Smithsonian curator Ashleigh D. Coren will present a lecture, “The Risks of a Restorative Practice in Museum Education,” at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, at The Bates College Museum of Art. This talk reflects on Coren’s work as the Women’s History Content and Interpretation Curator for the National Portrait Gallery and as the Acting Head of Education for the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative. It also aligns with the Bates College Museum of Art exhibition “Who Are They? Who Am I? Portraits of Artists and Artist Self-Portraits from the Permanent Collection,” on view through Oct. 7.

While completing her bachelor’s degree in Arts and Visual Culture at Bates, Coren interned for the Bates Museum of Art, an experience she described as one of her “foundational museum experiences.” She continued her education, receiving a M.S. in Archives Management from Simmons University. Her writing has been published in The Journal of American Folklore, Viewfinder: Reflecting Upon Museum Education, and the International Review of African American Art. In her current roles at the Smithsonian, Coren develops and assists with research projects and public programs that focus on the history of women in portraiture. She also works with the public, educators, and other museum professionals to connect audiences with the stories of women in American history.

Combining her experiences in libraries, museums, and archives, Coren is passionate about valuing primary source and visual literacy, facilitating nuanced and open discussions on the history of women in America, and divesting from harmful organizational practices rooted in white supremacy. In an interview with the Smithsonian, she said that she gets “to show folks, ‘Here’s how you discover these people from all walks of life and races and here’s why they matter.’ It’s so important to educate the public about women’s contributions to history that may be overlooked. It’s important to preserve these stories and explore why these stories are missing.”

“Who Are They? Who Am I?” features 175 works representing periods from the seventeenth to the twenty-first centuries and including sculpture, drawings, prints, photography, and painting. Images include writers, filmmakers, musicians, actors, visual artists, and dancers. Some reveal a sitter’s standing in society — their power, importance, wealth, and beauty. Often artists’ depictions of other artists reveal their relationships to one another, hinting at larger aspects of artist connections, communities, and influences. In self-portraits, artists are often drawing out uniquely personal autobiographical or psychological aspects of themselves.

The Bates College Museum of Art is a preeminent cultural center supporting the mission, values, and aspirations of Bates College. As a teaching museum at a liberal arts college, the Museum of Art and its exhibitions, collections, stewardship, and interpretation bring a world of ideas to enhance the vitality of the intellectual and cultural life of Bates, the surrounding communities, and beyond. The museum located inside Olin Arts Center at 75 Russell St., Lewiston. It is free and open from Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and also until 7:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays from September to May. For more information, visit bates.edu/museum.

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