SAAM Stories

Two views of a painting under different lighting conditions.
From the Collection Conservation 07/08/2021
Using Science to Uncover Secrets of Alma Thomas
Conservators at SAAM uncover new aspects of the influential artist’s work
Amber Kerr
Sydney Nikolaus
A woman looks up at a bust.
Exhibitions Behind-the-Scenes 07/07/2021
Lessons Learned from Alexander von Humboldt
Senior Curator Eleanor Jones Harvey takes readers behind the scenes of an exhibition’s 17-month run
A photograph of Eleanor Harvey
Eleanor Jones Harvey
Senior Curator (19th-Century Art)
A woman in her studio making a cloth facemeask.
Contemporary Craft Women Artists 07/02/2021
Making the Most: In the Studio with Carolyn Crump
The artist focused on health and happiness, for herself and others, during the pandemic.
A photograph of a woman with brown hair and a dress standing inside a building.
Mary Savig
The Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator-in-Charge for the Renwick Gallery
A black and white photograph of a person with short hair standing in front of a sign that says "Stop AIDS Los Angeles."
Pride Women Artists 06/30/2021
Laura Aguilar Photographs in Focus: Latina Lesbians
Claudia Zapata, curatorial assistant for Latinx art, shares their insights on a series of photographs by Laura Aguilar recently acquired by SAAM
A photograph of Claudia Zapata
Claudia Zapata
Former Curatorial Assistant of Latinx Art
Head of Romaine Brooks wearing a hat, coat, and white shirt open at the collar.
Pride Women Artists 06/29/2021
Romaine Brooks: Clothes Make the Wo(man)
Romaine Brooks declaring who she is in her 1923 work, Self-Portrait, is ultimately a transgressive act for a LGBTQ+ person.
A picture of a man with a green shirt and tie on standing inside a room.
Geoffrey Cohrs
Docent Coordinator
Etching of a healing scene
Chicano Graphics Exhibitions 06/25/2021
Chicanx Graphic Arts in Focus: La Curandera
Artist Carmen Lomas Garza’s scenes from everyday life honor borderland culture and create community
Headshot of woman with black hair
Rebekah Mejorado
Public Relations Specialist
photograph of artist Wes Felton
Luce Foundation Center Five Question Interviews 06/25/2021
Podcast Release: Music and Conversation with Singer, Actor, Painter, and Emcee Wes Felton
Wes Felton reminisces about his father, jazz legend Hilton Felton, and lets us in on how to freestyle like a pro.
Anne Wilsey
Program Specialist for the Luce Foundation Center
Detailed crop of Twisted Column Figure
Pride Women Artists 06/22/2021
Nancy Grossman and the Art of Unlearning
Twisting Column Figure represents the freedom that comes once we commit to unlearning and undoing restrictions, from society and from ourselves.
Nathaniel Phillips
A painting displaying many different sports
From the Collection 06/17/2021
Father's Day Flashbacks: Creating a Connection through Sports
Take the father figure in your life on an online tour of sports in SAAM’s collection
Headshot of woman with black hair
Rebekah Mejorado
Public Relations Specialist
Two black and white illustrated portraits side-by-side
Chicano Graphics Exhibitions 06/16/2021
Chicanx Queer Visions: Fighting for Change and Exploring Identity
Artists in ¡Printing the Revolution! explore pressing issues of the LGBTQ+ community
A photograph of Claudia Zapata
Claudia Zapata
Former Curatorial Assistant of Latinx Art
Artist Timothy Horn standing on ladder next to his large chandelier sculpture made of rock sugar
Pride Craft and Decorative Arts 06/15/2021
Sculpting Pride: Timothy Horn’s artworks delve into the human and natural worlds
Learn more about the artwork and evolving career of Timothy Horn, feature artist in Forces of Nature: Renwick Invitational 2020
Ashley Reese
A colorful opaque painting of men at a bar
Pride 06/10/2021
What Does a Gay Bar Look Like?
Bernard Perlin’s The Bar makes us reflect on the spaces we’ve carved out as our own.
Andrew Rondinone
A person with short hair stands in front of a case of prints.
Chicano Graphics Exhibitions 06/08/2021
Chicanx Graphic Arts in Focus: Manifestaciones
Explore Dominican York Proyecto GRAFICA, a New York art collective inspired by Chicano print centers
Headshot of woman with black hair
Rebekah Mejorado
Public Relations Specialist
A close-up of Kit Paulson's artwork, Lungs
Contemporary Craft New Acquisitions 06/04/2021
Making the Most: In the Studio with Kit Paulson
Kit Paulson is currently a resident artist at the Penland School of Craft in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. She makes intricate and whimsical glassworks that embody histories of ornamentation, material culture, and natural history. SAAM is acquiring her work, Lungs.
A photograph of a woman with brown hair and a dress standing inside a building.
Mary Savig
The Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator-in-Charge for the Renwick Gallery
Painting with three angel figures hovering over a battlefield
Education 05/28/2021
Discoveries from the Collection: Honoring Sacrifice this Memorial Day with U.S. Military Cemetery Historian
Discover how a partnership between SAAM and the American Battle Monuments Commission commemorates the honor, service and sacrifice of America’s fallen in wars abroad.
Ashley Reese
photo of Yasmin Williams playing guitar while sitting in the grass
Luce Foundation Center Five Question Interviews 05/27/2021
Podcast Release: Music and Conversation with Experimental Guitarist Yasmin Williams
The composer and instrumentalist shares her thoughts on music and the development of her craft.
Anne Wilsey
Program Specialist for the Luce Foundation Center
WPA painting of people on a New York City subway
From the Collection 05/21/2021
New Deal Arts in Focus: Subway
Our video series American Art Moments takes a closer look at an important New Deal painting in SAAM’s collection
A photograph of Howard Kaplan on a plane.
Howard Kaplan
Writer
A screenprint portrait of a man from the nineteenth century
Chicano Graphics Exhibitions 05/19/2021
Chicanx Graphic Arts in Focus: José Martí
Chicanx artists elevate national and global historic figures to inspire activism
Headshot of woman with black hair
Rebekah Mejorado
Public Relations Specialist