Shinique Smith: Bright Matter

August 23, 2014–March 1, 2015
Henry and Lois Foster Gallery (Gallery 158)

At the Museum Council Kick-Off Party on September 23 you might have had the chance to hear curator Jen Mergel discuss "Shinique Smith: Bright Matter," one of the MFA's latest contemporary art exhibitions. This exhibition marks a significant return to Boston for Smith, who completed her Masters in Teaching at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts (2000) while working full-time with high school students. Her exhibition at the MFA fosters new connections to the Boston community, inspiring family art activities at the Museum, projects with the MFA's Teen Arts Council, and more.

"Shinique Smith: Bright Matter" is curated by Jen Mergel, Robert L. Beal, Enid L. and Bruce A. Beal Senior Curator of Contemporary Art. Jen is also a dedicated member of the Museum Council and has recently joined the Steering Committee for the 2014-2015 season.

Goya: Order and Disorder

October 12, 2014–January 19, 2015
Ann and Graham Gund Gallery (Gallery LG31)

Built on the MFA’s deep collection of works on paper by the artist, the exhibition comprises more than 160 of his most significant paintings, prints, and drawings, ranging from the 1770s through the end of his life. Some 60 works from the MFA, including rare drawings and working proofs that have not been displayed in Boston since 1989, form the core of the exhibition. They are joined by important loans of paintings and drawings from the Museo del Prado, the Musée du Louvre, the Galleria degli Uffizi, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Art (Washington), as well as numerous private collections in Europe and the United States. "Goya: Order and Disorder" is the first occasion that several works have ever been shown in public exhibitions, or in this country.

The exhibition is co-curated by Stephanie Stephanek, Curator of Prints and Drawings, and Frederick Ilchman, Chair and Mrs. Russell W. Baker Curator of Paintings. Many Museum Council members may know Frederick as a great champion of the Museum Council through his roles as a Steering Committee member and group leader of many Museum Council trips.