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.

January at SCMA: Museums and Meditation at MacLeish

Anna Ziegler is a senior Art History major and works at the Cunningham Center at SCMA.

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.

STUDENT PICKS: Surreal Reality

These art works represent the artists’ attempts to construct reality in their distinctive flavors and find beauty in the seemingly illogical chaos of the surreal space. They seek to explore the connection and the boundary between reality and illusion.
Two abstracted amphitheaters in black and dark brown set one over the other slightly askew.

STUDENT PICKS: Nearing the Tipping Point

By depicting and critiquing the effects of human activity on the environment, this exhibit present an argument for sustainability and environmental reconciliation.
Image of a distorted landscape: rivers, trees, sky, small houses on a strip of land that slopes downward in a twist.
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