Smith Colledge Museum of Art Exhibition ~Beyond the Floating Prints~with faculty in attendance. October 9, 2026-April 4,, 2027 All Details below

 Bring your curiosity this is an interesting retrospective of Japanese art in printing making form the 1830-1975. 

Smith College Museum of Art Announces Beyond the Floating World: Viewing Japanese Prints with Smith Faculty Sekino Jun-ichiro. Japanese (1914–1988). Bin-gata, 1975. Woodblock print in eleven colors on moderately thick, slightly textured, cream paper. Gift of Lucio and Joan Noto

NORTHAMPTON, MA — The Smith College Museum of Art (SCMA) opens Beyond the Floating World: Viewing Prints with Smith Faculty, an exhibition bringing together 35 Japanese woodblock prints selected by eight Smith College faculty members. On view October 9, 2026–April 4, 2027, the installation explores how works of art can generate connections across disciplines, inspire new questions, and become active resources for teaching and learning.  Faculty participants from art history, East Asian studies, history, and chemistry selected works from SCMA’s collection based on their teaching, research, scholarship, and personal experiences. Seen together, their selections offer multiple ways of approaching Japanese prints and demonstrate how close looking can create unexpected intersections across fields of study. Japanese woodblock prints have long been a strength of SCMA’s Asian art collection. Today, the museum holds more than 700 Japanese prints dating from the 18th through the 21st century. As an important resource for teaching at Smith, the collection gives faculty and students opportunities to study original works of art together through firsthand observation, extending learning beyond the classroom and into the museum. “Discussing and selecting Japanese prints from the SCMA collection with faculty members was an illuminating experience. The questions and stories we shared showed how Japanese prints can contribute to discussions in various disciplines,” said Clara Cho Wun Ma, Jane Chace Carroll Associate Curator of Asian Art at SCMA. The exhibition grew out of a Japanese Print Study Day organized by SCMA in the fall of 2025. The intensive faculty program brought participants together with museum staff and two specialists in Japanese prints for sustained close looking and conversations. Guest speakers were Sarah Thompson, Terrie and Bradley Bloom Curator of Japanese Prints at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Jennifer Perry, Mary and James Wallach Family Conservator of Japanese Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. During the study day, participants examined prints firsthand, shared expertise from different disciplines, and considered ways the collection could inform future teaching, research, and scholarship. Faculty participants included Marnie S. Anderson, Payal Banerjee, Kimberly Kono, Sujane Wu, Elizabeth Jamieson, Yanlong Guo, Yuri Kumagai, Yuko Mizutani, Elizabeth “Betsy” Rock, and Atsuko Takahashi. “Faculty and staff really benefited from these curated-looking exercises with the help of two experts in the field. It also fostered great conversations among participants, and the exchange of ideas created the perfect lead-in to the installation that organically grew out of the study day,” said Henriette Kets de Vries, Cunningham Center Manager and Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at SCMA. The project reflects SCMA’s role as a teaching museum and its commitment to making the collection an accessible resource for faculty and students across academic disciplines. The study day was designed not only to deepen participants’ knowledge of Japanese prints but also to encourage collaborative learning, foster new relationships with the collection and plant seeds for future teaching, installations and programming. “The impetus for the study day grew from many years of academic, interdisciplinary class visits to the museum in which sustained looking, visual analysis, and interpretation of Japanese prints sparked curiosity and deep critical thinking, leading to lively group dialogue and active collective learning with art in the museum,” said Charlene Shang Miller, Educator for Academic Programs and the Museums Concentration at Smith College Museum of Art. Rather than presenting a single interpretation of Japanese printmaking, Beyond the Floating World makes visible the range of ideas that can emerge when people approach the same collection from different disciplines and experiences. Visitors are invited to consider what draws each faculty member to a particular work and how an artwork might prompt questions about history, literature, materials science, culture, artistic practice, and personal experience. The exhibition also highlights the museum collection as a laboratory for inquiry. Through direct encounters with original objects, faculty and students can look closely together, test ideas, and make connections that may not emerge through reproductions alone. About SCMA / Smith College Museum of Art As a teaching museum affiliated with Smith College, the Smith College Museum of Art (SCMA) connects people to art, ideas, and each other. SCMA collects, researches, presents, and preserves an expansive collection of art in the service of learning, teaching, and critical dialogue, fostering an inclusive and accessible environment that welcomes diverse perspectives and inspires imagination. Open year-round Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., SCMA invites the public to explore four floors of galleries and the shop. Visitors encounter a world-class collection that spans ancient times to the present and encompasses the arts of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The Cunningham Center for the Study of Prints, Drawings and Photographs houses one of the region’s most comprehensive collections of works on paper. In 2023, generous gifts from Smith College alumnae Jan Fullgraf Golann ’71 and Jane Timken ’64 enabled SCMA to eliminate admission fees. Later that year, SCMA received support from the Art Bridges Foundation through its Access for All initiative, which provided additional resources to expand access to art, including extended hours, innovative programming, and student outreach. An accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums, SCMA is a founding member of Museums10, a regional cultural collaboration, and is also a member of the College Art Association and the New England Museum Association. Smith College Museum of Art | 20 Elm Street at Bedford Terrace | Northampton, MA 01063 US #smithcollegemuseumart#fineartmagazineblog.blogspot.com #sunstormfineartmagazine.com#artfunnow#artfunjapan#artfunprints#artfuninternational#artfunnow

Smith College of Art Announces Emma Chubb is appointed Director of Curatorial Affairs

 

Smith College Museum of Art Announces Emma Chubb as Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs photo credit: Patrick Montero

NORTHAMPTON, MA — The Smith College Museum of Art (SCMA) has appointed Emma Chubb as Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs. Chubb, who is the Charlotte Feng Ford ’83 Curator of Contemporary Art, will continue in this capacity while also leading the museum's curatorial division. Overseeing exhibitions, acquisitions, collections research, and strategic curatorial initiatives will be among Chubb’s responsibilities in her new role.  “Emma brings to this role exceptional scholarly depth, a thoughtful and ambitious curatorial vision, and a genuine talent for fostering collaboration across the museum and the college. As Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, she will be instrumental in shaping the future of SCMA’s curatorial program and furthering the museum’s longstanding commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and meaningful public engagement,” said Jessica Nicoll, Director and Louise Ines Doyle ’34 Chief Curator of the Smith College Museum of Art. Emma Chubb is the inaugural Charlotte Feng Ford ’83 Curator of Contemporary Art at SCMA and a scholar specializing in contemporary art from Morocco. Her initiatives include Amanda Williams: An Imposing Number of Times (2020–22), Younes Rahmoun: Here, Now (2024–25)—the first retrospective dedicated to one of North Africa's most significant contemporary artists—and the establishment of SCMA's Artist-in-Residence Program. She is also the organizing curator for Don't mind if I do (2026) and Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (2026–27). Her academic credentials include a PhD in art history, with a certificate in Middle East and North African Studies from Northwestern University, and a BA in Art History and French from Haverford College. This appointment follows the nearly decade-long tenure of Aprile Gallant, who is stepping down from the Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs position. Gallant will remain at SCMA as the Mary Walcott Keyes 1931 Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, dedicating her efforts to scholarship and major research projects. Gallant’s leadership expanded the museum's curatorial expertise by appointing curators of Asian and Contemporary Art and overseeing a dynamic program of exhibitions, acquisitions, and collection initiatives. Her work has established a strong foundation for the department’s continued growth. With Chubb’s appointment, SCMA continues a series of leadership transitions that have strengthened its senior team, underscoring the museum’s ongoing commitment to organizational excellence in support of its mission as a teaching museum for Smith College.  About the Smith College Museum of Art As a teaching museum at Smith College, SCMA 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. Except for select holidays, SCMA and the SCMA Shop are open to the public year-round, Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. The museum is located at 20 Elm Street at Bedford Terrace, Northampton, MA. 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.  SCMA’s commitment to broad public access is supported by the Art Bridges Foundation’s “Access for All” grant initiative, alongside a generous gift from Smith College alumnae Jan Fullgraf Golann ’71 and Jane Timken ’64, which has enabled the museum to eliminate all admission fees and expand community programming. 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. #smithcollegemuseum#fineartmagazineblog.blogspot.com #sunstormfineartmagazine.com#artfunchange#artfunnow#artfunhistory#artfunculture

Smith College Museum of Art lecture series calander below: Finnegan Shannon on Fantasy, Access, and Sensory Pleasure in " Leaning How to Desire".

Artist Finnegan Shannon to Deliver Miller Lecture on Fantasy, Access, and Sensory Pleasure Finnegan Shannon by Marissa Alper “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

Smith College Museum of Art, lecture: Miller Lecture: Dr. Nicole Fleetwood on Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration!

March 2023 Museum + Shop hours: Tue–Sun | 11am–4 pm closed: Mondays and major holidays Miller Lecture: Dr. Nicole Fleetwood on Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration Wednesday, March 29 | 5:30 pm Weinstein Auditorium, Wright Hall, Smith College Join us for the lecture on campus or via livestream. Register here to access the livestream link: https://bit.ly/3JX8d5c This program will not be recorded.  Celebrated writer, cultural theorist, curator, and art critic Dr. Nicole R. Fleetwood will discuss her project, Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration, which explores the impact of US incarceration on contemporary visual art. This project highlights artists who have been incarcerated alongside artists whose art examines US institutions and systems of confinement. Based on interviews with currently and formerly incarcerated artists, prison visits, and the author’s own family experiences with the penal system, Marking Time shows how the imprisoned turn ordinary objects into elaborate works of art. LEARN MORE SCMA programs featured in the Daily Hampshire Gazette PLAN YOUR VISIT SCMA e-news is produced and issued monthly by the Marketing and Communications Office of SCMA. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of content. Questions? email scmagen@smith.edu; Images: Photo of Nicole Fleetwood courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Smith College Museum of Art | 20 Elm Street at Bedford Terrace, Northampton, MA 01063 #smithcolledgemuseumofart#fimeartmagazine#fineartsprimfun