Art & Ideas

A group of people look down at artwork laid out on a table.

The Tang Museum is dedicated to collaborative, interdisciplinary learning through engagement with ideas and artworks. Art & Ideas is a space for gathering and sharing content around artworks, exhibitions, and publications at the Tang Museum and a platform for inspiring and supporting interdisciplinary teaching and learning with art.

Theme Pages

On these pages, you’ll engage with contemporary social issues and interdisciplinary ideas through artwork, writing, video, and creative responses from faculty, students, artists, and curators.

Three light-skinned, female dancers dancing in a gallery space.

Various, colorful postcards with phrases "Dear ___", "What do we want? ____ When do we want it? _____" and exclamation marks spread out on a table.

Photo portraits of different people hang from string in a gallery space.

A light-skinned person walks into a dark entrance following a string attached to a wall.

A picket fence made out of mirrors reflects grass and leaves with grass visible behind it.

Two Black women, one older and one younger, look down into a case full of photographs.

A dark-skinned man in a purple tunic stands behind a table with a soundboard and laptop on a stage facing a crowd of people. Purple light shines from behind the man bathing the whole room in purple.

Anchor name: Skidmore Courses

Skidmore Course Pages

These pages facilitate in-depth engagement between Skidmore courses and the Tang collection. Contact Collections Registrar Kara Jefts to learn more about how to develop a course page using the collection.

A black and white blurred photograph of a mountainous island in a seascape.

Print Study Room: FYE 2020

A black and white photograph of a sign with text, "ASK FOR CREDIT AND DROP DEAD," in front of a blurred background.

Associate Professor of Social Work Pat Oles

Print Study Room: Purple Nation

A sculptural object made of gold that is a four-legged animal figure with a stubby tail and large feet is depicted holding something in its mouth with its head turned.

Department Chair of Geosciences Jennifer Cholnoky

Print Study Room: Natural Resources

A black and white photo by Isaac Scott of protesters laying down, covering a large set of stairs.

Dayton Director and Professor of Liberal Arts Ian Berry

Print Study Room: The Artist Interview

Photograph taken from the moon, where the moon surface is in the foreground and the earth is rising in the distance.

Assistant Professor of English Maggie Greaves

Print Study Room: Reading the Cosmos

In a mostly empty room with one window, a purple speech bubble reading “COMPANIONSHIP” floats atop a colorful abstracted form resembling a post; to the right is a small table with a pot of flowers.

Associate Professor of English Melora Wolff

Print Study Room: Speculative Nonfiction

A small, cylindrical, orange bottle carved with images of plants and men sitting cross-legged with a green top.

Professor of Chinese Language and Literature and Courtney and Steven Ross Chair in Interdisciplinary Studies Mao Chen

Print Study Room: Chinese Civilization

A woman of color sits on front of a pink background, her hair and garments artfully arranged in a traditional manner. She has elaborate, sculpted braids with leaves decorating them, a colorful, patterned dress, and a lot of jewelry.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Art Lindsay Buchman

Print Study Room: Reimagining Representation

Photograph of a large plomb of thick black smoke coming from a burning structure that appears to be sitting on top of water.

Program Director and Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Nurcan Atalan-Helicke

Print Study Room: Human Rights and Development

Black and white photograph looking up the side of a building where two Black men look out an open window with a panther banner below.

Professor and Director of Black Studies Winston Grady-Willis

Print Study Room: Black Panther Archive

Black and white photographic portrait of a young man in front of a backdrop, with back to camera and turning to look over left shoulder at camera with hand on his hip.

Assistant Professor of Art History Lara Ayad

Print Study Room: Voices and Spaces in Contemporary African Art

A black-and-white photograph of a stack of papers with text and a map visible, torn and covered with dirt and debris.

Assistant Professor of English Paul Benzon

Print Study Room: Weird Books

A black and white photograph shows eighteen men from above. The men are wearing casual clothing and hats, and most are looking to each other and smiling.

Professor of Political Science and Director of the Gender Studies Program Kate Graney

Print Study Room: Mother Russia’s Daughters and Sons

A sark-skinned woman with short hair stands at the center wearing a polkadot dress. She holds a broom in her right hand and a mop in her left, both with their heads pointed up, in front of a partially-visible American flag.

Assistant Professor of Social Work June Paul

Print Study Room: Power, Privilege, and Oppression

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Pattern by Evelyn Wang ’19

Inspired by the exhibition 3-D Doings: The Imagist Object in Chicago Art, 1964-1980

The Tang Pattern Project celebrates the Museum’s 20th anniversary. Organized by Head of Design Jean Tschanz-Egger, past and current Tang Design Interns created patterns inspired by the Museum’s exhibition and event history.

See all patterns