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.
The Artist at Work: Symbolism in Archibald Motley Jr.'s Stunning Self-Portrait
Tiffany Chung: Re-Mapping Memories of the Vietnam War
April 30th, 1975 marked the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War. This blog post by Diem Nguyen ‘25 honors its 48th anniversary and welcomes the beginning of May, AAPI Heritage Month with maps of Vietnamese-American artist Tiffany Chung. Diem Nguyen ‘25 is a sophomore interested in art history. She currently works with Yao Wu, Jane Chace Carroll Curator of Asian Art, as an Asian Art Curatorial Assistant.
Ekphrastic Explorations: Tryon Prize Winners (2022) Katie Rebhun ‘24 and Aidan Wright ‘22 respond to collection works by Edwin Romanzo Elmer
Nina Peláez, Associate Director of Learning and Interpretation, with words and work by Katie Rebhun ‘24 and Aidan Wright ‘22
Goya On Display: First Visit to the New Cunningham Center
Josie Wong '26 discusses her visitor experience to view Goya's Los Caprichos collection. She is currently a Student Assistant at the Cunningham Center for Works on Paper at the SCMA.
During my first week of working at the Cunningham Center, I was tasked to create new labels for the storage boxes. As I typed up each label into InDesign, I couldn’t help but notice how many cases were labeled ‘Goya Los Caprichos’. I labeled the boxes, finished my shift of the day, and headed to class.
Exploring Asian Presence at Smith and in the US: an Interactive Website
Diem Nguyen ‘25 is a sophomore interested in art history. She currently works with Yao Wu, Jane Chace Carroll Curator of Asian Art, as an Asian Art Curatorial Assistant. Here, she describes her experience researching and designing an educational website inspired by the film China Town.
The Faces We Wear
Meredith Diamond '23 is a Computer Science major and East Asian Studies minor. She has been working for the Cunningham Center for two years now. Join her as she delves deeper into a self-portrait that caught her interest.
How do you present yourself? When you get dressed in the morning, how do you hope to be perceived? What parts of yourself do you share on social media?
How Would You Translate It?
Alicia Argueta ‘23 is a Sociology major with a Latinx American Studies minor. She is currently serving as one of the Co-Chair of Smith’s Latin American Students Organization (LASO). Her interests range from educational justice, community engagement, and climate change to art activism. In her free time you can catch Alicia watching Korean Dramas!
Studies in Museums J-term ‘23 Course: Provenance as a Key Issue
Mackenzie Peloquin ‘23 is a senior Art History major, Government minor, and Museums Concentrator. Mackenzie has completed curatorial internships at the Maine Historical Society in Portland, ME, the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, MA, and Historic Deerfield in Deerfield, MA.
Class Visit to MFA Boston: Exhibiting Asian Arts
Felicia Jiang 24’ is a history major and a philosophy minor. She studies Japanese and Russian and is interested in the history of cross-cultural communications.
Who is Sitting in "Ancestral Spirit Chair"?
Grounded: Experiencing the Work of Younes Rahmoun at Smith and Abroad
Lorenzo di Credi's "Portinari Tondo": A Painting for a Medici Banker
Danielle Carrabino, Curator of Painting and Sculpture, highlights a recently acquired Italian Renaissance painting.