Brandeis’s resident beacon of culture, the acclaimed Rose Art Museum, brings a rich variety of art to the Brandeis campus and greater Boston community with a long tradition of thoughtful exhibits which showcase both emerging artists and classic pieces.
The museum is closed for installation right now but is looking towards its reopening Friday, September 7, which will unveil its newest exhibitions: “Tuesday Smillie: To Build Another World,” a solo show by the Rose’s artist-in-residence Tuesday Smillie, and “Passage,” a show created by Henry and Lois Foster Director and Chief Curator Luis A. Croquer from the museum’s permanent collection.
Tuesday Smillie is the most recent artist to be awarded the Ruth Ann and Nathan Perlmutter Artist-in-residence award which is intended to promote young artists with emergent success. The award supports a year of residency, allowing the artist to create new work and giving Brandeis students a chance to work with an artist on a road to success. The award is sponsored by noted artist Ruth Ann Perlmutter and is named after her and her late husband, a former Brandeis Vice President who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work fighting for minorities, including eight years as the national director of the Anti-Defamation League.
Smillie’s work examines the relationships between “I” and “We,” particularly with themes of trans-feminism. Her best-known works are pieces inspired by protest flags used by the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, a 70s civil rights group which provided resources to the homeless transgender community and fought for civil rights. These pieces were featured in the 2017-18 “Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon” exhibition of the New Museum, described by the New Museum as an effort to investigate “gender’s place in contemporary art and culture at a moment of political upheaval and renewed culture wars.”
“Tuesday-Smillie: To Build Another World” is a compilation of two decades of Smillie’s work, including pieces which will debut at the show and demonstrates Smillie’s multimedia approach utilizing watercolor, college and textiles. The exhibition, organized by Assistant Curator Caitlin Julia Rubin, will draw from historic protest signage to explore activism and trans-feminist politics.
“Passage” is organized by the lead of the Rose Art Museum and draws from seven decades of art. The Museum has not yet shared further information, but the exhibition likely examines immigration and the “passages” of human movement.
The 2018-19 school year will also be the Rose’s first year with three new staff members in new positions. Two of these new roles, Assistant Director of Communications and Manager of Academic and Public Programs, represent large steps towards the Rose’s goal of becoming more deeply engaged in the community by increasing popularity and creating public programming and students nearby. Kate McBride is taking up the role of Assistant Director of Communications, after developing the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston’s brand as their social media manager. She will oversee the Rose’s “media outreach,” overseeing and creating new marketing initiatives to bring people into the gallery. Bess Paupeck is the manager of academic/public programs, coming from helping manage @ 29 Garden, an interdisciplinary art space at Harvard, which she joined after producing public concerts and programs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
The third new staff member, Anthony DiPetro was hired as the museum’s Associate Director of Administration and Operations, a new position intended to help manage day-to-day operations. DiPetro is continuing a career of managing community organizations, many of which sought to address problems of abuse and income inequality. In this new position, DiPetro will be involved in the Museum’s budgeting and long-term financial planning, as well as overseeing administrative details such as human resources and building services.
With an exciting new artist in residency, an intriguing exhibition scheduled and a deeper staff working to connect with the community the Rose Art Museum heading into the new year with all the tools to create a meaningful artistic experience for visitors. The galleries will be open starting September 7, and regular hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday with free admission.
