WCMA

	Beyond the Familiar: Photography and the Construction of Community September 20, 2008–March 8, 2009 Press Release This exhibition draws together the work of 10 artists from throughout the history of photography who have endeavored to reveal the character of an entire population through images of representative individuals. Included is work from the 19th century by Felice Beato and Peter Henry Emerson; from the 20th century by Edward Curtis, Robert Frank, David Goldblatt, Barbara Norfleet, August Sander, and Aaron Siskind; and recent work by Tina Barney and Zwelethu Mthethwa.
	Fiona Tan: Countenance September 20, 2008 through February 11, 2009 Press Release Fiona Tan's Countenance is both an homage to and critical response to August Sander’s life’s work—for it she reconceived the role of portraiture in reflecting the character of a culture. “Countenance,” a three channel video work, constantly changes as it presents different combinations of individuals in short vignettes. Each new grouping presents new relationships and suggests the complexity that we all actually encounter in our daily lives.
	Independent Film and Ethnography September 20, 2008 through February 11, 2009 Press Release Independent Film and Ethnography surveys a variety of independent film projects. Films include Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North (1922), Luis Bunuel’s Las Hurdes: Land Without Bread (1932), Dennis O’Rourke’s Cannibal Tours (1987), Jean Rouch’s Jaguar (1957), Robert Gardner’s Dead Birds (1965), Timothy Asch’s The Ax Fight (1975), and Ruben Ortiz-Torres’s Frontierland/Fronterilandia (1995). These films range from pure ethnography to critiques of the ethnographic impulse.
	Liu Zheng: The Chinese November 15, 2008–April 26, 2009 Press Release The Chinese features 120 photographs taken over a seven-year period of people from all walks of life. In a style that combines the ambition of August Sander with the vision of Diane Arbus, Liu’s work captures a country and people at a time of momentous change. Recently acquired by the museum, The Chinese includes images of homeless children, coal miners, monks, transvestite performers, and the emerging middle class, among many others.
	The Matter of Theology: A Conversation with the Collection March 22 and ongoing Press Release The Matter of Theology, an exhibition that pairs selections from the museum's permanent collection with theological questions that aid viewers in seeing art from a different perspective. Here, art objects, originally created for various religious purposes, are placed in a new context, allowing the viewer to consider larger questions about spirituality and meaning. This long-term installation was organized by Amanda Hellman, Williams College Graduate Student in the History of Art, Class of 2008.
	Manifestos: American Dreams and Their Founding Documents January 19 and ongoing Press Release One of Williams’ greatest treasures are the founding documents of the United States of America, including the Declaration of Independence, the British Reply to the Declaration, the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, and the Federalist Papers. Usually housed in Chapin’s Rare Book Library, these documents are on view at the museum while a new library is being built. They are displayed in the galleries devoted to American art, with works that will give context to how they have shaped over 200 years of national identity.
	Specimens of a Higher Art: Ancient Art from the Collection Ongoing Using the theme of ancient art, this exhibition demonstrates how fine art was slowly incorporated into the educational values of Williams College and acquired by the museum. It iterates the importance of firsthand study of works of fine art. This ongoing exhibition includes artworks from WCMA’s permanent collection, featuring in part: Assyrian reliefs, an Egyptian wood polychromed head, a Roman togate figure, a red-figure Greek vase, a pink sandstone sculpture of Shiva, and an African Dogon mask.