Hood Quarterly, autumn/winter 2009-10
On May 28 more than forty members of the Hood Museum of Art and Hood staff enjoyed a wonderful day trip to Williamstown and North Adams, Massachusetts, led by Director Brian Kennedy and Curator of European Art Bart Thurber. At Williams College Museum of Art, members were greeted by Director Lisa Corrin and Deputy Director John Stomberg. The group viewed diverse collections of art, and Nancy Mowll Matthews, Senior Curator of 19th and 20th Century Art, gave tours of the museum's Spanish and modern works.
At the Francine and Sterling Clark Art Institute, members explored the collections of European paintings and sculptures, and Bart Thurber gave a tour of some of the Clark's fabulous Italian paintings. Richard Rand, Senior Curator and Curator of Paintings and Drawings at the Clark, and former Curator of European Art at the Hood, shared background information on the museum and its collections. Following lunch at the historic Williamstown Inn, members explored Tadeo Ando's Stone Hill Center on the campus of the Clark Art Institute. Despite a light drizzle, the troops rallied to take in the pastoral views from the Center's cantilevered terrace and catch a glimpse of the Williamstown Conservation Center at work.
The final destination was the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA).There, members made many fascinating discoveries within the vast, rehabilitated spaces of the historic mill complex, including works by artists Guy Ben-Nur and Simon Starling. The day came to a close with a tour of the striking, large-scale works of Sol LeWitt. The retrospective, which fills three floors, is a collaboration between Mass MoCA, Williams College Art Museum, and Yale University. It was a memorable day, and many members asked, "When can we do it again?" Watch for details about our next regional trip for members.