Happenings
Upcoming Fall 2021
Tour of exhibitions begin in October, view museum calendar >>
Opening Celebration
Thursday, September 16 | 4–8 p.m.
Save the Date! Join the Saint Mary's College Museum of Art to celebrate the opening of our Fall Exhibitions Keith + Kari and Collective Memories. More information to come. Explore the upcoming exhibitions here >>
Craft Talk: Textiles for Transformation
Friday, October 6 | 10:30–11:35 a.m.
Join the Museum of Art for a morning a craft discussion with founder Sara Trail from the Social Justice Sewing Academy (SJSA). The Social Justice Sewing Academy (SJSA) is a a non-profit organization that aims to empower individuals to utilize textile art for personal transformation, community cohesion, and to begin the journey toward becoming an agent of social change. learn more >>
This event is sponsored and organized in collaboration with Prof. Suzanne Schmidt and the Justice, Community, and Leadership Course 163.
Craft Talk: Embroidery & Fiber
Friday, October 15 | 10:30–11:35 a.m.
Join the Museum of Art for a morning embroidery workshop and discussion with fiber artist Kate Godfrey. Kate is a graphic designer for large and small businesses by day and knitter by night. She love imaginary cities, crafty ghosts, dangerous clocks, evil inventors, plucky people, random acts of kindness, and knitting, too! The underdog is my pet of choice. This event is sponsored and organized in collaboration with the Justice, Community, and Leadership Course 163.
Study Salon
Sunday, October 16 –Tuesday, October 18 | 4–9 p.m.
For Saint Mary's students, join the Museum of Art (MoA) for a late-night study session on Sunday, Monday, and/or Tuesday of midterms. View some art, study on gallery tables, and enjoy quiet time with a few laughs. Free snacks, beverages, and WiFi.
Third Thursday: Exploring Inuit legends & printmaking
Thursday, October 21 | 5–8 p.m.
Join the Museum of Art for an evening exploring the exhibition Collective Memories: Stonecuts from Cape Dorset.
- 5:30 p.m. | A guided curatorial look into the Cape Dorset prints through exploring Inuit legends and animal stories.
- 6:30–8 p.m. | Learn about printmaking practices through this workshop, supplies included. Register for Printmaking Workshop here >>
About Third Thursdays: The Museum of Art extends operational open hours on the third Thursday of the month. Whether it be a maker space or yoga session, each late-night offers a free unique experience to engage with our current exhibitions. More information on October's Third Thursday to come. Are you a member of an SMC department, club, or the Contra Costa community interested in collaborating? Reach out to us at museum@stmarys-ca.edu
Healing the Earth
Thursday, November 4 | 6–7:30 p.m.
Join the Museum of Art for a dialogue that explores art as a medium to respond to environmental change and impact. Featuring ceramic artist Kari Marboe and Museum Director and Curator Lauren MacDonald, this conversation explores site-specific work speaking to how California landscapes have changed yet remained the same.
Light refreshments provided. Keith + Kari exhibition open through 7:30 p.m.
This event will occur at the Soda Activity Center in partnership with SMC Sustainability Committee, Kalmanovitz School of Education (KSOE), School of Economics and Business Administration (SEBA), School of Liberal Arts (SOLA), School of Science (SOS).
Third Thursday: Artist Dialogue + Ceramic Crafting
Thursday, November 18 | 5–7:30 p.m.
Join the Museum of Art and ceramic artist Kari Marboe in exploring ceramic as a craft and medium to investigate place.
5–6:15 p.m. Ceramic art making workshop on MoA patio
6:30–7:30 p.m. Artist dialogue with Kari Marboe.
Spring 2021
Instituting Women Representation at SMC
Friday, March 5 at 4 p.m.
In 2018 a study revealed only 11 percent of works in the nation’s major museum collections are works by women artists. Acknowledging this gender inequity, join the Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art (SMCMoA) in a discussion that addresses how museums can shift and reframe their operational and professional practices to enhance the voice and representation of women in the arts. With an emphasis on women as art collectors, artists in art history, writers and archivists, and contemporary artmakers, this discussion looks at how a small college art museum has examined its institutional history, collection practices, and exhibition curations to generate a richer, more inclusive history.
Sponsored by the CWGE, MoA, CCIE
Representations | Featuring the Art History Babes
Saturday, March 20 at 1:30 p.m.
Join the Center for Women & Gender Equity, the Museum of Art, the Campus Committee for Inclusive Excellence and South Asian Student Association for a day of exploring representations of ourselves, of each other and of art.
At 1:30 p.m. tune into a fun session with special guests + podcast hosts The Art History Babes, as they discuss and recontextualize women artists and their representations in museums. Co-founded by Saint Mary's College of California alumna Natalie De La Torre, the Art History Babes is a women-owned art platform that discusses and generates dialogue centered around all things visual culture. Learn more about their podcast here>>
This event is free and open to the public.
Aesthetic Forces: Behind-the-Scenes Exploration
Thursday, February 11 at 3 p.m.
Watch the behind-the-scenes scope on the spring 2021 exhibition. Art historian Britt Royer facilitated a live hour discussion sharing the process, artwork selection, and themes guiding the Aesthetic Forces exhibition.
Wow Lecture Series: Instituting Women Representation
Wednesday, January 14 at 1 p.m.
In 2018, a study revealed that only 11 percent of works in the nation’s major museum collections are works by women artists. Acknowledging this gender inequity, Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art (SMCMoA) in Moraga, CA shifted and reframed their operational and professional practices to enhance the voice and representation of women in the arts. Spanning 2020 to future exhibitions, this webinar informs viewers of the underlining practices to build gender inclusion in museums. With an emphasis on women as art collectors, artists in art history, writers and archivists, and contemporary art makers, this webinar shares how a small college art museum has examined its institutional history, collection practices, and exhibition curation to generate a richer, more inclusive history.
This program is presented by the Friends of the Lafayette Library & Learning Center
MoA Virtual Exploration
Wednesday, January 20 at 1 p.m.
Join the Saint Mary's College Museum of Art (MoA) for a guided look at selected artworks from the permanent collection. This tour provides insights, discussions, and activities exploring artists, artmaking processes, and artists' representations in museum collections.
