Silken Threads: A Journey Through Local History with a Student Museum Educator

As part of a new curriculum focused on local histories of silk in Northampton and Florence, fifth graders from the Campus School of Smith College took field trips to the Smith College Museum of Art (SCMA) and Historic Northampton to see examples of silk in art and historical garments. In collaboration with Campus School teachers Paul Matylas and Lisa Echevarria,  SCMA's Educator for School and Family Programs Gina Hall, and I developed an original program that utilized the resources of multiple collections to engage students with local history.
Elizabeth Sacktor working with Campus School Fifth Graders, to look at Adoration of Shepherds by Erasmus Quinellius II
Many people of all ages sitting at a table focussed on making art

March Second Friday: Art and Rest

4–8 pm
Smith College Museum of Art

Join us for a relaxing evening of making and viewing art!

Drop in for Hands-on! art making activities in the museum’s atrium and enjoy light refreshments from 4–7pm. Create a model of your own stylish seat, inspired by artist-designed benches throughout the museum and new comfy seating on the third floor.

Colorful painting of the sillhouette of a woman with a scarf on her head in a dress with a necklace and chunky bracelet sitting sideways

A Beacon to the World: Art from the Sylvia Smith Lewis ’74 and Byron E. Lewis Sr. Collection

February 23–October 6, 2024

This special installation celebrates the recent donation of artwork from Sylvia Smith Lewis, class of 1974, and her husband, Byron E. Lewis Sr. Lifelong supporters of Black artists, the Lewises built a major collection of modern and contemporary art. Unlike the majority of collectors and museums in the United States—who, until recently, ignored or marginalized work by Black artists—the Lewises have always championed the immense creativity and talent of these artists whose friendship they enjoyed and whose art they collected. 
 

Bust length portrait of a figure facing left holding an object in their proper left hand near their open mouth. Figure has short curly hair and is composed of words and letters printed in pink, marroon, orange, yellow, red, blue and black.

Black Art + Love: A Pop-Up Exhibition for Black History Month

11am–8pm
Cunningham Center, Smith College Museum of Art

On view:
February 9, 11am–8pm
February 10, 11am–4pm

Celebrate Black History Month at SCMA! Drop by the museum’s Cunningham Center for Prints, Drawings and Photographs on the second floor to see a special installation of works curated by members of Smith College’s Black Faculty & Staff Affinity Group. 

Organized in partnership with Smith College's Office for Equity and Inclusion.

The Perceptions and Perspectives of Artist David Andrews

Kamala GhaneaBassiri, the Bodnar Curatorial Fellow at the Smith College Museum of Art (SCMA).

If you’ve visited the Smith College Museum of Art (SCMA) before, there's a decent chance you’ve noticed David Andrews at the front desk, hunched over a piece of paper, pulling out words from a tin box or shading in amorphous forms. David started working at SCMA as a Gallery Assistant (GA) over twenty years ago, shortly after moving to Western Massachusetts from Chicago. 

Drawing of bark with words surrounding the drawing
A royal woman holding flowers.

SCMA Stroller Tour

10:00 am
Smith College Museum of Art

Register here

Enjoy a special visit for caregivers and pre-walking babies through SCMA's new exhibition Painting the Persianate World: Portable Images on Paper, Cloth and Clay. Meet other grown-ups while enjoying conversation about art and activities. Drop-ins welcome! 

Human Flourishing in Art Museums

Josie Wong ‘26 is a sophomore Art History major and Museum Studies concentrator. Here, she shares her experience in the Smith College Museum of Art (SCMA)’s interterm course MUX222: Art Museums as Institutions of Human Flourishing.

Students engaging in different experiences with Frankenthaler’s Blue Atmosphere II on the first class

SCMA Playdates

9:30–11:30 am
Smith College Museum of Art

Register here: https://bit.ly/4aHvLGG

Artful adventures in and around the museum for 2–5 year olds and their caregivers!  Explore a different theme each session, offered on selected Fridays through the year, plus a Sensory-Inclusive Saturday session. Registered families can join us in the Atrium of the Smith College Museum of Art for open play and art experiences from 9:30–11:30. 

Explore SCHEMA, the museum’s annual report, to learn more about SCMA exhibitions and programs, our staff, the contributions of museum donors and members, and new directions we’re taking to connect people to art, ideas and each other.

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