Shellburne Thurber's retrospective exhibition "Full Circle" runs from October 24, 2025 to March 21, 2026 at the Bates Museum of Art. The show surveys Thurber's decades-long photographic investigation of interior spaces—from her grandmother's home in southern Indiana in the 1970s to psychoanalytic offices published as a book in 2023 by Kehrer Verlag. Curated by Bates curator Samantha Sigmon, the exhibition traces how Thurber has consistently explored the relationship between constructed space and human energy, focusing on private, domestic, and psychological interiors that blur the line between public and private.
The exhibition matters because it offers a focused retrospective of an artist who has spent over five decades examining how lived spaces reflect human presence and memory. Thurber's work connects intimate domestic photography with broader themes of abandonment, psychology, and the passage of time. Her inclusion in major collections such as the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Addison Gallery of American Art, and the ICA Boston underscores her significance in American photography. The show also highlights Thurber's ongoing influence as an educator, having taught extensively across New England, most recently at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.