"The show's special merit," remarked Asian studies professor Indira Peterson, "is its focus on distinctive aspects of Indian cultural production-visual and tactile experience, the blurring of boundaries between the mundane and the sacred, and women's roles in ritual. As a teacher of Indian religions, literature, and cultural history, I find it enormously helpful in introducing aesthetic, religious, and non-verbal aspects of India's culture, in my courses on Hinduism, Indian civilization, and women in Indian literature."

Dennis Hudson, professor of world religions at Smith College and speaker at the exhibition's opening, commented: "The exhibition is a fascinating one because it illustrates ideas central to Indian religious tradition, both in Hinduism and Buddhism. Concepts of cooking and eating are absolutely fundamental notions underlying Indian civilization because food is, in itself, a metaphysical symbol of the material world that we live in. Death, for example, is seen as a part of this continuum: when the physical body dies it is cremated or consumed by the fire, thus 'feeding' the universe. Most ritual acts include food in some form, reminding the devotee of the continuing cycle of time and life, and that they not only eat but are eaten in turn by Time. Even the gods who consume offerings are eaten by Time. Hindus and Buddhists have long sought a domain of reality that lies beyond the gods, a dimension that eats, but is itself not eaten for it lies beyond Time's all-consuming hunger."

Gifts and Loans from Alumnae and Friends
14 April - 28 June 1998

The museum's print room provides a perfect space for intimate changing exhibitions and this year has been home to four special shows. It's a particular pleasure to use this space to highlight works of art from the permanent collection. On view through the end of June is a selection of objects that owe their presence here to the generosity of dedicated alumnae and friends. All of these works of art have been given, lent, or purchased with funds donated by supporters of the museum's teaching mission and its integration with the curriculum of the college and the cultural life of the region.

Works on paper in the exhibition include engravings by early German masters Albrecht Dürer and Lucas van Leyden, gifts of Susan B. Matheson ('68). The German Renaissance graphic artist Hans Sebald Beham is represented by a tiny gemlike print of a putto, on loan from an anonymous alumna. Two important 16th- and 17th-century Mannerist prints, one after Abraham Bloemaert and the other after Joachim Wtewael, were recently acquired for the collection with funds designated for this purpose by Norah Warbeke, widow of late philosophy professor John Martyn Warbeke. A spectacular large etching by Canaletto, also an alumna loan, depicts a canal scene at Dolo, near Venice.

Among the 19th- and 20th-century works on paper in the show is a large lithograph by Edouard Manet, La Guerre Civile, a long-term loan in honor of the late professor Jean C. Harris from one of her former students. A charming watercolor by Paul Signac of Saint-Tropez was a recent gift to the museum in honor of the artist's daughter Ginette Signac, and is seen in the company of the same artist's drawing of the Pont Neuf in Paris, a recent bequest of Eileen Paradis Barber ('29).

Contemporary works include prints by the distinguished American printmakers Lee Bontecou and Janet Fish, both gifts of Ellen Sharp ('43). Bontecou's Etching One of 1967 has been given in memory of Charmain Ainsworth Goodspeed ('43) and Fish's 1996 screenprint Treille in memory of Edith Greenberg Schiffman ('43). Robert Cumming's color woodblock print Burning Box was the gift of museum board member Joyce Eisner Marcus ('53) in 1992. The most recent donation to the print collection was Käthe Kollwitz's compelling self-portrait of 1912, a gift of Eleanor Selsam Webster ('48) and her sister in honor of their mother Georgia Kauffman Selsam, a member of the class of 1924.

Senior Art Majors' Exhibition
3-23 May 1998

New work by nine graduating studio art majors will be shown in a special exhibition in the main gallery in May. During the spring semester, these students focus on individual development, gathering periodically for critiques and discussions with studio art faculty. In April they make final selections and prepare their art for display, working closely with museum staff members on organizational and installation issues.

One senior, Leela Sundquist, has commented that "this immersive approach has been good for me in several ways-first of all, it's a chance to take an in-depth look at the aesthetic issues I'm most interested in, and inspires maximum motivation and productivity; secondly, it gives me a glimpse into my future, when the ability to work independently will inevitably play a larger role. I'm also very appreciative of this time because of the relationship we as students have with both the faculty and the museum staff. The support and constructive critiques they offer, as well as their huge base of knowledge, are invaluable resources for all of us."

"This is a very special opportunity for the students to show a unified body of work in a museum setting-to work independently and then to consult closely with both faculty advisors and museum professionals," noted sculpture professor Joseph Smith. "The experience encourages them to think not only about the development of the artwork itself but also about the exhibition process-for example, issues of installation, space, lighting, and interactions among the artists that are inherent to group shows. As these women move toward graduation and future graduate study and careers, the experience is especially significant for their artistic maturation."