Catherine Stuer (Assistant Professor of Art History, Denison University; Smart Museum Mellon Foundation Curatorial Intern [2011–12]; and and PhD’12, Art History, University of Chicago) and Jie Shi (PhD candidate in Art History at the University of Chicago and Smart Museum Curatorial Intern) discuss why traditional East Asian paintings are often inscribed with words and stamped with seals as part of the Smart's 40th anniversary exhibition Objects and Voices: A Collection of Stories (February 12–June 21, 2015).