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.

Announcing the Student Picks 2016-17 Winners!

The 2016-17 Student Picks Sweepstakes ended last week, and now we are announcing our six winners! Stay tuned for these student-curated art shows throughout the academic year.
red bucket containing slips of white paper

Leonard Baskin and Barry Moser

SCMA recently acquired 91 works by Barry Moser, a printmaker at Smith professor. Here, Renee Klann discusses the influence of Leonard Baskin on Moser's work.
head of a man with scribbles all over his face and with a sitting bird over his proper right ear

Student Picks Sweepstakes--Through September 24!

Every year, six Smith students get the chance to curate a one-day show at the Museum, using works from our very own Works on Paper collection. No application necessary--just fill out a ballot and you're good to go.
city street, low shot of seated Great Dane wearing sunglasses near two men in short sleeve shirts sitting on stools and talking in front of a store window

Aaron Siskind and Abstract Expressionist Photography

While Kline and other painters were able to create their own composition, Siskind limited himself to what he found. Yet the way he framed his shots emphasized the smaller markings of an ordinary object, lending an entirely new and decidedly expressionist perspective.
close-up of dark wall with spray painted reversed C at center with arrows pointing to it on top and bottom

August Sander

Known for photographing people from all social and economic circles during the interwar period, Sander worked with his sitters to create an original, iconic image of the person. 
man standing with bent knee, raised shoulder, and flexed hand, wearing white pants and no shirt

Alice and Dorothy in Illustration

Moser saw numerous elements of the stories that mirrored each other, primarily the heroines themselves. Both Alice and Dorothy are kind, sensible young girls caught in strange places and trying to find a way home.
close-up of little girl wearing dress with hair flying and bangs in her face; floral pattern embossed onto image and paper

Drawing Dance

Can the auditory be shared visually? Can an expression of motion be rendered in static form?
young woman bending over her foot, which is resting on top of a table, to tie her ballet slipper

The Viewer as Voyeur

Ironically, the strictures that limited the way in which the female body could be shown also offered voyeuristic, titillating opportunities for the (presumably) male artist to exploit for the (presumably) male viewer.
softly rendered seated nude female with dark hair turned away from viewer, proper right arm down and proper left raised

Making Space to Talk Back

The new “Talk Back: Art in Conversation” space features a rotating work of art accompanied by a question, inviting people of all ages to post a response on the adjacent wall.
SCMA guests observing a work of art and reading talk back responses posted on the wall next to it.
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