For Immediate Release
April 17, 2024
WILLIAMS COLLEGE GRADUATE STUDENTS PRESENT
THE 2023–24 JUDITH M. LENETT LECTURE
AT CLARK ART INSTITUTE
Williamstown, Massachusetts—On Monday, May 13 at 5 pm, the Clark Art Institute hosts Ricardo Mercado Ruiz and Destini Ross, second-year Master’s students in the Williams College/Clark Graduate Program in the History of Art and Judith M. Lenett Memorial Fellows, as they make presentations on the conservation research and hands-on work they have undertaken during their fellowships.
Each academic year, the Judith M. Lenett Memorial Fellowship is awarded to select second-year students interested in exploring issues of conservation in the field of American art. Working closely with conservators from the Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center (W+AACC), each Lenett Fellow pursues a project to research and conserve an American art object.
Ricardo Mercado Ruiz’s project focused on the life of American Impressionist Howard Gardiner Cushing and involved treating a portrait by Cushing of Ethel Cushing, his wife and muse, from the collection of the Newport Art Museum. In addition, Mercado Ruiz examined the painting in the context of Cushing’s life and times. He explored Cushing’s relationship with contemporaries, his family, and his social circle, as well as the effect of physical place reflected in his painting techniques. This research built upon what was previously understood about the artist’s working technique and inspiration, and his place in the history of American art.
Destini Ross’s research involved studying and completing the conservation treatment of a planographic print by an unknown American maker titled Afro-Americans who have served in the Upper and Lower Branches of the United States Congress from the collection of the Chapin Library at Williams College. This important piece of cultural heritage features portraits of twenty-two African American congressmen who served between 1869 and 1901, including Hiram R. Revels (the first Black man to serve in the United States Senate), Blanche K. Bruce (the first Black man to serve a full Senate term), and John R. Lynch (a notable intellectual of the Reconstruction period who was the first Black Speaker of a State House of Representatives [Mississippi]). Ross's research began with a meticulous examination of the object, followed by a comparison to similar artworks of the period. Ross’s efforts have led to a deeper understanding of the print and its historical significance.
The free lecture is held in the Lunder Center at Stone Hill and is open to the public. A reception follows the event.
Free. For more information, visit clarkart.edu/events.
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 285,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday, from September through June, and daily in July and August. Admission is free January through March and is $20 from March through December; admission is free year-round for Clark members, all visitors age 21 and under, and students with a valid student ID. Free admission is also available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
ABOUT THE WILLIAMS COLLEGE/CLARK GRADUATE PROGRAM IN THE HISTORY OF ART
The Graduate Program in the History of Art, operated jointly by Williams College and the Clark, is one of the most respected in its field. The program's two-year MA curriculum combines academic coursework, internships, co-curricular workshops, independent research, and international travel. It calls on distinguished local collections in the context of its courses, allowing students to work closely with objects, installations, and other art practices. Students are required to take classes across a broad range of fields in the history of art, even as they are also encouraged to develop specific fields of interest. The program introduces students to issues of methodology and interpretation in the history of art and curatorial practice, with its foundational goal of educating a new generation of public intellectuals in the visual arts.
ABOUT THE WILLIAMSTOWN + ATLANTA ART CONSERVATION CENTER
The Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center (W+AACC) works to protect, conserve, and maintain heritage objects from all cultures. The organization was founded in 1977 on the campus of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Since 2008, the Williamstown labs have been located at the Clark’s Lunder Center at Stone Hill. The Atlanta Center was established in 2001 as a partnership with the Williamstown Art Conservation Center and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, recognizing that cultural institutions throughout the Southeast were in need of conservation services. W+AACC partners with museums, cultural institutions, corporations, independent art professionals, and private collectors on all aspects of collections care. The organization offers consultation and treatment for the preservation of a full range of artworks and artifacts, as well as scientific analysis of the highest quality for materials characterization and identification.
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