2025 Smithsonian American Art Museum Fellows Lectures – Day 3

On May 7–9, 2025, the cohort of 2024–2025 Smithsonian American Art Museum Fellows presented a thought-provoking series of talks that spanned a range of topics, time periods, media, and messages. This multi-afternoon program offered a unique opportunity to hear from a new generation of scholars delving into the Smithsonian’s collections and archives to uncover fresh perspectives on American art. The lectures were held in person, in McEvoy Auditorium, and online. For more information on SAAM’s fellowship program, visit https://americanart.si.edu/research/fellowships Session V: 1–2:45 p.m. ET • Renée Brown, Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellow (joint SAAM and the Archives of American Art), Boston University, “Culture in the Details: Paul Vanderbilt and the Photographic Epistemology of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information File” • Maeve Hogan, SAAM Predoctoral Fellow in American Craft and Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Fellow, University of Wisconsin–Madison, “Between Utility and Art: Recovering Fiber-Based Craft Histories of the 1950s and 1960s” • Jeannette Martinez, Terra Foundation for American Art Predoctoral Fellow, University of New Mexico, “Hidden in Plain Sight: The Central American Presence in American Archives” Q&A moderated by Lindsay Harris, head of Research and Scholars Center, SAAM Session VI: 3:15–5:00 p.m. ET • Megan Baker, Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellow, University of Delaware, “Copley’s Copies: Pastel, Kinship, and the Multiplication of Colonial Identity” • Ashley Duffey, William H. Truettner Predoctoral Fellow and Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Fellow, University of Minnesota, “Bureaucratic Labors: Adoption's Social Work Photographies” • Emma Oslé, Terra Foundation for American Art Predoctoral Fellow and Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Fellow, Rutgers University, “Cuadros de Familia: Life and Loss in Contemporary Latinx Art” Q&A moderated by Melissa Ho, curator of twentieth-century art, SAAM The opinions expressed in these lectures are those of the speakers and not necessarily of the staff and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.