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.

Eric Avery

The AIDS crisis is a prime example of a historical force that raised crucial issues related to a key civil liberty: the maintenance of public health and access to health care. It is also an issue that mobilized a broad range of activist artists, including Eric Avery. 
grinning skull with missing teeth and AIDS printed below on sheet printed in rose pattern

Low and Slow

As lowrider culture flourished in the 1960s and 1970s, it became more than a shared interest, and grew to encompass a sense of belonging to Mexican-American communities.
Sonic gas station with Christmas tree in background, sedan painted dull orange/gold with swirled designs, young man in jeans and short sleeve shirt squatting down near passenger door and smiling

Reinstall, Revive!

The Museum Reinstallation & Reinterpretation Project is in full swing!
empty art gallery, with wood floors, black cabinets, and two rectangular windows

St. Jerome in his Study

Despite his print’s remarkable similarity to Dürer’s own print, Johan Wierix was not attempting to trick anyone into mistaking his prints for Dürer’s actual work.
man with halo at table writing in a book; figure of crucified Christ on corner of table, hour glass hanging on wall behind man; lion and dog sleeping in front of table; skull on window seat on left side of image

Tolman Collection: Reika Iwami

This spring, SCMA was pleased to receive a gift of 50 prints by 5 different Japanese artists from The Tolman Collection, the largest publisher of contemporary editions in Japan.
dark rectangle with overlapping red netting forming bottom third, and above three overlapping circles, textured gray circle, half circle in wood grain and full circle in white, small gold butterfly shapes above

The Clamorous Owl

Named "The Owl," this piece was the creation of Leonard Baskin, who taught at Smith College between the years of 1953 and 1974.
over life-size owl with wings spread and rough surface finish

Keїta’s Legacy

Building on the rich African tradition of portrait photography, Seydou Keїta worked through the mid to late 20th century documenting Bamako society in Mali at a time of considerable social and political change.
woman seated in front of patterned cloth, head wrapped in scarf, wearing printed dress, earrings, bracelet and ring, hands crossed over one another on her lap, details of cloth, earrings and fingernails hand tinted red

Homage to Quevedo

The Cunningham Center holds one of Cuevas’ literary portfolios, Homage to Quevedo. This suite of prints was inspired by the poetry of Francisco Gómez de Quevedo, a Spanish writer who worked in the seventeenth century.
profile view of man wearing hat and holding small circular object

Death in Stasis

Death was a fact of life during the Victorian era. People coped with loss through the creation of images of the deceased.
profile view of an old man lying on a bed, propped up against pillows

Man's Best Friend

Erwitt’s photographs of dogs often depict them in such a way that they don’t seem to be dogs at all.
city sidewalk, pair of women's feet wearing wedge shoes with ankle strap, small short-haired dog wearing sweater facing camera, city buildings with people in background at left, cars visible at back right

The Poetic Body

After a friend lent Leslie Dill a book of Emily Dickinson's poetry, the artist became fixated on the poet's spare, emotional lines.
dress with short sleeves and long skirt, lithographed heart on bodice front, text on remaining dress, dress mounted on paper

Student Picks: Mother and Child

Given the universality of motherhood, this exhibition explores the theme of “Mother and Child” across time and cultures.
barn door, top half open showing a light bulb shooting light rays over crying women holding a small child overlapping with two horse's heads
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