The Golden Days of Art Attack

Amina Goheer
Concerts Director
seeconcerts@umd.edu

As Art Attack celebrates its last year of youth (next year Art Attack turns the big 3-0), let’s take a quick trip down memory lane. The year was 1984 and Ronald Reagan was still president. His presidency inspired only the greatest things, like the Apple Macintosh and Art Attack (both introduced in the same year). Art Attack I featured Dr. George Ross, KYAG World Premier Music, Stuart Gordon, Improvisations Unlimited and Lithuanian Dance Gabija. If none of those names sound familiar, it’s because Art Attack started out as a small festival centered on student art and design, with a sprinkling of local and student musical acts. From 1984 to 2000 (with the exception of 1989 and 1990), Art Attack took place on McKeldin Mall. As the years passed by and Art Attack received more funding, SEE was able to bring in larger acts. Joan Jett, George Clinton, The Fugees and The Roots all passed through the Mall. 

And then Y2K happened. Art Attack that year was entitled “AAXVII: Everyone on the Mall,” and, boy, did that title come to life. Bloodhound Gang and Outkast performed together, bringing out almost 20,000 students to McKeldin Mall (if you haven’t seen the awesome picture of that crowd, then sneak into the SEE office, fight your way past our aggressive Office Manager and steal a glance at the picture mounted on the wall). Bloodhound Gang’s performance not only brought out droves of spectators, but also packs of protestors who took offense at the group’s sexist and racist lyrics. Four arrests and three hospitals trips convinced campus administrators that Art Attack couldn’t continue on the Mall, where there was no way to properly protect and organize the crowd. As a result, Art Attack was relocated to its new home, Byrd Stadium.  


Since then, Art Attack has featured guest names like Common, Wyclef Jean, All-American Rejects, Nelly, Weezer, Ludacris and this year, B.o.B. Art Attack may no longer be on the Mall but we can still embrace the great University of Maryland pastime. Can't wait to SEE you there. 


Tickets are still available and can be purchased at www.umdtickets.com. 

Find Funding for your Events

Leyla Korkut
Vice President of Finance
seevpfinance@umd.edu

If you’re part of a student group and you want to put on some great events, but don’t really have the funding to do it, here are some ways to beef up your budget. 

SEE Review Board Funding: If you already have one student group co-sponsoring your event, then you can apply for SEE Review Board (SRB) funding.  The SRB helps promote diverse programming and provides financial support to student groups that are interested in putting on events.  Student groups that are interested in getting funds from the SRB simply need to fill out a short application on the Co-Sponsorship page of the SEE website. Applying for SEE Review Board co-sponsorship is easy!  All you need to do is fill out various details about the event such as which venue you’ve reserved, what other groups are co-sponsoring and how much the event is expected to cost.  If you’re not sure how to plan an event, then you can stop by the SEE Office in 0221 Stamp Student Union, pick up an event-planning checklist and talk with one of the SRB representatives about your ideas.  Make sure that you plan in advance!  If you’re applying for SRB funding, you need to do so at least 45 days in advance of your event.

SEE Review Board Emergency Funding:  Suppose your student group was sponsoring an outdoor event and you paid for everything you needed and took care of all of the logistics.  Then suddenly, you find out the day before that it’s going to rain on the day of your event and now you have to move it to another venue. In order to change the venue, you have to pay an additional fee. The only problem is, your group has already exhausted all of its funding on the event and can’t afford the extra expense. What to do? Apply for SEE Review Board Emergency Funding, of course!  

SRB Emergency Funding is an option for student groups that have already received SRB funding and have run into unexpected costs and need financial assistance to keep their event going.  Your student group can apply for up to $1,000 in SRB Emergency Funding.  You must apply at least one week before the event to qualify for funding. The funding is meant to be used as a last resort and for emergencies only. The SRB will generally not cover costs that result from planning within the student group’s control, so make sure that you’re doing your best to plan your event in the most effective way possible. 

Student Groups: Many groups underestimate the power of co-sponsoring with other student groups. By simply joining forces with other groups you can cut down the costs for an event by dividing up responsibilities. For instance, one group can handle venue costs while another group handles talent fees. By sharing the expenses, the event becomes much more affordable.  

University Departments:  If your event may be relevant to a University department, then you should consider them as potential co-sponsors.  In the past, student groups have worked with University departments to put on educational events, lectures, seminars, and concerts.

There are also other funding options for students outside of SEE:

• SGA Group Help Fund
• Campus Green Fund
• Hoff Funding Board
• Pepsi Enhancement Fund

These are just a few ideas to help fund your way to a great event. Good luck and happy hunting!