Samek Voices

Enjoy the latest deep dives on art, stories, and more from the Samek Art Museum community.

  • Ivory Study of a Dog with an Awabi Shell Netsuke, n.d.

    Netsuke are ornamental toggle like pieces, usually carved from ivory, used to attach a medicine box, pipe, or tobacco pouch to the obi (sash) of a Japanese man’s traditional dress. During the Tokugawa period (1603–1868), netsuke were an indispensable item of dress as well as being excellent works of miniature art. The Samek Art Museum…

  • The importance of Catalogues Raisonnés!

    Theresa Engelbrecht, Registrar & Exhibition Manager at the Samek Art Museum, had the opportunity to look at the Catalogues Raisonnés for Dali’s graphic works, and compare the information to the Samek’s holdings. In doing so, she confirmed suspicions that our Dali lithographs are not by his hand, but rather done “after” his style.  Here is the evidence:…

  • Who was Samuel H. Kress? 

    What do Bucknell University and the National Gallery of Art have in common?  The Kress Collection As a descendent of German and Irish immigrants, Samuel Kress’s story can be read as a tale of the, arguably antiquated, classic American Dream. Born in 1863, Samuel H. Kress was the second oldest of his seven siblings. He…

  • Participate in the Bucknell Community Art Wall

    This project is now concluded. We encourage contributions from our community of creative projects since the advent of the current health crisis. These projects may be traditional artworks (drawings, paintings), craft projects (needlework, woodwork), photos, garden projects, or anything creative! Image. Preferably 1000 pixels or more on longest side. Amateur/phone photographs welcome. Name and/or Bucknell…

  • The Samek is Hiring!

    The Samek Art Museum is seeking outstanding candidates for the positions of Preparator & Operations Coordinator and Registrar.  Both are full-time, 12 month, benefits eligible positions. You can find more information on the position and apply by going to the Bucknell Careers page and searching for “Preparator & Operations Coordinator” and “Registrar”.

  • A detailed look at Eddy Lopez’s work

    by Julia Carita ’20, Student Guide Eddy Lopez’s Nicaragua: Surviving the Legacy I and II bring the work of photojournalist Paul Dix and activist Pamela Fitzpatrick full circle. These prints are based off of the pair’s 2011 book Nicaragua: Surviving the Legacy, which documents the stories of 20 individuals who lived through the Contra war that followed the overthrow of the Somoza…

  • Opportunity: Samek Art Museum Fellowship

    The Museum Fellowship is offered for recent college graduates interested in pursuing a museum career. The fellowship focuses on curatorial work but also offers professional training in collection management, exhibition design and installation, education and public programs, and arts administration. It is designed to help fellows support their academic and career goals through supervised work…

  • Reception Notes for 1%: Privilege in a Time of Global Inequality

    By Maddie Seibert As we prepared for the opening reception for 1%: Privilege in a Time of Global Inequality, excitement grew, as it always does, over the catering. However, the spread for this particular opening had a twist; there would be food and beverages representative of the 1% and that of the 99%. For example, for…

  • Unequal Scenes

    In conjunction with the exhibition 1%: Privilege in a Time of Global Inequality, The Samek Art Museum is showing the work Unequal Scenes by Johnny Miller. The video is projected on the wall before the downhill side entrance to the main gallery, top floor, ELC. “Discrepancies in how people live are sometimes hard to see…

  • No Pets Allowed…Unless They’re on the Payroll

    While most museums only allow service animals near their precious collections, some museums hire animals to do the jobs that humans cannot. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston recently welcomed Riley, a three month old Weimaraner puppy who will be trained to sniff out possible collection-damaging pests. Bugs, rodents, and mold can cause serious…