Celebrating 20 Years of The Mosaic

The i3b team is so excited to invite you to join us as we celebrate 20 Years of The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity. While The Mosaic officially celebrates 20 Years on February 2, 2024, we will be celebrating with events and programs throughout the Spring 2024 semester! 

In the last 20 years, the UMBC community has seen great growth with many moments of celebration demonstrating the true bloom of our learning, passion, and commitment to cultural awareness and diversity. The Mosaic has been a proud partner in this journey. 

Throughout the spring semester, we will be highlighting the past, present, and future of The Mosaic through events, interactive programs, social media and on-campus exhibits. See below for our February 2024 events including our kick-off to the Spring semester. Continue to check myUMBC for coming updates and information regarding The Mosaic 20th events.

February 2024 Mosaic 20th Events

Mosaic 20th Welcome Back Open House 

Wednesday, January 31, 2024 | 12pm - 4pm 

The Mosaic, The Commons 2B23 

Join us as we celebrate the start of the spring semester and the official unveiling of the new Mosaic icon! You may have seen the new icon in the Fall 2023 semester. We are excited to share our inspiration and symbolism for the lotus, our Mosaic 20th theme, and connect with community members post-winter break. 

Mosaic 20th Anniversary Celebration 

Monday, February 5, 2024 | 6pm - 7:30pm 

The Skylight Lounge, The Commons 

We invite you to join us for this evening celebration to honor and express our gratitude for the students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community partners who have supported The Mosaic for the last 20 years. We extend our appreciation to all who have been instrumental in creating an environment of cross-cultural education, celebration, awareness, and collaboration. This event is open to all. Please follow this link to RSVP. Hors-d’oeuvres, desserts, and light refreshments will be served. We look forward to celebrating 20 Years of The Mosaic together! Please see our myUMBC events post for more information. 

Black Excellence Summit 

Saturday, February 10, 2024 | 9am - 3:30pm 

The Skylight Lounge, The Commons 

The UMBC Black Excellence Summit celebrates the richness of diversity and embraces the essence of unity. The Black Excellence Summit aims to foster an inclusive space where the brilliance of Black identity flourishes, empowering individuals to find the delicate balance between excellence and notoriety. Through profound discussions, inspiring narratives, and transformative experiences, we explore the complexities of Being, Empowering, and Thriving in the context of the Black experience. To learn more about the Black Excellence Summit, please follow this link to find registration information, more about the mission, and committee information. 

We Bloom as We Grow: Mosaic 20th Lotus Art Piece 

In honor of and as a callback to The Mosaic 15 celebration, join us in this collaborative community art piece commemorating the 20 Years of The Mosaic. We invite all of our UMBC community to take part in this event by decorating and placing a lotus in our "pond", a decorative frame. Each lotus represents our students, faculty, staff, and community members that make up our culturally diverse community. This will be an ongoing event throughout the Spring 2024 semester, please look for our upcoming dates to participate!

History and Mission of The Mosaic

Originally named UMBC's Multicultural Center which opened on February 2, 2004, The Mosaic is dedicated to creating an environment that supports cross-cultural education and collaboration at UMBC. This space was created out of the work of students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community partners who saw the need for a student-centered space for cultural learning and identity development after the disbandment of The Office of Multicultural Affairs. The Mosaic's commitment is to empower all UMBC to be culturally conscious and informed members of our community. Serving as a lounge, office space, and programming space, The Mosaic is rarely empty! Guest frequently have discussions about their hot topics in pop culture, media, or sharing their personal experiences. Opportunities to attend programs in our space such as Mixed Up: The Multiracial/Cultural Series, The Multicultural Leadership Experience (MLE), our So You Want to Be an Ally Series, and our soon to launch peer mentoring program, LOTUS (Leading Others to Thriving and Ultimate Success) allow all in attendance to gather, build community, share knowledge, and learn more about themselves and others. A safe and inclusive space for all UMBC community members of all backgrounds, The Mosaic strives to develop innovative programs and initiatives that celebrate cultural diversity, equality, and social justice. This space is open and staffed year-round. The Mosaic is reservable upon request after hours of operations.

Continue to check The Mosaic’s myUMBC page for more information about the 20 Years of The Mosaic events and programs.