A self-portrait by Elisabetta Sirani (1638-1665)
This self-portrait by Elisabetta Sirani joined the SCMA collection earlier this year.
Poetry reading and Book launch
7:30 pm
Amanda Williams: An Imposing Number of Times
November 2020 through spring 2022
“How do you bring closure to something that lingers? How do you memorialize an injustice that is ongoing?” These are two of the questions that artist Amanda Williams asks with An Imposing Number of Times (2020–22), a multipart, site-specific artwork that explores how campus traditions create and transmit forms of belonging.
A Year Being Art Detective
Have you ever visited a museum and wondered how the artworks came to the museum? For me, yes.
Covid Comments
Greetings, Ann Mayo here, Smith graduate from 1983. I did not think I would ever have a job in the field in which I majored: Art History. Happily I eventually found myself working at the Smith College Museum of Art. Currently, I am Manager of Security and Guest Services there.
An Ode to a New York Summer
A New York City summer is intrinsically special, and is the season for which I yearn annually. Unbridled humidity permeates crowded subway cars as couples lounge hand-in-hand in the parks. Mister Softee trucks are ubiquitous and a plethora of languages fill the streets.
Poetry Reading & Book Launch: Six Smith Alums, in Celebration of the publication of The Map of Every Lilac Leaf: Poets Respond to the Smith College Museum of Art. Readings by Rebecca Foust, Gina Franco, Laurie Anne Guerrero, Jessica Jacobs, Gail Mazur, and Abe Louise Young
Free and open to all: Zoom Webinar Registration
Poetry Reading by Mark Doty
7:30 pm
The Making of SCMA’s Look and Listen
I’ve always been interested in intersecting art forms. I grew up training in classical ballet, flamenco, and other styles of dance in my hometown of Memphis, TN. At the same time, I took lessons in a variety of instruments and experimented in different genres of music. I entered Smith planning on becoming a dance major but soon realized it was time for me to pursue a new area in the arts. I took as many art history courses as humanly possible while continuing to dance on the side.
On Writing Wall Labels, but, Mainly, Bierstadt in the Bahamas
For any fan of 19th century American art, this internship was a dream come true. I was tasked with writing wall labels for the new 19th century American art installation at the SCMA. When visitors will walk into the galleries for the next few years, my words upon the wall will help guide them along. No pressure! My very first task was to write a label for a painting by Albert Bierstadt, Landscape in the Bahamas (ca. 1877–mid-1880s).
Never too Old
Although I’ve been working with art for many years now, it is still a magical experience for me to hold an original work of art in my hands. At the Cunningham Center for the Study of Prints, Drawings and Photographs, which I manage, I work every day with original art. I feel blessed because art has always been therapeutic for me. When days get hectic or I feel stressed, I can walk into our storage and look at some works I particularly love and always come away feeling much better.
