2026 Miller Lecture in Art with Finnegan Shannon

Learning How to Desire
Conversation to follow with curator Lauren Leving, moderated by Charlotte Feng Ford '83 Curator of Contemporary Art Emma Chubb
Public reception at Smith College Museum of Art

Rooted in SCMA's exhibition of Don't mind if I do, which is expanded to include drawings from architect Phyllis Birkby's archives, artist Finnegan Shannon will give a talk about where fantasy lives in their practice. They'll touch on sensory pleasures, the luxury of options, and the ways that Phyllis Birkby's notion of the "messiness of life" makes fantasies richer and more potent.

Finnegan Shannon (b. 1989, Berkeley, CA) is an artist experimenting with forms of access. They intervene in ableist structures with humor, earnestness, and rage. Some of their recent work includes Alt Text as Poetry, a collaboration with Bojana Coklyat that explores the expressive potential of image description; Do You Want Us Here or Not, a series of benches and cushions designed for exhibition spaces; and Don’t mind if I do, a conveyor-belt-centered exhibition that prioritizes rest and play. They have done projects with MUDAM Luxembourg, the Queens Museum, moCa Cleveland, the High Line, MMK Frankfurt, MCA Denver, and Nook Gallery. Their work has been supported by a Wynn Newhouse Award, an Eyebeam fellowship, a Disability Futures Fellowship, a United States Artists Fellowship, and grants from Art Matters Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts, and the Disability Visibility Project. Their work has been written about in Art in America, BOMB Magazine, the Believer, and Out Magazine. They live and work in Brooklyn, NY.

The Miller Lecture in Art and Art History is an endowed program established by Dr. Michael Miller in memory of his wife, Dulcy Blume Miller, who was a member of the class of 1946. Each year, SCMA invites a distinguished artist, art historian, or curator to deliver a public lecture.

Photo credit of Finnegan Shannon by Marissa Alper

For disability access information, accommodation requests, or to request a sign language interpreter, contact artmuseum@smith.edu. To request a closer seat, please complete this reservation form. Reserve by March 24.

SCMA FRIENDS

Reserved seating is available for current SCMA Friends. Reserve by March 24.