The enormously prolific and influential composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, passed away on November 26, 2021. Known for his generosity in sharing his knowledge and tutelage in the field of musical composition, Sondheim came to SMU to receive the Meadows Prize in 1994 and spoke to students and the SMU community about his ideas on…Continue Reading In memory of Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021)
The Collection of Rosa Bonheur correspondence, 1808-1961 held in Bywaters Special Collections is a significant record of the artist’s correspondence and writings. French painter Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899), acclaimed for her detailed paintings of animals, is considered one of the most well-known female artists of the 19th century. She was awarded the Cross of the Legion…Continue Reading Collection Spotlight: Rosa Bonheur papers
Curator and artist, Mike Morris, and his collaborators on the experimental videos, Ghosts of Lost Futures, have been busy with additional screenings of this program of works. Ghosts premiered at the Dallas Museum of Art in the Horchow Auditorium on May 22 with ten works by ten experimental video artists commissioned to re-interpret film footage…Continue Reading Fall ’21 and spring ’22 screenings for Ghosts of Lost Futures
While serving as curator of Bywaters Special Collections there were many times I would find interesting items housed in the archival files that were of importance to Jerry Bywaters and his colleagues. One such discovery was a folder of drawings made by John ‘Carr’ Pritchett who graduated from SMU in May 1942. Pritchett studied art…Continue Reading In Honor of Veterans’ Day: John ‘Carr’ Pritchett (1921 – 2016)
Skin Hunger is a telematic installation that plays on the zoom-style video-chat that has recently become ubiquitous. Participants can reach across their screens to virtually ‘touch’ one another. By touching or moving together, participants create visuals and sounds that emerge and evolve from participant relation and interaction making the intangible connection tangible and also giving…Continue Reading Skin Hunger – interactive installation in Hamon Arts Library, October 26-31
SMU Libraries congratulates Dr. Jacqueline Stewart, film curator, archivist and scholar, on her recent 2021 MacArthur Fellowship. Dr. Stewart has published extensively on black film and filmmaking in the United States. In her video post for the MacArthur Foundation, Dr. Stewart describes her interest in the genre of black films from the early 1920s –…Continue Reading Dr. Jacqueline Stewart receives 2021 MacArthur Fellowship
After a thorough bout of negotiations, the previously lost film footage of the Velvet Underground performing at a Vietnam War protest at Dallas’ White Rock Lake in 1969 has made it into The Velvet Underground, a documentary directed by Todd Haynes. The documentary, mirroring the name of the band itself, contains this special footage that…Continue Reading Report from the Red Carpet – The Velvet Underground at the Cannes Film Festival
Curatorial Minds Lab: Virtual Lecture with Guest Curator Lilia Kudelia Wednesday, October 6, 2021 5:30 p.m. Zoom lecture FREE Lilia Kudelia is a curator and art historian. Her research focuses on the artistic movements and infrastructures in the post-communist states, cultural heritage and restitution, television and art from the 1960s onwards. As a guest…Continue Reading CML talk with curator, Lilia Kudelia on Oct. 6 at 5:30 pm
Curatorial Minds Lab: Virtual Lecture with Guest Curator Taylor Renee Aldridge Wednesday, September 22, 2021 5:30 p.m. Zoom lecture FREE Taylor Renee Aldridge is the visual arts curator and program manager at the California African American Museum (CAAM). Prior, she worked as a writer and independent curator in Detroit, Michigan. She has organized exhibitions with…Continue Reading CML talk with curator, Taylor Renee Aldridge on Sept. 22 at 5:30 pm
Two rare volumes of a Spanish modernist journal, Pèl & Ploma, are on display at the Meadows Museum until August 8. After this date, the works will return to Hamon’s unique collections housed in the library’s Limited Access. Published in Barcelona, the art and literary journal dates from 1899 – 1903. The poems, stories, and…Continue Reading Pèl & Ploma, Spanish modernist journal, at the Meadows Museum