Gallery Exhibitions

Works from the Permanent Collection are regularly exhibited in the Beard & Weil Galleries, usually in shows curated by students and faculty. For example, in 2011, Professors Touba Ghadessi and Gen Liang collaborated to curate the exhibition The Art of Intellectual Community: Early Modern Objects and Pedagogy, engaging students from both of their fall courses in the project. Occasionally, collection objects are also used in exhibitions curated by the Gallery Director.

Taught biannually, ARTH 335: Exhibition Design attracts students from a wide range of programs. The course culminates in a gallery exhibition comprised primarily of objects from the Permanent Collection and the Marion B. Gebbie Archives & Special Collections. The exhibition’s focus is chosen by the course instructor(s). Students, faculty, and staff then collaborate to bring the exhibition to fruition.

In 2009, the course resulted in the exhibition Making It Modern: Wheaton College and the International Style, which was featured in the Summer 2009 issue of the Wheaton Quarterly .

In 2010, faculty, staff, and students collaborated on the exhibition Turning the Page: The Evolution of Artists’ Books. 

In Fall 2012, students enrolled in ARTH 335 curated 100 Years, 100 Objects. Starting with the 1912-1913 academic year and ending a century later, the exhibition used an artwork, document, or object from each year to commemorate the centennial of Wheaton Female Seminary becoming Wheaton College by exploring the stories behind the objects and their creators or donors.

The student-curated exhibition for Fall 2014 focused on the ways in which humans create and use fiber. Tracing the Thread opened on 19 November 2014 and was positively reviewed in Artscope magazine.

Students enrolled in ARTH 335 for Fall 2016 curated It’s Elemental: Water, an exhibition exploring the theme of water. This exhibition is the first in a planned series of four student-curated exhibitions focused on the classical elements: water; air; earth; and fire.