This fall, the Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College invites you to explore its latest exhibitions with a series of curator-led tours. Free and open to the public, the tours will allow visitors to experience the Art Gallery from new points of view. Read on to learn more about the must-see exhibitions, then get ready to fall into another inspiring season at the Tang!

Fall 2018 Exhibitions
Give a damn.
Give a damn. exhibits work by artist-activists who are inspired by themes of “freedom, equality, tolerance, justice, and understanding.” Explore the world around you through thought-provoking photographs, paintings, and collages, including works by Lari Pittman, Wendy Red Star, and Dawoud Bey to name a few. Learn more about the exhibition »
- On display though September 30
- Tuesday, September 11: Mellon Collections Curator Rebecca McNamara leads a tour of
Give a damn.
3-D Doings: The Imagist Object in Chicago Art, 1964–1980
This first-ever, in-depth exploration of the Chicago Imagist movement explores the unique sculptural work and dimensional paintings of 20th century Chicago. Check out these 3-D Doings-inspired events »
- On display through January 6, 2019
- Tuesday, September 18: Dayton Director Ian Berry leads a tour of
3-D Doings: The Imagist Object in Chicago Art, 1964–1980. - Tuesday, October 23: Curatorial Assistant Molly Channon leads a tour of
3-D Doings: The Imagist Object in Chicago Art, 1964–1980.
Elevator Music 37: David Mancuso—The Loft
Elevator Music 37 showcases the extraordinary soundscape of the Loft, the underground New York City dance party hosted by David Mancuso (1944–2016). By “[offering] a space for people to express themselves without fear of judgement or arrest,” the Loft greatly impacted the gay nightlife of the 1970s and 1980s, serving as the example for many other underground parties in the second half of the 20th century.
- On display through September 30
They’re, Their, There
According to the Tang, “the works in this exhibition illustrate various means of expression through which queer individuals combat stigmatization and assert empowered identities.” Organized by Rachel Rosenfeld ’18, They’re, Their, There explores representations of queerness through several media, including zines, prints, photographs, and sculpture.
- On display through September 30
For Freedoms
What does freedom mean to you? For Freedoms, a community art exhibition held on Voter Registration Day, kicks off with a registration drive and lawn-sign event. Visitors may then create their own lawn signs which define freedom in their own words, beginning with one of four phrases: “Freedom Of,” “Freedom From,” “Freedom For,” and “Freedom To.”
- On display September 25 to November 11
Tel_
Kamau Amu Patton, whose work is featured on the Tang’s mezzanine, has been asked to reimagine “what a museum community space can be.” The term “tel” describes an artificial mound formed by the accumulated remains of people living on the same site for hundreds of years. According to a statement released by the Tang, “Tel_ is an examination of history (memory) considered as layers, strata, residue. Tel_ is an archive. Tel_ is an open document, a conversation, a dialogic construct.”
- On display through September 2019
Tim Davis—When We Are Dancing (I Get Ideas)
Artist, musician, and writer Tim Davis “explores the intersections of humor and longing, the ridiculous and the sublime, the abject and the beautiful.” Focused on the building of narratives, Davis’ collections of work include photographs, videos, drawings, and installations which find meaning in seemingly random or mundane objects.
- On display October 20, 2018 to January 6, 2019
- Tuesday, December 4: Assistant Director for Curatorial Affairs and Malloy Curator Rachel Seligman leads a tour of Tim Davis—When We Are Dancing (I Get Ideas).
When and Where I Enter
In When and Where I Enter, Skidmore Professor Beck Krefting and students from her spring 2018 “Critical Whiteness” course explore race as a social construct. By researching works from the Tang Museum collection, Krefting’s class selected several photographs, prints, paintings, and sculptures “[examining] ideas of critical whiteness in provocative and diverse ways.”
- On display October 20, 2018 to January 6, 2019
- Tuesday, November 13: Skidmore Professor Beck Krefting and students from her spring 2018 course “Critical Whiteness” lead a tour When and Where I Enter.
All tours begin at noon in the museum’s atrium.
Want to learn more about the Tang‘s upcoming events and exhibits? Call (518) 580-0808 or visit the Museum online at tang.skidmore.edu.