72 PARTING WORDS SCMA’s Museum Shop has been called a work of art in itself, which makes Nan the artist whose vision made it so. In addition to a keen eye, Nan brought business acumen and production experience to the job of founding manager 16 years ago, and she credits Jan Golann ’71, a member of the Visiting Committee and museum retail consultant, with helping her get things up and running. Since then, the shop has become a popular destination and resource for Smith and the general public. As Nan turns over managerial duties, she looks forward to redirecting that creative energy to her work as a sculptor and volunteer in the arts community. NOT YOUR TYPICAL MUSEUM SHOP I was hired in 2002 to create SCMA’s first shop, so I had the privilege and the challenge of building from the bottom up. From the beginning, I knew this was as much about relationships as it was about retail. I loved the idea of creating a space that was fun, interesting and educational, where a 5-year-old could find a $2 Mother’s Day gift alongside the alumna splurging on a keepsake. GENERATING INCOME AND GOODWILL About 10 years ago, longtime SCMA champion Jan Oresman ’55 had the idea to do a trunk show in New York City in order to present the museum to the alumnae community there. It was a wonderful way to bring people together. We have since expanded these gatherings to LA and Boston, and it’s really reinforced the role of the shop as a community connector. WHAT SHE’LL MISS It comes back to relationships—with longtime vendors, my colleagues and especially the Smith community. In recent years I started to do more product development such as creating bracelets using images from our col- lection and porcelain dishes imprinted with sayings like “Smithie.” I’ll particularly miss the students I had the pleasure of working with all these years. Seeing them grow and blossom is an extraordinary thing. PEDAL TO THE METAL I took a welding class on a whim while at UMass Amherst in 1992. Manipulating a shape with heat continues to be pure magic to me, and I’m excited to get back to my own work as an artist. I just curated my first exhibition, and am grateful to my experience at Smith for helping me understand how to make a cohesive and compelling show. I have lots of ideas, but I want to be careful about over-committing with this newfound freedom! OLD TIES, NEW BEGINNINGS I’m happy to be leaving the shop in the very capable hands of Justin Thomas—I actually hired him for his first job when I was general manager at a designer/maker studio. Decades later, I have no doubt that he’s the perfect person to carry the shop forward: He’s smart, friendly, creative, optimistic and has a great eye. I can’t wait to see what he has planned. PARTING WORDS NAN FLEMING, MUSEUM STORE BUYER AND MANAGER