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James R. Smail Natural History and Science Gallery
The James R. Smail Natural History and Science Gallery was established in honor of James Smail, a beloved Biology professor and department chair, who died in 1993. The mission of the Gallery is to communicate science in a primarily visual format. All exhibits must meet three criteria. The content must involve science, natural history, or mathematics. The exhibit must have a strong educational component . And, the exhibit must be visually striking. Each year, a Department in the Science Division organizes an exhibit, which is mounted in the gallery for the entire academic year. In many cases, the artist is invited and participates in the opening of an exhibit. The gallery was created during the renovation of Macalester’s Science building during the mid-1990s. With the generous help from alumni, friends, and family, a Smail Gallery endowment was created, which pays for the costs associated with the exhibits. James R. SmailExhibits 2009-10 Shadows of Life 2008-09 Born by the River 2007-08 Dances and Ceremonies 2006-07 The Art of Venn Diagrams 2005-06 Imagination and the Cosmos 2004-05 Rivers from Space 2003-04 Windswept Beauty 2002-03 Sands of Time 2001-02 Mathematics in Stone & Bronze 2000-01 Children's Learning in a Village 1999-00 Fruits of Decay 1998-99 Images of the Sea
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James R. Smail Jim Smail was a Renaissance man who loved both science and the arts. He was an accomplished piano player and photographer and also enjoyed drawing. He was trained as an embryologist but taught a diverse group of courses, including embryology, comparative vertebrate anatomy, and marine biology. Every January for more than twenty years, Jim took students to Florida or Hawaii to study marine life. Jim used his photography skills on these and other trips to build an impressive slide library, which he utilized in his classes. Besides educating Macalester students, Jim was passionate about communicating biology to the general public, authoring numerous articles, usually enhanced by some of his photographs. After Jim died, the Biology Department wanted to create a memorial commemorating his contributions to Macalester and to the thousands of students that he taught during his career. Given Jim's love for science, education, and things visual, the Department decided to create a science-art gallery in his name. The gallery was made possible through the generous gifts from alumni, friends, and family.
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