Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum
The Smith Institute first opened to the public on 11 August 1874. It was an occasion for great celebration in Stirling, and the shops in the town closed at 12 noon to allow people to attend the opening. Nevertheless, there were some mixed feelings, for Thomas Stuart Smith, had died in 1869 and the location of the building was felt by many people to be too far away from the old town.
Smith College Museum of Art
The History of Art degree at Smith College, initiated by President Seelye in the 1870s, has evolved to become one of the most respected programs in American undergraduate education today. Notable professors and art historical "greats" that have taught here include Henry-Russel Hitchcock, Adolph Katzenellenbogen, Oliver Larkin, Rensselaer Wright Lee, Phyllis Williams Lehmann, Charles Rufus Morey, Edgar Wind and alumna Harriet Boyd Hawes. In the 10th International Congress of Art Historians, which took place in Rome in 1912, Smith was one of the only 68 American institutions of higher learning with a professorship in art history, out of a total of approximately 400 colleges and universities surveyed. The museum is often utilized as a learning space for Smith students, especially for those who enroll in art and art history classes.