b'on view youns rahmoun scholarly convening and performanceSeptember 1921, 2020IN FALL,SCMA hosted a scholarly convening focusedbanks of Paradise Pond; the tree is now part of the on the art of Youns Rahmoun. Funded by a grantbotanic gardens collection. While the first days pre-from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts,sentations provided a wide view of Rahmouns life and the convening brought together an interdisciplinarywork, the second day took place at the MacLeish Field and international community of 11 artists, scholarsStation in Whately, Massachusetts, a location selected in and curators for three days to prepare for a retro-order to bring participants more deeply into Rahmouns spective of Rahmouns work.artistic practice. It began with an hour-long silent walk Curator Emma Chubb organized the event through the woods led by Rahmoun and Chubb, fol-with Rahmoun in collaboration with the Kahn Liberallowed immediately by a participatory artwork proposed Arts Institute and the Botanic Garden of Smith by Yamamoto in response to Rahmouns site-specific College. In addition to Rahmoun, speakers includedGhorfa series (ongoing since 2006). It, too, unfolded in Omar Berrada, Emma Chubb, Safaa Erruas, Hannah silence. These events, along with the presentations and Feldman, Alexandra Keller, Fatima-Zahra Lakrissa, discussions that preceded and followed, emphasized Carlos Prez Marn, Katarzyna Pieprzak, Frazer Wardthe ways in which Rahmouns work creates forms ofand Lynne Yamamoto. Presentations and discussionsbeing present and of building community through took place in both English and French with two shared experiences and spaces that the future exhibi-Smith students providing simultaneous translation. tion at SCMA will seek to foster.The convening brought some of RahmounsIn addition to the convening, Rahmoun and closest collaborators into conversation with those whoMarn each taught a course for Smith students.know his work but had yet to engage fully with it andRahmoun led a workshop for an introductory draw-Smith faculty for whom the convening was their firsting course in which students made drawings using sustained encounter with Rahmouns art. It openedonly paper and without any writing implement. Marn with a new performance by Rahmoun, Chajara-Tupelospoke with advanced architecture students about(2019). Dressed like a member of the botanic gardenshis work as an architect who frequently collaborates staff, Rahmoun silently planted a tupelo tree on thewith artists.Artist Youns Rahmoun performing Chajara-Tupelo (2019)connecting people to art22'