CLTR+DELETE
September 10-December 10, 2025
Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 10, 5-7pm
Reading Frederick Douglass Together: Thursday, Oct 9, 5-7pm
Ctrl+Delete explores the persistent threat of censorship in the United States, from historical book bans used to control knowledge and suppress marginalized voices to today’s escalating restrictions—including the removal of books and art from public spaces as well as the June Supreme Court decision (Mahmoud v. Taylor) requiring schools to provide opportunities to opt out of listening learning about books that include LGBTQ+ characters. By tracing these acts of erasure across time, the show reveals how censorship has shaped, and continues to shape, what stories are told and who gets to tell them.
Alongside overt bans and challenges, the exhibition also addresses the quieter but equally insidious forces of self-censorship within art and educational institutions, where fear of controversy, loss of funding, or political pressure can limit which narratives are made visible. Central to the exhibition is the Ultra Violet Archive, an interactive library which resists silencing by preserving cultural memory and amplifying suppressed voices. Projects like the Minecraft Uncensored Library—a digital platform where banned texts are freely accessible—demonstrate how artists, activists, and technologists are developing inventive strategies to fight suppression.
As part of the exhibition, we will hold a community reading of Frederick Douglass’s work during National Banned Books Week in October. The exhibition also features a dedicated space where visitors can share their own experiences with censorship creating an archive that underscores the ongoing relevance of these struggles. Opportunities to engage will create a space for shared reflection, underscoring the enduring power of words to inspire freedom, dialogue, and change.
Hours
1–5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday + Saturday
1–8 p.m. Thursday
The galleries are closed Sunday, Monday and during college breaks.
Location
The Beard and Weil Galleries are located on the second floor of the Watson Fine Arts building on Wheaton’s campus. The closest parking area is directly across E. Main Street in Parking Lot 2 where there is free visitor parking.
About the Galleries
Through direct engagement with art, the Beard and Weil Galleries aim to foster a greater understanding of our shared world.
The Beard and Weil Galleries are a generative space for art and visual culture that develop knowledge and understanding across disciplines through public exhibitions and programs. The galleries are a hub of innovative research, creativity, and experiential learning that involves and engages the entire Wheaton community as well as the visiting public.
The Beard and Weil Galleries are a vital part of Wheaton’s creative and intellectual life. Our dynamic programming features work by contemporary artists and innovative exhibitions drawn from Wheaton’s Permanent Collections and the Gebbie Archives.
The Galleries’ educational mission encompasses all forms of creative expression in an effort to forge meaningful connections between objects and their histories, student and faculty creative work, art historical research, and critical thinking. The crucial role the visual arts play in a liberal arts education is central to the design and focus of our exhibitions.
Student-curated exhibitions are designed to give hands-on experience in the conception, design, and educational interpretation of exhibitions. Student creative work is featured annually in a Senior Visual Art and Design Majors’ exhibition.
Our exhibitions have been accompanied by a rich series of publications, written and designed by Wheaton students, staff, and faculty.
For more information
Elizabeth Hoy, Director, Beard and Weil Galleries
508-286-3364; [email protected]
Jessica F. Kuszaj, Associate Director, Arts Events and Publicity
508-286-3644; [email protected]
Arts information line: 508-286-3300
[email protected]
