May

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As the semester wraps up, this lithograph by Nancy Graves perfectly encapsulates our celebratory feelings: its colorful pointillism remind us of festive confetti, and the subject matter — inspired by a lunar map — remind us of your out-of-this-world accomplishments this year. Congrats to you!

Though your minds may be occupied by exams, papers, and final projects, we hope you can make space for conversations about art, too. Join us this week for one of our thought-provoking virtual programs or take an art-inspired walk through nature with our new field guide — and best of luck on your exams!

art talk live

Reframing Japonisme

Tuesday, May 4
12:30-1PM ET

Look closer at a new aquisition that shines a distinctly different light on European interest in “Japanese art.”

lecture

The Transformation of the Art Museum

Wednesday, May 5
2-3PM ET

Consider how the idea of the art museum has evolved over the last century and reflect on our current moment.

asc seminar at home

Slavery’s Landscape

Friday, May 14
11AM-12PM ET

Explore how photographers such as Alexander Gardner constructed landscapes that illustrated the system of chattel slavery.

 

Planting Edo: A Field Guide

Dig into the botanical features and poetic significance of the flowers and trees featured in Painting Edo alongside their living counterparts at the Arnold Arboretum.

Harvard Art Museums Staff Spotlight

Meet Camran Mani, Cunningham Fellow in Academic and Public Programs, and the guest of this week’s Harvard Art Museums Staff Spotlight

Though his diverse role has many hats, the two main projects he works on are the Ho Family Student Guide Program and the Graduate Student Teacher Program.

For the Ho Family Student Guide Program, Camran works with undergraduate Harvard students from a variety of disciplines to create student-researched and presented tours of the museums’ collections. These tours "emphasize that a work of art only becomes a highlight relative to someone's perspective." Calling the students “the secret weapons of the museums,” Camran is especially proud of the creativity and resilience they demonstrated when transitioning to virtual tours. If you’re interested in becoming a student guide, keep an eye out here for updated application materials coming soon!

For the Graduate Student Teacher Program, Camran works jointly with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, and the museums to provide training and support to “graduate students who can incorporate the museum space into lesson plans for high school students,” emphasizing that “there should be a two-way street between museums and the communities they’re a part of.”

Camran’s role gives him a unique opportunity to “reflect on the museum and facilitate a conversation about it,” which he finds especially significantly given “how much rich art history is going on outside of just textbooks and scholarly articles.” Camran also has a special interest in focusing on “how hospitality functions in a museum,” noting that things like “the availability of gallery seating and the affordability of things in a museum shop” can significantly condition how comfortable people feel visiting the museums.

- Camran was interviewed by Zavier Chavez '23
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From our Friends....

Calling all students! Did you know that student memberships for the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries are FREE? Visit aamg-us.org/membership/join/ to sign up as a student member.

Graduating seniors and recent Harvard College graduates are encouraged to apply for a Postgraduate Fellowship in the Humanities at Dumbarton Oaks. Applications for fellowships in Public Programming and Outreach, Plant Humanities, and Cultural Philanthropy are due by May 15.

Need a study break? Why not check out some amazing online art-themed study breaks from the Sheldon Museum of Art. Our personal favorite is the virtual jigsaw puzzle of Edward Hopper's Room in New York!

Image (Header): Nancy Graves, Riphaeus Mountains Region of the Moon, 1972. Lithograph. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Anne MacDougall and Gil Einstein in honor of Marjorie B. Cohn, M26547.10. © Nany Graves Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Image (Planting Edo): Suzuki Kiitsu 鈴木其一, Peony (Botan), from Eight Fans of Seasonal Flowers and Plants, c. 1828–58. Fan, mounted on board; ink, color, silver, and gold on paper. Promised gift of Robert S. and Betsy G. Feinberg, TL42096.12.5.