Uploaded February 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
One day while staying at a friend's house, Smith noticed a napkin she'd left on the porch: "I was overcome with an amused feeling of gratitude; I felt like the napkin was telling me that I was being given a level of care that I truly needed, but in a very unobtrusive way. And the larger message was that if one needs care, one should go to the place where perpetual care exists." In this segment of the performance, Smith ran back and forth across a room, avoiding collision with the walls by switching directions when someone struck a pair of clappers. As Smith grew tired, she briefly stopped running to interact with different objects, including a glass of water, a TV dinner, a sweatband, a stick, and flowers.
This video is part of the Barbara T. Smith papers at the Getty Research Institute. View the finding aid for Smith's archive: https://primo.getty.edu/permalink/f/19q6gmb/GETTY_ALMA21155149520001551
Barbara T. Smith: The Way to Be is on view at the Getty Research Institute from February 28, 2023 through July 16, 2023. Learn more: https://www.getty.edu/research/exhibitions_events/exhibitions/barbara_t_smith/index.html
One day while staying at a friend's house, Smith noticed a napkin she'd left on the porch: "I was overcome with an amused feeling of gratitude; I felt like the napkin was telling me that I was being given a level of care that I truly needed, but in a very unobtrusive way. And the larger message was that if one needs care, one should go to the place where perpetual care exists." In this segment of the performance, Smith ran back and forth across a room, avoiding collision with the walls by switching directions when someone struck a pair of clappers. As Smith grew tired, she briefly stopped running to interact with different objects, including a glass of water, a TV dinner, a sweatband, a stick, and flowers.
This video is part of the Barbara T. Smith papers at the Getty Research Institute. View the finding aid for Smith's archive: https://primo.getty.edu/permalink/f/19q6gmb/GETTY_ALMA21155149520001551
Barbara T. Smith: The Way to Be is on view at the Getty Research Institute from February 28, 2023 through July 16, 2023. Learn more: https://www.getty.edu/research/exhibitions_events/exhibitions/barbara_t_smith/index.html
