Paper + New People
Maggie Kurkoski is a member of the Smith College class of 2012 and the new Brown Post-Baccalaureate Curatorial Fellow in the Cunningham Center.
Big news for the Cunningham Center: Julie Warchol, our 2012-2013 Curatorial Fellow, has started her M.A. in Modern Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago!
Julie was a fixture at the Cunningham Center for over two years, first as a student at the 2011 Summer Institute for Art Museum Studies and later on as a curatorial volunteer. Her blog posts have been insightful and illuminating, touching on works by artists such as Vija Celmins, Ana Mendieta and, most recently, the photographer Garry Winogrand. Don't be surprised if you see more posts from her in the future here on Paper+People.
(Be sure to stop by the museum and see Julie's exhibition, Eye on the Street: Trends in 1960s and 1970s photography, before it closes in October!)
As the new Curatorial Fellow, I'll be taking on Julie's role at the Smith College Museum of Art. This year isn’t my first time working in Northampton, or even on campus: I’m a Smithie! While I was a student here, I gave tours to visitors of all ages as a Student Museum Educator (SME), participated in the Museums Concentration program and spent many, many late nights in Neilson Library. I was even an early Student Picks lottery winner. In 2012, I graduated with a degree in the Classics and a deep appreciation for the Smith community.
A picture of me in Hatay, Turkey outside the Tunnel of Titus
Soon after graduation, I moved to the city of Antalya on the south-west coast of Turkey. For ten months my job was teaching English to a group of veryenergetic teenagers who kept me running around the classroom. Together, we discussed many topics, but some of our richest conversations were about art. They spoke about what art they treasured, its power as a medium to spread messages, and even debated that slippery question, "What is art?" One piece of art would become the starting point for conversation about anything from current events to fashion. Our classroom discussions cemented my belief in art's power to forge deep connection between people and between ideas, and I want to continue connecting others to art that speaks to them.
Now, I’m back in the Pioneer Valley, and excited to share the incredible array of Prints, Drawings and Photographs in the Cunningham Center with you!