WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.—Williams College Museum of Art is pleased to announce the symposium Women Shaping Space: Feminism and Materiality, held in conjunction with the exhibition Mary Ann Unger: To Shape a Moon from Bone. This series of talks and discussions on October 6 and 7 looks outward from the work of pioneering artist Mary Ann Unger (1945–1998) to the contemporary landscape of curators and femme artists working at the intersections of large-scale sculpture, public art, material experimentation, and feminist practice.

The symposium opens with a keynote address by interdisciplinary artist Heather Hart on Thursday, October 6, at 5:30 p.m. at the Williams College Museum of Art. A reception follows the talk and the galleries will remain open until 8 p.m. Hart says of her work: “I focus on the translation between space and the public, the public and my work, and the slippage, construction and communication that happens in between these. I want my interdisciplinary work to act as a translator in a language between architectures and the public eye.”

On Friday, October 7, Women Shaping Space continues at the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A morning panel moderated by Horace D. Ballard, curator of Mary Ann Unger: To Shape a Moon from Bone, invites noted contemporary curators of sculpture and multidisciplinary practice to reflect on where they see alignment between feminist practices and ambitious forms; how the enduring legacy of Mary Ann Unger and other artists of her generation are inspiring a range of artists working today; and what questions and imperatives remain for the field. An afternoon session facilitated by Unger’s daughter Eve Biddle, artist and Founding Co-Director of Wassaic Project, brings together artists Heather Hart and Lisa Iglesias with Nora Lawrence, Artistic Director and Chief Curator of Storm King Art Center, for a conversation about materials that artists use in public art; why material choices matter for meaning, context, ephemerality, and longevity; and how we make curatorial and artistic choices around material and public art.

A full schedule for the symposium is available here. All events are free and open to the public. Registration is not required.
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About Williams College Museum of Art

The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) creates and inspires exceptional experiences with art that are integral to a liberal arts education, lifelong learning, and human connection. The Museum is a partner in nurturing the cross-disciplinary arts in support of a liberal arts education; advancing the academic and experiential preparation of arts leaders; enriching the cultural ecosystem; engaging artists; and creating a shared learning community that spurs new thinking, creative making, and civic engagement. Located on Main Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts, on the Williams College campus, the museum draws on the collaborative and multidisciplinary ethos of the surrounding college to enliven the more than 15,000 works in its growing collection. Admission is free and the museum is open to the public Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
 

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