelists Include:
keondra bills freemyn, Maïa Walcott and Amber Robles-Gordon.
Automating Black Joy Microgrant Applications Due Date
Automating Black Joy Microgrant Application submissions are due today, November 12th, by Midnight ET.
You can find the Automating Black Joy Microgrant Application here!
DISCO Network: Voices in Protest - Diaspora Wars and Going 50/50: Sowing Disunity in Black Communities Through Digital Propaganda
This panel brings together Black feminist scholars, writers, and public intellectuals to examine how and why debates about gender, sexuality, and nationality consistently emerge as top topics on social media platforms within Black discursive communities. How do algorithms and influencer culture contribute to sowing discontent and misinformation among Black social media users? We consider the social and political implications, who ultimately benefits from these conversations, and how we can make different choices around our own engagement and participation.
This is a hybrid event that will take place on Thursday, November 6 at 4 - 5:30 PM ET. You can attend in-person at the University of Michigan campus or on Zoom.
Register to attend via Zoom Here: https://myumi.ch/jJrrz
We hope to see you there!
BCaT Applies: 'Making the Most of your Conference'
Join us at the BCaT Lab to learn how to maximise the benefits of academic conferences! This event is open to all students, and particularly those seeking guidence at the start of their experience with academic conferences.
We will discuss selecting and applying for conferences, preparing for an academic conference presentation, what to expect, and how to network.
Join us in Skinner 3115 or register to join via Zoom Here!
BCaT Learns: Black Digital Humanities Projects
Join us at the BCaT Lab to discuss exemplary digital humanities projects from around the world, as we define Black Digital Humanities and consider what these interdisciplinary projects can offer to teaching, research, and accessibility of outputs. Lunch will be provided, and feel free to bring any projects you have been involved with or are interested in to the discussion!
Join us in Skinner 3115, or register to join via Zoom here!
Automating Black Joy: Meetup & Application Session
This session will be an opportunity to touch base with other members of the Automating Black Joy collab ahead of the application deadline! This will be a chance to ask questions about the application process, discuss any ideas you may have, or connect with other interested folks!
Join us in Skinner 3115, or register to join via Zoom here!
Lab Stream: Finding The Right Publisher For Your First Book
This stream is part of the Ideas on Fire First Book Publishing Series, and will be played in the BCaT Lab from 12:00noon - 1pm. Learn how to research scholarly presses, identify good fits for your first book, and craft targeted pitches based on what publishers are currently seeking.
Publishing your first book is an exciting accomplishment for any scholar. But there’s a lot to navigate before you get to see your book on the shelves and on syllabi.Join Ideas on Fire and acquisitions editors from leading US scholarly presses for a free webinar series that guides you through critical stages of the academic publishing journey for first books.
Join us in Skinner 3115, or register to join via Zoom here.
Automating Black Joy: Meet & Greet / Sandbox Session
This Sandbox Meet & Greet Session is an opportunity for everyone interested in applying for the Automating Black Joy collaborative project to share their ideas and skills, as well as form teams to work together on a project. The Sandbox Session will be held from 10am - 12noon EST, in Skinner 3115.