SCMAinsider

SCMAinsider offers dynamic perspectives on the diverse collections and visions that shape the
Smith College Museum of Art.

We welcome contributions from all members of our community and seek to cultivate a range of
voices and experiences. If you want to contribute to the blog, please contact us at scmacuratorial@smith.edu.

Olivia wearing a denim jacket with a bright pink background and framed with flowers.

Summer Curatorial Research Intern: Olivia White ’20 (UMass MA ’25)

As a master’s student in the History of Art & Architecture Department at the University of

Welcome, Shanice!

Meet Shanice Bailey '17J, a recent Smith graduate and the new Brown Post-Baccalaureate Curatorial Fellow at SCMA!
close-up of African American child in light dress with puffy sleeves standing next to a table with a lace doily on it and holding an old celluloid telephone to her ear; along the bottom, cursive text reads, "half learned"

On View: The Hilary Tolman, class of 1987, Collection of Twentieth-Century Japanese Prints

In honor of the thirtieth reunion of the class of 1987, selections from The Hilary Tolman Collection--a landmark gift of Japanese prints from the 1950s to the present day--are currently on view in the Christ Gallery. Featuring works. from thirty different artists, this exhibition spans a wide variety of styles and subject matter within the realm of Japanese printmaking. 
abstract, rectangles and squares, lower left rectangle black and white, to its right a red center darkening towards the square edges, over them a mottled leaf gold rectangle, at the upper right a mottled white rectangle and below it a gold leaf triangle

The Modern Machine

Charles Sheeler’s paintings and photographs of machinery were quintessential depictions of the American industrial age. Though they span a variety of time periods, the selected photographs in this cabinet—one of which is by Sheeler—capture a fascination with the aesthetics of power.
close-up of side of locomotive engine showing large wheel at left, horizontal piping, engine sections including a large box-like structure at right with steam visible underneath, section of track runs across bottom image, top image is in deep shadow

New York's Most Famous Unknown Artist

Two collages by “New York’s most famous unknown artist,” Ray Johnson, have recently arrived at SCMA as part of a promised gift. These are the first works by Johnson in the Five Colleges.
Circular shape of white dogs, some of which are partially outlined or completely eclipsed by black, on an off-white background.

STUDENT PICKS: Let Them In

We see Asia being represented by the West. But how do contemporary Asian artists depict themselves and their community?
Widely grinning figure in bathing trunks sitting wide-legged on a grassy mound, low hills in background at mid-right, grey sky.

The Many Faces of the Grotesque

What comes to mind when you hear the word grotesque? Monsters? Caricatures? The grotesque is a broad and continuously evolving category that helps people grapple with unnatural or repulsive things.
central image of interior of large stone buildings with seated man holding an infant, seated child and standing man gesturing toward the seated man, framed with scrolls and grotesque borders

STUDENT PICKS: Not Your Forte? Exploring Depictions of Music

Spanning Europe, Iran, the U.S, Asia, and Latin America, this show includes literal representations of music, such as prints and photographs of people playing instruments, posters advertising for musical events in the ‘60s, and a 15th century Italian manuscript page with bars of music.
black and white image of woman playing a cello shaped like a bomb in front of a white wall with a video monitor to her right

Edvard Munch in Prints

As Munch said of his work, “I paint not what I see but what I saw.” His artwork became a direct outlet for suppressed emotions and anxiety.
woman with straight dark hair tied behind head, parted at center, wearing dark square necked dress with beld standing with hands behind back and feet together on wood floor near wall wiht door visible at her proper right

STUDENT PICKS: The Candid Effect

How are women photographed in public spaces? These photographs cause us to question whether the subjects knew their photograph was being taken and whether they wanted it to be taken and displayed.
A black and white photo of an older woman in formal dress including a short net veil.

The Mystery of Paul Cordes

Despite our significant collection of his work, we have very little information about Paul Cordes' personal life. It seems that the only thing that survives of him is his work.
Photo portrait of a young white boy. His head is turned down but he looks up at the camera. A shadow crosses his face.
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