WCMA

	This year the museum will focus on art and landscape—landscape, in all of its guises: as topography, sustainer of life, site of conservation activism, cultural icon, metaphor, and object of awe and spiritual reverence.
	Landscapes of the Mind: Contemporary Artists Contemplate the Brain January 30–May 2, 2010 Press Release More Information Landscapes of the Mind features the work of four contemporary artists—Susan Aldworth, Andrew Carnie, Jessica Rankin, and Katy Schimert—who blend the worlds of art and science. Their work visualizes the internal processes of the brain such as memory, thought, and perception using images drawn from or inspired by the brain. In a variety of media including etchings, embroideries on organdy, installation, and sculpture, these artists explore identity, creativity, personality, and the nature of consciousness. Organized by Professor of Psychology Betty Zimmerberg with Interim Associate Curator Kathryn Price, this exhibition underscores the museum’s commitment to multidisciplinary approaches to looking and thinking about art.
	Remington's Bronco Buster: From Art Icon to Pop Icon February 20–July 25, 2010 Press Release This exhibition focuses on Frederic Remington’s bronze sculpture, The Bronco Buster, from the museum’s permanent collection. One of Remington’s most famous works, it solidified his reputation as the quintessential artist of the American West, leaving a lasting impression on subsequent generations of artists who depicted the landscape. Remington’s Bronco Buster traces the image of the bronco buster—from a symbol for the taming of new frontiers to its place in popular culture.
	Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle: Juggernaut November 28, 2009–March 14, 2010 Press Release Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle is interested in linking the enormity of our modern industrial presence with our surroundings. In this new video, the pristine, gleaming white salt flats of the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve are disturbed by the menacing and thundering sounds of human intervention. Awarded a MacArthur “genius” grant as well as a Williams Bicentennial Medal, Manglano-Ovalle, Class of 1983, is creating a newly commissioned work at MASS MoCA, opening December 12, 2009. Juggernaut was commissioned by University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
	Life Cycles: An African Journey Through Art August 22, 2009–April 4, 2010 Life Cycles features art objects from the museum’s permanent collection that represent the general African belief that life is a cycle through several stages as opposed to a linear progression from birth to death. The works originate from all over the continent and illustrate not only a shared cultural belief, but also the disparate African artistic styles. This show has been organized by Gillian Pistell, Graduate Student in the History of Art, Class of 2010 with Lisa Corrin, Class of 1956 Director.
	The Matter of Theology: A Conversation with the Collection March 22, 2008 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, 2008 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.