Now open through June 28th, 2026, an exhibition at the Smith College Museum of Art is offering accessibility and interactivity at the forefront, complete with a giant conveyor belt that brings some of the art to you.
With Northampton, Massachusetts being its latest tour stop, experimental artist Finnegan Shannon says the newly-opened “Don’t mind if I do” exhibition offers visitors a chance to view, take in and even play with the works of several artists.
“One thing that I'm really hoping is that disabled people who have not felt like their needs were met, have, maybe, some needs met by this exhibition and feel affirmed in having those needs,” they told WAMC ahead of the exhibition’s opening, as a number of select pieces, chairs and other items of interest came together.
The main feature: a giant 25-foot conveyor belt - Shannon says it's just like the kind you find in a sushi joint. But instead of raw fish and seaweed being served up – there are about 30 plates carrying sculptures, games and more.
“I had this fantasy ... that I wanted to be able to go into a museum gallery and instead of having to stand and move from artwork to artwork, I wanted to be able to sit somewhere comfortable and have the artwork come to me,” Shannon explains.
With the help of curator Lauren Leving and technical director Peter Reese, the giant blue and white belt is in full operation from now until June 28th – its gears whirling as it gives motion to the exhibition.
The plates pass by, waiting to serve guests an experience. Pieces range items commemorating artist Emilie Gossiaux’s late guide dog to curious “puzzles” assembled by queer indigenous artist, Pelenakeke Brown.
“They are like geometry blocks that maybe you've might have played with as a kid: diamonds and triangles and hexagons [that] fit together in different ways,” Shannon says as they demonstrate the dozens of small bits that make up one piece. “Pelenakeke has been doing keyboard drawings, so the lines and marks on the puzzle/game/toy are made that way and you can play with them and make any shape or arrangement that is of interest to you.”
There's also a card game devised by University of Massachusetts Amherst’s own Jeff Kasper.
“This project is titled … ‘wrestling embrace’ and it's a series of relationship exercises. Folks are instructed to draw three cards - each one starts with a distance,” they explain, holding up one of the cards. “So this one says ‘Hold a distance of no more than three feet’ and then the instruction is ‘Contemplate or ask your partner what initiated this problem - Who are you angry with? What are you afraid of losing? How can your conflict be resolved?’”
Shannon says the idea for the exhibition goes back to 2023. Based out of New York City and working in multiple disciplines, the disabled artist tells WAMC she aims to confront ableism, especially in a space like a museum, where the works of many are intended to be viewed by all.
“I think one of the ways that ableism works is by isolating disabled people from each other, and so, I'm really interested in projects that allow disabled people to connect with one another, either through literally sharing space together, like being in the room together, but also through shared experiences and getting to know each other,” they say.
Often venturing through museums in a wheelchair themselves, Shannon says to strain and exert one’s self just to get a meaningful view of a portrait falls under the umbrella of ableism.
“I think it's easy to walk into a museum … and they all have some of the same kind of norms about them, and but those are choices,” Shannon says, touching on choices that range from positioning a painting well-above a guest in a wheelchair to galleries with floorplans that can make traversal a tall task for a guest with a disability.
“Those are choices that have been made over and over … and so, [the exhibition’s] a chance to feel what it's like to experience art with a different set of priorities,” they continued.
Wheelchairs can be found at the exhibition, as well, along with no shortage of seating, all part of a welcoming space.
The seats, the conveyor belt and artworks can be found at the Smith College Museum of Art through the end of June. More information on the exhibition, as well as the artists featured, can be found here.
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This piece originally aired on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.
