Summer Institute in Art Museum Studies
(SIAMS)
The Summer Institute in Art Museum Studies (SIAMS) at Smith College is a six-week co-educational residential program that engages students in an in-depth, behind-the-scenes, hands-on exploration of art museums. Through a combination of classroom instruction and assignments, visits to museums, conversations with museum professionals and an exhibition project, participants learn about the purpose and function of art museums and the numerous challenges they face. Students travel to museums, galleries and art venues in New York City, Boston and elsewhere; they meet with professionals in a variety of fields, from directors and curators to private collectors and the team in a conservation laboratory. At the Smith College Museum of Art, students plan and mount a complete exhibition project. In collaboration, they conceive and implement curatorial, education and marketing plans, as well as install the exhibit and design and publish the exhibition catalogue.
Tuition Assistance
Generous tuition assistance, in the form of partial and full scholarships, is available. A limited number of scholarships are reserved for Smith students pursuing the Museums Concentration. For more information about the program, go to www.smith.edu/siams.
