Working in Museums celebrates the legacy of dedicated Smithies who have made their mark on museums throughout the past century. Over two days, a diverse group of current alums will speak candidly about their personal motivations and professional goals to move museums forward.
Featuring keynote speakers Thelma Golden ’87, Director and Chief Curator, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and Sonnet Stanfill ’90, Senior Curator of Fashion, The Victoria & Albert Museum.
Working in Museums is one of a series of events celebrating SCMA100 – the museum’s centennial year – and the 10th anniversary of the Museums Concentration at Smith College.
Support for the Emily Hall Tremaine Symposium has been provided by the Emily Hall Tremaine Fund through the initiative of Dorothy Tremaine Hildt ’49.
Register here.
Schedule
Friday, March 27, 2020
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Wine Reception and Early Registration
Smith College Museum of Art
SCMA open until 7 p.m.
Special exhibition: Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem
7:00 PM – 7:05 PM
Welcome
Weinstein Auditorium
Jessica Nicoll ’83, Director and Louise Ines Doyle ’34 Chief Curator of SCMA
7:05 PM – 8:05 PM
Opening Keynote: Taking on the Boys’ Club in the Art Museum
Weinstein Auditorium
Sonnet Stanfill ’90, Senior Curator of Fashion, The Victoria and Albert Museum revisits her 2016 op-ed column in The New York Times with a look at leadership and change in art museums today.
Speaker:
Sonnet Stanfill ’90
Saturday, March 28, 2020
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Registration Check-In and Coffee
Wright Hall Lobby
9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Thoroughly Modern: Dorothy Canning Miller ’25
Weinstein Auditorium
Michelle Elligott ’93, Chief of Archives, Library, and Research Collections, The Museum of Modern Art, takes a look at the life of pioneer curator Dorothy Canning Miller who was hired in 1934 by the founding director of MoMA, Alfred H. Barr, Jr. Miller’s influence on American art would become legendary through her series of contemporary “Americans” exhibitions at MoMA from the 1940s through the 1960s.
Introducing Michelle Elligott is Beth Myers, Director of Special Collections, Smith College
Speaker:
Michelle Elligott ’93
10:45 AM – 11:00 AM
Break
Wright Hall Lobby
11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Let’s Talk Museums, Part I
Weinstein Auditorium
Museum professionals early in their careers engage in candid conversation about personally confronting challenges and developing strategies for change as they embark on their work in the museum field. The panel is moderated by Charlene Shang Miller, Educator for Academic Programs, SCMA.
Panelists:
Beatrice Chan ‘10, Curatorial Assistant, Asian Art Department, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Jessie Miyu Magyar ‘10, School and Family Programs Manager, Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston
Lauren Zelaya ‘12, Director of Public Programs, Brooklyn Museum
Panelists:
Beatrice Chan ’10, Jessie Miyu Magyar ’10, Lauren Zelaya ’12
12:15 PM – 12:30 PM
Break
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Lunch
Smith College Conference Center, 49 College Lane
2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Let’s Talk Museums, Part II
Weinstein Auditorium
Museum professionals with deep experience engage in candid conversation about personally confronting challenges and developing strategies for change across their years of commitment to the museum field. The panel is moderated by Maggie Newey, Associate Director of Academic Programs & Public Education, SCMA.
Panelists:
Connie Dyson ’87, Communications Marketing Manager, National Civil Rights Museum
Diana Xochitl Munn ’95, Director of Public Programs, Harvard Museums of Science and Culture at Harvard University
Eve Straussman-Pflanzer ’99, Head of European Art Department & Elizabeth and Allan Shelden Curator of European Paintings at Detroit Institute of Arts
Panelists:
Connie Dyson ’87, Diana Xochitl Munn ’95, Eve Straussman-Pflanzer ’99
3:15 PM – 3:30 PM
Break
Wright Hall Lobby
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Concluding Keynote
Weinstein Auditorium
Thelma Golden ’87, Director and Chief Curator, The Studio Museum in Harlem
Introduction by Kathleen McCartney, President of Smith College
Speaker:
Thelma Golden ’87