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.

landscape with palm trees in the foreground and body of water in the background with light colored sky

Frederic Church 200: Celebrating the Connection between Smith College and Artist Frederic Edwin Church

May 6, 2025

Julia Sumpter ‘27 is a History and Italian Major and Museums Concentrator.

Karl Hubbuch Joins the SCMA Collection

Henriette Kets de Vries Cunningham Center Manager and assistant curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs introduces works from the newly acquired Carol O. Selle drawing collection.

Drawing of young boy next to print version of similar drawing

What Does It Mean to be American?

Kayara Hardnett-Barnes 23' is currently working in the museum as a Student Museum Educator. She is studying Sociology and Film and Media Studies at Smith. Read about her experience creating and installing the interactive exhibit currently in the Talk Back Space.

The artwork, question, and community responses are displayed in the Talk Back Space.

Carol O. Selle '54 (1932-2019)

Meredith Diamond is a junior Computer Science major and currently working as a Cunningham Center intern.

bust-length portrait of a woman in black jacket and pale green shirt leaning on her proper left elbow with her hand behind her head and looking toward the left

Installing the Arts of Africa

Kelly Holbert Exhibition Manager at SCMA takes us through the African art installation process.

two preparators install artwork as another museum professional watches

What Makes Medieval Art Sing?

Hear from guest blogger Cecily Hughes, graduate student intern and MA candidate at UMass Amherst, about her work this past summer at SCMA. Find out what interests her most about Medieval art and how she contributed to an upcoming exhibition featuring some of the works in the collection. In this blog post, Cecily discusses Blessing of Saint or St. John the Evangelist by an unknown French artist.

carved wooden figure standing with left hand raised, right hand holding small cask of beer

Journey on the Ship of Fools: From the Republic to the Butcher’s Bill

Hannah Goeselt ’20 reflects on the history of single leaves from rare books being acquired by museums.

Staff Picks: Dieter Roth's "Small Sunset"

Curator Aprile Gallant discusses a print by Dieter Roth that uses unconventional materials.

round slice of sausage meat with large halo around it, its bottom half covered by translucent aqua blue color

Poems and Prints: On Environmental Activism and Collective Gathering

Indigo Casais ’23 considers collective action in the context of environmental activism.

a woman and child stand in a cornfield by traditional statues, a cross in the foreground

Staff Picks: William Merritt Chase's "View of Fiesole"

A small landscape by the American painter William Merritt Chase in the SCMA collection holds personal resonance for Danielle Carrabino, Curator of Painting and Sculpture.

landscape with trees and green bushes; small buildings appear further away in the background

Staff Picks: Oskar Kokoschka’s “Scottish Landscape with Sheep”

Financial & Systems Coordinator Jess Henry-Cross reflects on Oskar Kokoschka's "Scottish Landscape with Sheep" and the memories of adventurous serenity it brings back for her.

landscape of fields with numerous animals, including pheasant and sheep, rendered with expressive brushstrokes

Staff Picks: Eric Avery’s “Blood Test”

Museum Store Manager Justin Thomas shares his thoughts on Eric Avery’s "Blood Test" and discusses the connections the print exposes between the COVID-19 pandemic and the AIDS crisis.

long vertical muscular arm showing interior veins and arteries, with rubber band tied around elbow

Staff Picks: Wood Gaylor's "Posters"

Jessica Nicoll, Director and Louise Ines Doyle ’34 Chief Curator, shares the history and present-day activity of a painting by Wood Gaylor.

interior with posters depicting nurses and calls to action on easels