“Learning How to Desire” lecture on March 26 explores the role of fantasy in Shannon's practice, rooted in SCMA's exhibition Don't mind if I do
The Smith College Museum of Art (SCMA) will present “Learning How to Desire,” a lecture by artist Finnegan Shannon, on March 26, 2026, at 5 p.m. at the Smith College Alumnae House, 33 Elm Street, Northampton. The talk will be followed by a conversation with curator Lauren Leving, moderated by Charlotte Feng Ford '83 Curator of Contemporary Art Emma Chubb. There will be a public reception at the museum following the lecture from 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
Rooted in SCMA's exhibition Don't mind if I do, which has been expanded to include drawings from architect Phyllis Birkby's archives in the Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College Special Collections, 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 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.
Shannon has 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. Shannon’s work has been written about in Art in America, BOMB Magazine, the Believer, and Out Magazine. They live and work in Brooklyn, NY.
SCMA requests that all attendees wear masks during this event. Masks will be available.
For disability access information, accommodation requests, or to request a sign language interpreter, contact artmuseum@smith.edu.
About the Miller Lecture 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; previous lecturers have included Isaac Julien, Asma Naeem, Amanda Williams, Anne Pasternak, Maya Lin, William Kentridge, Shahzia Sikander, Lorna Simpson, Robert Rosenblum and Philip Pearlstein.
Event Details Thursday March 26, 2026 Time: 5 p.m. Location: Smith College Alumnae House, 33 Elm Street, Northampton Public reception: 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. at Smith College Museum of Art Free and open to all.
Upcoming programs affiliated with Don't mind if I do: Reading and Q&A – Visiting poet Rob Macaisa Colgate Thursday, February 12, 2026, 5-6 p.m. Hardly Creatures: Poems on Access Intimacy and Collective Care Klingenstein Browsing Room, Neilson Library Free and open to all.
Don't mind if I do: Disabling the Poem Friday, February 13, 2026 4-6 p.m., Second Friday, Smith College Museum of Art Free and open to all. In this drop-in workshop, participants will write their own poem in response to the SCMA’s newest exhibit Don't mind if I do. Then, participants will work with visiting poet Rob Macaisa Colgate to write a new version of their poem inspired by caretaking practices.
Photo credit Finnegan Shannon by Marissa Alper. Link to high-res Images and credits.
About the Smith College Museum of Art As a teaching museum affiliated with Smith College, SCMA (Smith College Museum of Art) is dedicated to connecting people to art, ideas and each other by engaging people with firsthand experiences of art, artists and museum practice; collecting, researching, presenting and preserving an expansive collection of art in the service of learning, teaching and critical dialogue; and by fostering an inclusive and accessible environment that welcomes diverse perspectives and inspires imagination.
SCMA and the Museum Shop are open to the public year-round, Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., except for select holidays.
In SCMA’s galleries and classrooms, visitors experience a world-class collection of art spanning ancient times to the present and encompassing the arts of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The Cunningham Center for the Study of Prints, Drawings and Photographs houses and hosts the study of a comprehensive collection of works on paper.
In November 2023, SCMA was awarded support from the Art Bridges Foundation through its “Access for All” grant initiative. Joining a generous gift from Smith College alumnae Jan Fullgraf Golann ’71 and Jane Timken ’64 that enabled the museum to eliminate all admission fees, this funding will be used to provide further access to art through a wide range of initiatives.
An accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums and a founding member of Museums10, a regional cultural collaboration, SCMA is also a member of the College Art Association and the New England Museum Association. #smithcollegemesumofart#learninghowtodeaire#finnefineartmagazineblog.blogspot#finneganshannonart#sunstormartmagzine#sunstormartmagazing.com#artfuneverywgere#makeartfun | 
