Smart to the Core: Wise to Power

Why and how do people form political communities? How does political society organize our economic lives - and vice versa? And how as individuals do we navigate society? Smart to the Core: Wise to Power examines these questions by integrating visual art with foundational texts of modern social and political thought spanning nearly four centuries. Through a wide range of creative practices and philosophical perspectives, the exhibition addresses themes that are widely familiar yet deeply connected to specific political, economic, and cultural histories. Wise to Power is the fourth installment of "Smart to the Core," a series that fosters collaboration with the University of Chicago's Core undergraduate curriculum and builds on the Museum's commitment to explore the role of art across disciplines. Drawn primarily from the permanent collection, the exhibition project was organized by the Smart's Feitler Center for Academic Inquiry together with faculty, instructors, and students from UChicago's Social Sciences Core, "Power, Identity, Resistance."