As part of an ongoing partnership with the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art, students in Professor Joe Lucchesi’s Art History methodology seminar are developing semester-long research projects using paintings, sculptures, and prints from the SMCM Fine Art Collection. These objects were created by artists who are also represented in the Archives’ Research Collections, so this unique partnership gives students an opportunity to conduct primary source research and incorporate primary documents into the foundations of their visual and critical analysis of their assigned works of art.
The Elasticity of Memory
Museum Studies minor Taylor Schafer, ‘15, the 2014 Sullivan Scholar, spent the summer interning in the SMCM archives. In addition to her duties in the archives, she interviewed St. Mary’s alums about their time at the college. Her aim was to contribute further to the “Slackwater” publication. “Slackwater” is a consortium of students, faculty, and community members focused on documenting and interpreting the region’s changing landscapes. She writes about her experiences on the SMCM library blog, “Beyond the Bookshelves”.