All it took was one phone call for Margo Smith to change gears. Having been to Central Australia as an anthropology graduate student in the early 1990s, Smith’s name came to the attention of a certain billionaire philanthropist whom we’ll call John Kluge. He was looking for someone to catalogue an outstanding collection of Aboriginal artwork that he had acquired. He called in early 1995, and Smith’s been connected to him and the collection that he eventually donated to UVA nonstop in the 15 years since. Anthropology’s loss is art history’s gain.
While the modest converted house on Pantops hardly announces itself as a cultural powerhouse, as Smith, now nearing 50, rightly points out, it’s “the finest” collection of Aboriginal art outside of its native continent of Australia. The historical depth represented by the bark drawings as well as the collection’s geographical diversity ensure this.
|
“I enjoy having so much variety in the job and working with the objects and working with the artists,” says Smith. “It’s unique having this collection in America and representing Aboriginal art to people who might never make it to Australia.” |
A book capturing the extent and strength of the collection, Art from the Land, has become a standard on the shelf of any serious Aboriginal art scholar. Beyond which, Smith’s affinity for building a network has brought the collection even greater international renown, such that indigenous curators now look stateside to round out their own shows.
“When I have approached people in Australia, doors have opened very easily,” she says. “In fact, we’re often asked to loan works and send them back to Australia for exhibitions.”
