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.
Outside the Box: Frames to Focus on During Your Next SCMA Visit
Kay Horak ‘24 is a self-designed Art Conservation Major with a Mathematical Sciences Minor and Museums Concentration.
On Display: Cultural Cannibalism
Historically, the acquisition of ancient art and artifacts has been problematic.
Xu Wenhua 徐文华
Recently, I became drawn to an artist named Xu Wenhua, whose prints are bright and reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution’s propaganda posters but possess a somewhat somber aura.
The Photographic Imaginary
What was Tappan’s interest in India and why might she have collected photographs of a country she never visited?
Allegory
A picture may seem to be about one particular subject, but when an allegorical detail is made clear, the whole meaning can change or be enhanced.
Art from Cape Dorset
The Cape Dorset printing workshop emerged from an unusual seed: a pack of cigarettes.
Paris
This was a city alive – everyone was going somewhere, doing something. Paris was the first city I fell in love with.
Student Picks: ALWAYS CONTAINER, SOMETIMES CONTAINED
Always Container, Sometimes Contained attempts to celebrate “the box” as an art piece, a stimulating and intriguing ode to something often thought of as a simple "container."
Guerrilla Girls and the Art of Sarcasm
The Guerrilla Girls are bringing attention to very serious issues in concise, daring posters.
Silverpoint: Metal on Paper
The history of the graphite pencil stretches back to the mid-16th century in Europe.
Student Picks: BREAKING WAVES - Exploring Water in Black-and-White Photographs
Water has always fascinated artists but the invention of photography expanded the ways in which water could be portrayed.
Arise Ye Dead
Ann Parker and Avon Neal captured dozens of these unique gravestones from all around New England through stone rubbings.
Early Acquisitions of Photography
The Smith College Museum of Art began to acquire photographs in the 1930s under the directorship of Jere Abbott.