Visions of Sugarplums, 2 December 1971 1971

Curator: Let’s discuss Keith Smith’s mixed media artwork, Visions of Sugarplums, created on December 2nd, 1971. Editor: It has such a gentle, dreamlike quality, doesn't it? The layering of textures and translucent materials gives it a feeling of ethereality. Curator: Exactly. Smith's use of collage and textile incorporates photography and colored pencil, speaking to an exploration of identity, gender roles, and perhaps the feminine mystique within a very specific socio-political moment. Editor: How fascinating. Tell me more about that sociopolitical climate and what about it may have resonated for Keith Smith, or vice versa, especially in light of feminist and queer theories? Curator: Certainly, the early 1970s witnessed a surge of feminist discourse and a more visible queer movement challenging traditional norms. It makes me consider how Smith may have been visualizing internalized dialogues and shifting societal expectations surrounding gender identity. Also, it is possible to situate this piece within the larger context of how identity is being actively questioned. The use of the portrait, specifically the ghostly image behind layers of fabric is rather arresting. Editor: Indeed, the layering might symbolize veiling—concealing yet revealing at the same time. The title itself, "Visions of Sugarplums," sounds like the antithesis of social turmoil. Could it signify a yearning for something more, for an escape from those burdens, a space of feminine subjectivity? Curator: That’s insightful. Smith's layering disrupts the expected form, almost in defiance of the patriarchy and its imposed norms. What is concealed is, as you noted, equally revealing of desire. It certainly underscores the art historical emphasis on identity and form. The piece is itself an essay of being. Editor: What a rich dialogue embedded in seemingly simple textures and images. It serves as a visual record of not only artistic experimentation, but a marker in cultural change. Curator: Absolutely. Smith invites us to critically question and confront deeply held ideas about seeing and being, identity and its constructions, by exploring new modalities of meaning in form.