The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) has partnered with Monument Lab for an engaging series of guided conversations about The Shape of Power exhibition. In each of the three events, Monument Lab curators Yolanda Wisher and Aubree Penney will focus on specific artworks to illustrate ideas and spark dialogue. This program will unravel the intersections of race, culture, and identity as reflected in the power of hair to shape our perceptions of style, beauty, and resistance. Monument Lab will provide a toolkit for creative ways of looking at art and generating conversation around the exhibition. Space is limited, register today.

About the exhibition: SAAM's groundbreaking exhibition, The Shape of Power, featuring 82 artworks created between 1792 and 2023, examines for the first time the ways in which sculpture has shaped and reflected attitudes and understandings about race in the United States. Click here to learn more. 

Credits

• Curatorial team: Yolanda Wisher and Aubree Penney
• Monument Lab Team: Paul Farber, Bella Rodriguez, Dina Paola Rodriguez, Nico Rodriguez, Ashley Tyner
• Design: Jonai Gibson-Selix
• Documentation: Steve Weinik
• Monument Lab Board of Directors: Lola Bakare (Secretary), Ellery Roberts Biddle, Amari Johnson, Monica O. Montgomery (Vice Chair), Stephan Nicoleau (Treasurer), Michelle Angela Ortiz, Samala, Kirk Savage, and Tiffany Tavarez (Chair)
• Image: Edmonia Lewis, Hagar, 1875, carved marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., 1983.95.178