The night I introduced my favorite artist to Skidmore
The acclaimed artist Trenton Doyle Hancock delivered the sixth-annual Winter/Miller Lecture at the Tang Teaching Museum, and true to his experimental approach to art-making he turned his talk into an unexpected performance. Instead of speaking about his biography, influences, and exhibition history, he showed images of his work and announced their titles one after another: “Above My Head I Hear Music.” “Who Is It?” “Random Scoundrel.” “The Don’t Forget Me Again Face.” His career survey of 165 images became a form of poetry. I was blown away.
No one knew he was going to do that. Hancock himself said it was an experiment. It was a risk. That’s exactly why I wanted to bring him to campus. As the 2022-23 Eleanor Linder Winter ’43 Intern at the Tang, I have the privilege of selecting an artist and introducing them to the community. It has been one of the highlights of my Skidmore career.
Naima Nigh ’23 introduces Trenton Doyle Hancock at the sixth-annual Winter/Miller Lecture. (Photo: Shawn LaChapelle)
Hancock is best known for artwork that tells the ongoing story of the peaceful, forest-dwelling Mounds, the evil antagonists Vegans, and Torpedo Boy, a superhero protector of the Mounds and the artist’s alter ego. In the past, Hancock has focused his lectures on this narrative. Through his innovative performance he reinvented the artist-talk narrative, shifting the way his audience engaged with him and bringing a new curiosity to his work.
The audience asked great questions, due, in part, to the open-endedness and experimental nature of his presentation. People asked about identity, belief, influences, representation, audience, and the artistic process. In response to a question about his titles, Hancock said: “I have to find something that is where the language is reaching in a way and is beckoning you to complete this equation of picture, language, and something else that’s emotional or spiritual, that’s that space for the viewer to come in and complete the piece.”
Hancock’s generosity in making space for viewers is one of the many reasons why I’ve been fascinated with his work ever since I saw his epic career-spanning survey “Mind of the Mound: Critical Mass” at Mass MoCA in 2019. Sharing my fascination with a roomful of people was a wonderful experience.
Trenton Doyle Hancock delivers the 2023 Winter/Miller Lecture at the Tang. (Photo: Shawn LaChapelle)
I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. It allowed me to test my skills as a business major and art history minor. When I interviewed for the internship more than a year ago, I said I wanted to invite Hancock. Once he accepted, I worked on drafting a news release and my introduction, both of which tapped into things I’ve learned about research, marketing, writing, and public presentations.
I am so grateful to the Winter and Miller families for making this event possible, to the staff at the Tang for showing me how to put my ideas into practice, and, of course, to Trenton Doyle Hancock for making the trip all the way from Houston.
As this year’s Winter Intern, I am one of many students who get to have extraordinary work experiences at the Tang. The museum has three other named internships, plus paid internships in all areas of the museum, as well as a Student Advisory Council made up of volunteers who act as ambassadors for the museum and help program events.
The Winter/Miller Lecture is made possible through a generous gift from the family of Eleanor Linder Winter ’43. Past Winter/Miller Lectures have featured Nicole Eisenman (2018), Chris Ware (2019), Wangechi Mutu (2020), Nick Cave (2021), and Juliana Huxtable (2022).
Learn more about the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery.