Smith College Museum of Art

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Smith College Museum of Art The Smith College Museum of Art is open to the public. Museum+ SCMA Shop Hours:
Tues to Sun 11am–4pm
closed Mondays and major holidays
scma.smith.edu

As a teaching museum affiliated with 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
environment that welcomes diverse perspectives and inspires imagination. In SCMA’s galleries, classrooms and Cunningham Center for the Study of Prints, Drawings and
Photographs, visitors experience a world-class collection that includes modern and
contemporary art, American and western European masterworks, antiquities, emerging
collections of Asian and African art and a comprehensive collection of works on paper. For accessibility information, visit: https://scma.smith.edu/visit/accessibility

SCMA gratefully acknowledges support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for Museum programming. http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/

Alums and Families: while you're here for Family Weekend and Come Home to Smith College. Take the opportunity to see "Co...
10/22/2026

Alums and Families: while you're here for Family Weekend and Come Home to Smith College. Take the opportunity to see "Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas from the Smithsonian American Art Museum"! The museum will have extended hours on October 24 and October 25 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friendly reminder: this special exhibition won't be here for reunion or graduation, so don't miss the chance to see it before it closes on January 10, 2027.

Image descriptions:
[1: Three people sit on a bench in a gallery reading a book, in the background paintings can be seen on the walls.]
[2: Five people stand in a gallery viewing art from different areas.]
[3: Two people view a large pink painting.]

Thanks to all who came to Art After Hours last week! It truly was a Sensory Serenade with tea bars, cookies, focaccia, c...
10/20/2026

Thanks to all who came to Art After Hours last week! It truly was a Sensory Serenade with tea bars, cookies, focaccia, chai, matcha, coffee, tea, essential oils and beautiful mosaics inspired by Alma Thomas. 🌿🌟 We’re already looking forward to the next one!

Image descriptions in the comments.

"The seasons, the flowers, the sea—all of nature—have become a permanent part of my paintings." –Alma Thomas.Discover th...
10/18/2026

"The seasons, the flowers, the sea—all of nature—have become a permanent part of my paintings." –Alma Thomas.

Discover the meaning of Alma's words and dedicate an afternoon to art and nature. View the SCMA exhibition, "Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas from the Smithsonian American Art Museum" and stop by the Smith College Botanic Garden to wander through the beautiful array of flowers, plants, and trees! See if you can identify your own connections to nature and Alma Thomas's paintings.

Alma Thomas, "Red Abstraction," 1959. Oil on canvas, 40 x 27 3⁄4 in. (101.6 x 70.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum. Gift of the artist, 1978.40.2

[Image 1: A painting with large strokes of red, alongside brushstrokes of dark plum and green, against a blue-and-tan background.]

[Image 2: Photo of red flowers in bloom inside a greenhouse.]

Friends of the museum! Immerse yourself in our latest installation of Japanese woodblock prints from SCMA’s Asian art co...
10/16/2026

Friends of the museum! Immerse yourself in our latest installation of Japanese woodblock prints from SCMA’s Asian art collection and join a special guided tour of "Beyond the Floating World: Viewing Japanese Prints with Smith Faculty" on November 7, from 11 to 12:30 p.m.

Explore the tools used for printmaking, and discover pigment history. Led by Clara Cho Wun Ma, Jane Chace Carroll Associate Curator of Asian Art; Charlene Shang Miller, Educator for Academic Programs; and Henriette Kets de Vries, Cunningham Center Manager & Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs.

🍰 Enjoy seasonal fall treats in the museum lobby at 11 a.m.
🎁 Browse the museum shop during Friends Fall Sale and receive 20% off shop purchases
🖼️ The guided tour will begin at 11:30 a.m.

Get the details: scma.smith.edu/calendar/friends-exhibition-tour-beyond-floating-world

Not a Friend of the Museum yet? Become one today! Register here: https://scma.smith.edu/friends

Image Descriptions:
[1: A person walks by a group of people sitting on a bench in a gallery, they look forward while speaking.]
[2: Two people stand in the middle of a gallery looking forward.]
[3: A person stands in front of three artworks in a gallery.]
[4: A person looks closely at an artwork in a gallery.]

10/14/2026

Smithies, you're invited to Art After Hours: Sensory Serenade!

Unwind at the Smith College Museum of Art on October 15 from 6–8:30 p.m. with a relaxing evening inspired by the exhibition "Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas from the Smithsonian American Art Museum."

Here’s what to expect:
🍵 Specialty tea & treats
🌿 Guided meditation in the galleries at 7 p.m.
🌷 DIY scent sachets (customize your own scent palette!)
🎨 Mosaic coaster crafting inspired by Alma Thomas

Open to all Smith students. Co-sponsored with the Smith College Botanic Garden. See you there!

What a magnificent crowd at last week's Second Friday. With colorful artmaking and dynamic storytelling from Muriel John...
10/14/2026

What a magnificent crowd at last week's Second Friday. With colorful artmaking and dynamic storytelling from Muriel Johnson, October is off to a great start. 🍁 Thanks to everyone for coming.

Swipe to the end of the photos to see the Alma Thomas-inspired mosaic banner, made by visitors at Flo Fest last month!

If you haven’t yet seen the new exhibition “Beyond the Floating World: Viewing Japanese Prints with Smith Faculty” that opened October's Second Friday, be sure to plan a visit!

Image Descriptions:
[1: A person faces an audience seated in a museum gallery.]
[2. Seven people sit around a table, making art and smiling.]
[3. Three people view a colorful framed artwork on a wall.]
[4. A rectangular banner composed of 40 individual, colorful square artworks hangs in front of a glass wall.]

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All initiative. And made possible with the support from the Mass Cultural Council. Second Friday is part of Arts Night Out Northampton | Downtown Northampton Association

Discover how data can function as both evidence and imagination. On November 4 at 5 p.m., join SCMA for the 2026 Miller ...
10/13/2026

Discover how data can function as both evidence and imagination.

On November 4 at 5 p.m., join SCMA for the 2026 Miller Lecture in Art and Art History: Data Consciousness and Luminous Abstraction, presented by Dr. Tiffany E. Barber.

Dr. Tiffany E. Barber is an award-winning scholar, curator, and critic whose work reshapes our understanding of race, gender, and representation. She will bring W. E. B. Du Bois's pioneering data visualizations into dialogue with Alma Thomas's luminous abstractions, tracing a shared commitment to visualizing Black life beyond statistical reduction or representational constraint.

Reserve your spot today: https://scma.smith.edu/millerlecture2026

🗓️ When: November 4, 2026 at 5 p.m.

📍 Where: In the Carroll Room at the Smith College Campus Center and online. Public reception to follow.

Register for special seating as a Friend of the Museum, or sign up for the virtual presentation (open to all).

[Image description: A person in a silvery top sits at a table, resting their cheek on one hand and wearing a large ring on the other hand, looking at the viewer.]

Looking for a place to slow down this World Mental Health Day? 🌎 🩵 Visit your local museum—a space for art, reflection, ...
10/10/2026

Looking for a place to slow down this World Mental Health Day? 🌎 🩵 Visit your local museum—a space for art, reflection, and connection. Stepping into a gallery can offer a chance to pause, look closely, and take time for yourself.

Spending time with art, whether in quiet reflection or in conversation with others, can support well-being and create moments of calm and connection. Take some time for yourself today, and consider a visit to SCMA.

Images by Tracey Eller
Descriptions:
[Image 1: A person looks to another wearing headphones in a gallery space smiling.]
[Image 2: Two people walk in a gallery space in front of two large landscape paintings.]

10/09/2026

Get ready for an evening of suspense, humor, spooky stories, and more. Curious? Here's a short message from Muriel Johnson, storyteller. She will be telling Southern African American folktales today, October 9, for Second Friday from 5–6 p.m. on the Third Floor. Be sure to stop by!

[Video Description: Short video of a portrait view of a person talking outside in front of a museum.]

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All initiative. And made possible with the support from the Mass Cultural Council. Second Friday is part of Arts Night Out Northampton | Downtown Northampton Association

Take a look at this scenic blue triptych by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, going on view October 9, 2026, as part of the new exhibit...
10/08/2026

Take a look at this scenic blue triptych by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, going on view October 9, 2026, as part of the new exhibition "Beyond the Floating World: Viewing Japanese Prints with Smith Faculty."

This print is one among 35 Japanese woodblock prints that invite viewers to consider how works of art can speak across disciplines. Selected by eight Smith College faculty members, their choices reflect a wide range of personal, scholarly, and teaching perspectives.

Experience it in person, on view October 9, 2026–April 4, 2027. Plan your visit today!

Utagawa Kuniyoshi. Japanese, (1797–1861). "Geisha by the Sumida River from Popular Customs of the Present Age (Tōsei Fūzoku Konomi)," 1830s. Woodcut printed in color on paper.

[Image Descriptions L to R: A person in an elaborate kimono stands before a port scene, in the middle a person in a kimono poses before a bay, and on the right a person reaches into their kimono in front of a bay with boats. The main color in all three prints is the color blue.]

Address

20 Elm Street
Northampton, MA
01063

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 4pm
Wednesday 11am - 4pm
Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 4pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

(413) 585-2760

Website

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