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Person in a dress sitting sitting on the edge of a car seat with the door open and lined with red velvet and sitting with a young person

People and Stories

April 10–September 20, 2026

This installation of photographs from SCMA’s collection invites visitors to slow down and imagine the lives unfolding in each image. What each person notices, and what they bring from their own experiences, shapes the story they see. Moving from photograph to photograph, visitors may consider what is happening in the captured moment, which visual clues build a narrative, what lies beyond the frame, and what came before or might follow.

Realistic painting of a young girl with a lamb on the front yard of an older house. Behind the girl is a man and a woman sitting in chairs

Worlds in Process: Art from the SCMA Collection

Ongoing

This project, called Worlds in Process: Art from the SCMA Collection, pilots new strategies for displaying the collection. 

The installation includes artworks from a range of time periods, cultures, materials, and perspectives alongside places to gather and reflect. When a group of museum staff set out to reimagine this floor, we wanted to try some new approaches, which included deepening our understanding of what visitors (especially Smith College students) find most meaningful and welcoming. 

Photo of the Ancient Gallery Installation

The Ancient World Gallery

Ongoing
In 2019, the display of SCMA’s ancient art collection was reimagined to provide a more global view of the ancient world. Previously, this gallery’s scope had been limited to Egyptian, Greek and Roman art. The gallery now includes ancient objects from China, Japan, Korea, Persia and the Americas. Arranged in thematic groupings, these artworks span several millennia and encompass a wide range of media.
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