Margo Smith, Ph.D., director & curator
EDUCATION
- 2001 Ph.D. Anthropology, University of Virginia
- Dissertation topic: “The Significance of Birthplace for Central Australian Aborigines in Aputula, Northern Territory.”
- 1989 M.A. Anthropology, University of Virginia
- 1982 B.A. Anthropology, College of William and Mary
- Senior thesis: “Women Under Socialism in Hungary and Cuba.”
EMPLOYMENT
- 1998-present Director and curator, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, University of Virginia.
- 1995-98 Curator, Australian Aboriginal Art, Morven Estate, Charlottesville, Virginia.
PUBLICATIONS
- 2008 Aesthete and scholar: Two complementary influences on the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia. In The Makers and Making of Indigenous Australian Museum Collections, N. Peterson, L. Allen, and L. Hamby eds. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
- 2006 “The enchantment of being what we are” Diversity and change in Aboriginal Art. In Dreaming Their Way, exh. cat., Washington DC: National Museum of Women in the Arts.
- 1999 M. Smith Boles and H. Morphy (eds.) Art from the Land: Dialogues with the Kluge-Ruhe Collection of Australian Aboriginal Art. Charlottesville: University of Virginia.
EXHIBITIONS
2008
- All Time Favorites: Best loved Works from the Kluge-Ruhe Collection, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Yuru-yururla: Women’s Painting from Yuendumu, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
2007
- Kin and Country in Australian Aboriginal Art, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Art/Artifact in the Kluge-Ruhe Collection, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Red Hot Ochre: Waringarri Paintings and Prints from the Kimberley, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
2006
- New Dreams for Old: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Kluge-Ruhe Collection, University of Virginia Art Museum, Charlottesville, VA.
- Radiance: Seeing the Divine in Aboriginal Art, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Ancestor Spirits in Aboriginal Art, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
2005
- Above & Beyond: Perspective in Aboriginal Art, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Black and White and Red Ochre, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Small Wonders: Aboriginal Art Miniatures, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Seeing the Other: The human image by Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
2004
- Family Business: Kinship in Australian Aboriginal art, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Jalanguwarnu (that which belongs to the present), Carlow Insitute of Technology, Carlow, Ireland.
- Indigenous: Selected works from the Kluge-Ruhe Collection, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, VA.
2003
- Sacred Circles: The Tingari Cycle in Western desert art, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Object Lessons: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Aboriginal Art. Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
2002
- Water Country. Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- The Inside Story: X-Ray Art from Western Arnhem Land. Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Papunya to Kiwirrkura: Reclaiming the Western Desert Homelands in Art. Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- To Have and Behold: Aboriginal Art Collectors and Collections. Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
2001
- Just Another Sunrise: Photographs of Yirrkala by Jon Rhodes. Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Origin Stories: Creation Narratives in Art. Kluge-Ruhe Collection; Marsh Art Gallery, University of Richmond.
- inSITES: Australian Aboriginal Visions of the Landscape. Department of Continuing and Professional Studies, University of Virginia.
2000
- Visionary: Watercolors by Wattie Karuwara. Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- The Stuff of Dreams: Objects from the Kluge-Ruhe Collection. Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Gathering Place. Office of the Provost, University of Virginia.
- Origin Stories: Creation Narratives in Art. St. Andrew’s School, Middletown, Delaware.
1999
- Art from the Land: The Kluge-Ruhe Collection of Australian Aboriginal Art. Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Bushfire! Kluge-Ruhe Collection; Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum.
- The “Whitegate Mob” – Paintings by Rod Moss, Kluge-Ruhe Collection.
- Under Southern Skies: Aboriginal and Western Scientific Perspectives of the Australian Night Sky, Leander McCormick Observatory, University of Virginia.
1998
- Untold Story: Secrecy in Australian Aboriginal Art, Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression.
- The Sacred Billabong: Aboriginal Art on Paper from Western Arnhem Land, University Union, University of Virginia.
- Painted Places: Monumental Bark Paintings from Northeast Arnhem Land, Bayly Art Museum, University of Virginia.
LECTURES
2007
- Everything old is new again: Aboriginal art in an historic perspective, Hearst Art Gallery, St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA, September 9.
2006
- ‘The enchantment of being who we are’ Diversity and change in Aboriginal Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, October 12.
- A walk through the Dreaming: Australian plants and animals in Aboriginal Art, National Museum of Women in the Arts, September 17.
2005
- Aesthete and scholar: Two complementary influences on the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the Unversity of Virginia, The Makers and making of Indigenous Australian Museum Collections, Melbourne Museum, February 9 – 11.
2002
- Show Me the Way to Go Home: Art, Memory and the Return to Pintupi Homelands, Limits of the Past Conference, Nashville, TN, April 14.2001
- inSITES: Australian Aboriginal Visions of the Landscape, Department of Continuing and Professional Studies, University of Virginia, October 2.
- Awake and Dreaming: Interpreting Australian Aboriginal Cosmology in Art, Peace Center for the Performing Arts, Greenville, South Carolina, October 6.
- The Song Remains the Same: Tradition and Innovation in Aboriginal Art, Modlin Center for the Arts, University of Richmond, September 25.
2000
- Australian Aboriginal Art, St. Andrews School, Middletown, Delaware, October 13.
- Introduction to Australian Aboriginal Art, Boca Raton Art Museum, Boca Raton, Florida, May 23.
1999
- Australian Aboriginal Art and Culture, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum, Wausaw, Wisconsin, December 7.
1998
- More Than Just Dreams: The role of art in the Australian Aboriginal struggle for land rights, social justice and self-determination. Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, Charlottesville, Virginia.
- The People Who Painted Places, Bayly Art Museum, University of Virginia, March 17.
RESEARCH GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
- 1992 Research Grant, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies; to study the significance of birthplace among central Australian Aborigines.
- 1991-92 Research Grant, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies; to study beliefs about conception and birth among central Australian Aborigines.
- 1991 Dupont Fellowship, University of Virginia
TEACHING
- 2009* Osher Institute of Lifelong Learning, University of Virginia
- 2008 Anthropology of Australian Aboriginal Art, University of Virginia
- 2003-07 Jefferson Institute of Lifelong Learning, University of Virginia
- 2003-05 Exploring Indigenous Australia, Instructor, Department of Anthropology, University of Virginia
- Australian Aboriginal Art, Instructor, Jefferson Institute for Lifelong Learning, University of Virginia
- 2000 Primitive Art in Civilized Places, Instructor, Department of Anthropology, University of Virginia
- 1998 Primitive Art in Civilized Places, Guest Instructor, Department of Anthropology, University of Virginia
- 1994 Race, Gender, and Medical Science, Graduate Instructor, Department of Anthropology, University of Virginia
- 1990 Anthropology of Film, Graduate Instructor, Department of Anthropology, University of Virginia
RELATED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- 2002-06 Consultant, Dreaming Their way: Aboriginal Women Painters from Australia, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC.
- 2001 Consultant, “This is My Country, This is Me” Contemporary Aboriginal Art from the Wolfensohn Collection, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C.
- 1993 Coordinator, Aputula Young Women’s Health Project Aputula Community, Australia
- 1992 Researcher, Aputula Mortality Study Aputula Community, Australia
- 1991 Coordinator, Fieldwork Conference Department of Anthropology, University of Virginia
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
- Piedmont Council of the Arts – Board of Directors
- American Anthropological Association
- Australian Anthropological Association
- American Association of Museums
- Virginia Association of Museums
