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Old photograph of three woman in front of a painted ornate backdrop. All three women are dressed as men, wearing pants, long jackets, and bowler hats with fake mustaches.
September 19, 2020-February 28, 2021

Catherine Smith: A Cabinet of Curiosities

Catherine Smith is an installation artist, sculptor, and collector, viewing three-dimensional art objects not only as sculptures, but as souvenirs, memorials, relics, and icons. Smith uses unique materials to shape context, with the expectation that the meaning embedded in the work will shift with each viewer’s experience.

A Cabinet of Curiosities visualizes Smith’s definition of both an artist and collector through an exploration of objects that evoke both history and remembrance. This exhibition includes her sculptural series Dread Running: A Memorial to Lost Dogs, pieces from the Whale Project, and selections from her personal collection of nineteenth-century photographs, the basis for her book Women in Pants, which will be hung in conversation with contemporary works from the museum’s permanent collection.

Smith’s work is rooted in history yet relevant for our times, as we mark 100 years since the passage of the 19th Amendment, face the ever-increasing effects of climate change, and reconcile the meanings behind monuments and public mourning. Smith explores how forgotten objects and narratives can be used to tell contemporary stories.

Gallery: Works on Paper and Hallway
Dates: September 19, 2020-February 28, 2021
Participating artists: Catherine Smith
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Photograph of a wall hanging shag rug made out of white plastic. In the center is a black whale, facing right.
Catherine Smith , The Whale Project
Sculpture made of flattened tin pieces combined to form a whale with a large square nose, small mouth, no flippers, and a tail.
Catherine Smith , The Whale Project
Old black and white photograph of an African American women couple, one dressed in a man's suit with a long coat and hat. The woman on the left is wearing a white dress. They are outside standing by a tree and wooden fence.
From the Collection of Catherine Smith , Women in Pants, A Couple
Old yellow tinted black and white photograph of a woman, standing, with curly hair. The woman is wearing a civil war uniform with a sword in her left hand.
From the Collection of Catherine Smith , Women in Pants, The Soldier
Sculpture with a flat background and a raised dog in the motion of running. There are bones visible throughout the piece.
Catherine Smith , Dread Running 3
Sculpture in grey-white of a dog running to the right. There are bits of burnt bone visible throughout.
Catherine Smith , Dread Running 1
Sculpture in grey-white of a dog running to the right. There are bits of burnt bone visible throughout.
Catherine Smith , Dread Running 2
Photograph of a wall hanging shag rug made out of white plastic. In the center is a black whale, facing right.
Catherine Smith
The Whale Project
Sculpture made of flattened tin pieces combined to form a whale with a large square nose, small mouth, no flippers, and a tail.
Catherine Smith
The Whale Project
Old black and white photograph of an African American women couple, one dressed in a man's suit with a long coat and hat. The woman on the left is wearing a white dress. They are outside standing by a tree and wooden fence.
From the Collection of Catherine Smith
Women in Pants, A Couple
Old yellow tinted black and white photograph of a woman, standing, with curly hair. The woman is wearing a civil war uniform with a sword in her left hand.
From the Collection of Catherine Smith
Women in Pants, The Soldier
Sculpture with a flat background and a raised dog in the motion of running. There are bones visible throughout the piece.
Catherine Smith
Dread Running 3
Sculpture in grey-white of a dog running to the right. There are bits of burnt bone visible throughout.
Catherine Smith
Dread Running 1
Sculpture in grey-white of a dog running to the right. There are bits of burnt bone visible throughout.
Catherine Smith
Dread Running 2
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