Exhibition Projects
The Smart's exhibitions offer uniquely focused experiences with art and its context. Related programs often involve University of Chicago faculty and students and include lectures, symposia, film screenings, talks by artists and scholars, and music events.
Mellon Projects
Offering a special forum for research and collaboration, the Mellon Program allows University of Chicago faculty and students to work with the Smart Museum's Mellon Program Coordinator to develop thematic exhibitions based on the Smart's permanent collection. Related courses or seminars, public programs, and publications form an integral part of the series. The Mellon Program is made possible by an endowment provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support provided by the Rhoades Foundation.
Curatorial Support/Annual M.F.A. Exhibition
The Smart Museum supports the M.F.A. program at the University of Chicago through an extended collaboration that results in the annual M.F.A. exhibition. This show, which opens to the public in early June, features the work of M.F.A. graduates and is held at an off-campus contemporary art space. Over the course of the year Smart Museum curatorial staff, Midway faculty members, and graduate students meet to plan the exhibition, carry out critiques and conduct studio visits. A graduate art history intern at the Smart, under the supervision of a Smart Museum curator, is responsible for organizing the exhibition, further fostering interactions between the art history and studio art departments. This project is supported by the Visiting Committee on the Visual Arts, University of Chicago.