May 1, 2025
WILLIAMS COLLEGE GRADUATE STUDENT PRESENTS
THE 2024–25 JUDITH M. LENETT LECTURE
AT CLARK ART INSTITUTE
Williamstown, Massachusetts—On Monday, May 19 at 5 pm, the Clark Art Institute hosts Judith M. Lenett Memorial Fellow Riley Yuen (Williams College M.A. Class of 2025) as she presents the conservation and art historical research she has undertaken during her fellowship, which focused on the artistic practice of Nam June Paik. The central object is a 1986 untitled multimedia piece recently acquired by the Plattsburgh State Art Museum at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh. The object comprises two rectangular painted canvases connected at an oblique angle with three small functional audio-visual units with monitors attached from the back and two antennas mounted to the top edges. Yuen researched comparable audiovisual units from the 1970s through the 1990s, conducted dry surface cleaning, performed material imaging analysis, and consulted key stakeholders. Yuen's talk will address her research on the object's condition and history alongside the ethics of time-based media conservation and address concerns surrounding its treatment and future presentation.
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.
The free lecture is held in the Hunter Studio of the Lunder Center at Stone Hill and is open to the public. A reception follows the event.
Free. For accessibility questions, call 413 549 0524. 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 nearly 300,000 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 to all from 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.
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