Smith Office for the Arts (SOFA)

Founded in Fall 2022, the Smith Office for the Arts (SOFA) is a new office at Smith focused on unifying arts planning and programming on campus through collaboration and co-creation of programs and initiatives designed to support the creative work of students, staff and faculty. The Office for the Arts will ultimately act as a hub of information about arts activities and events, operating as a central resource for elevating the role the arts can play within the campus landscape. Through developing sustained partnerships, SOFA aims to provide more resources and opportunities for students in curricular, co-curricular and informal arts participation. It will strengthen the presence and visibility of the arts and artists at Smith, providing the capacity to deepen the impact of the arts on campus and in the community.

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About Us

Leigh Fagin

Jean and David W. Wallace Foundation Director

Leigh Fagin is the inaugural Jean and David W. Wallace Foundation Director of the Office for the Arts at Smith College. She is an interdisciplinary arts and culture producer with over 20 years of experience in arts administration and programming for arts and cultural institutions, nonprofits and higher-education spaces. Before arriving at Smith in Fall 2022, she was the Senior Director of Programming and Engagement for the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago, where she worked for over 13 years providing leadership for collaborative arts projects and programs that contributed to the creative culture at the university while supporting the artistic work of students and faculty. In her role, she oversaw university arts engagement including the UChicago ArtsPass program, coordinated exhibitions, performances, artist residences and grant programs, and chaired the UChicago Arts Programming Committee.

Recent projects include Carrie Mae Weems: A Land of Broken Dreams; Hypocrisy of Justice: Sights and Sounds from the Black Metropolis; Jenny Holzer’s YOU BE MY ALLY; CinéVardaExpo - Agnès Varda in Chicago, What is an Artistic Practice of Human Rights?, Centennial Brooks, Envisioning China, a Philip Glass Residency, and Let’s Get Working: Chicago Celebrates Studs Terkel. Leigh also curated the Logan: On Display exhibitions program. During her tenure she launched the Logan Center Bluesfest and the Blues programming initiative, the Logan Collaboration Grant and the Arts & Innovation Series in collaboration with the Polsky Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and was acting Program Director of eXp, the Experimental Performance Initiative. In 2017, she oversaw the strategic planning process for the Logan Center as part of the five-year anniversary.

Prior to UChicago, Leigh worked at the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, where she oversaw the DanceBridge Residency program, helped launch Chicago Artists Resource and coordinated Chicago Artists Month, which included over 220 visual arts events every year across the city. She has previously worked at MASS MoCA, The Kitchen, Performing Arts Chicago, Lucky Plush and Young Audiences/New York. She has a masters in art education from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a degree in art history from Wellesley College.

Shawn Reming Jr.

Program Manager

Shawn Reming Jr., Ph.D. is the first program manager for the Smith Office for the Arts (SOFA) at Smith College. With a background in student engagement, arts programming, and leadership development, Shawn supports faculty, students, and staff in creating and amplifying arts initiatives across campus. His work includes developing funding opportunities, piloting new arts programs, and fostering connections between students, academic departments, and community partners.

Shawn began his career in student affairs in 2014 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Pitt Serves and later served as program manager for the “Year of Creativity” and ‘Year of PittGlobal’ initiatives in the Office of the Provost, where he facilitated university-wide events and cross-disciplinary collaborations. Before joining Smith, he served as Senior Youth Programs Coordinator at the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, where he designed and implemented student programs including youth leadership workshops, conferences, and a Youth Fellowship program.

Shawn holds a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. He also earned an M.A. in history with a focus on modern Ireland, film studies, and social inequality from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in history and cultural anthropology from Saint Vincent College.

Shelley Latham

SmithArts Marketing & Communications Manager

Shelley Latham has been supporting the work of Smith College’s arts departments since 2019. In her position as the SmithArts Marketing & Communications Manager she is responsible for the publicity for all public facing campus events for music, theatre, dance, film and media, art, and SOFA. Shelley is a passionate advocate for the role that the arts play on campus—building community, challenging assumptions, creating joy, and affirming our humanity. She is excited to be part of the team welcoming students, faculty, staff, friends, families, and community members to connect with the arts at Smith.

Shopping Small, Smithie Style

Since its inception in December 2022, the Smith Arts Sale has only grown in scale. The most recent event, held in December 2024, saw over 50 student makers setting up shop in the Julia McWilliams Child ’34 Campus Center.

“So many of our students are entrepreneurs, creatives, and makers,” says Leigh Fagin, director of the Smith Office for the Arts (SOFA). “This allows them to explore the value of their work, feel supported by the community, share their passions, and be recognized for their talents.”

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When you join our SmithArts mailing list, you will receive weekly emails with information on art, dance, music, theatre and film/media events at Smith during the academic year. Sign up for our new SOFANotes email to learn about current exhibits, visiting artists & poets, academic opportunities and more.

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Contact Office for the Arts

Leigh Fagin
Jean and David W. Wallace Foundation Director of the Office for the Arts

Sage Hall 105
Northampton, MA 01063