Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum
The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum – formerly The Smith Institute – has played a very special part in the history of Stirling since its foundation in 1874. Established by the bequest of artist Thomas Stuart Smith (1815–1869) on land supplied by the Burgh of Stirling, it is an historic public-private partnership which has continued to the present day. It was founded as a gallery of mainly contemporary art, with museum and library reading room ‘for the benefit of the inhabitants of Stirling, Dunblane and Kinbuck’.
Jessica Nicoll
In 2005, Nicoll returned to her alma mater where she succeeded Suzannah Fabing as Director and Chief Curator of the Smith College Museum of Art. Fabing retired after a 13-year tenure, during which the museum underwent an extensive renovation and expansion.“The Smith College Museum of Art’s elegant new facility, outstanding collection and wonderful staff make the institution a powerful educational resource for its community and have made this an irresistible opportunity for me. As a graduate of Smith, I find this opportunity doubly exciting—a chance to do the work I love for the benefit of a community that I care about deeply.” (March 25, 2005)Widely regarded as one of the most distinguished college museums in the country, the Smith College Museum of Art is best known for its 19th- and 20th-century European and American collection. Among its permanent collection includes works by Manet, Monet, Picasso, Copley, Eakins, Stella, Motherwell, O’Keeffe and many other famous painters, along with noteworthy sculpture and classical antiquities, prints, drawings and photographs.