Family & Friends Weekend

Family and Friends can register for the event through our registration form. Registration will be open until Wednesday, September 21, 2022.

Register for Family and Friends Weekend

On this page:

• Friday, September 23, 2022
• Saturday, September 24, 2022

Schedule

Friday, September 23, 2022

1 – 5  p.m
What Only You Can Make: The Art of The African Wrap Doll from The National Black Doll Museum
This exhibition is a partnership between the college and The National Black Doll Museum of History & Culture, the country’s largest repository dedicated to the art, craft, history, and preservation of Black Dolls. The exhibition includes selections from the Museum’s collection of handmade African Wrap Dolls, the history and family lore that connect the Museum’s dollmaking to the past, the process and the materials used for making the dolls, and connections between the African Wrap Doll and African and African American hair and clothing styles.
Beard and Weil Galleries, Watson Fine Arts

3 – 6 p.m.
Check In
Get all the information you need for the weekend. Grab a cup of coffee and a quick snack, and return at any point during the day for a break.
Atrium, Balfour Hood

4 – 6  p.m.
Arts Quad Party
Come check out what arts@wheaton is all about, including how students can get involved. There will be music, food trucks and more!
Hood Courtyard, Watson Fine Arts

8 p.m.
Stand Up Magic
Enjoy “stand up magician” Derek Hughes, lauded by audiences and critics alike, with the New York Times calling him “thoroughly entertaining.” Hughes has performed his magic on MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, and the CW’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us. He has served as a consulting producer on TRUtv’s hit magic series, The Carbonaro Effect and was a top ten finalist on NBC’s America’s Got Talent.
Cole Memorial Chapel

Saturday, September 24, 2022

8:30 a.m.
Check In
Get all the information you need for the weekend. Grab a cup of coffee and a quick snack, and return at any point during the day for a break.
Atrium, Balfour-Hood

8:30–10:30 a.m.
Breakfast
Chase Dining Hall or Emerson Dining Hall

10 – 10:30 a.m.
Educational Treasures: A tour of the Permanent Collection
Representing the gifts of scores of donors, Wheaton’s Permanent Collection is an extraordinary resource for teaching and learning. It consists of more than 7,500 objects ranging from Egyptian antiquities and seventeenth-century Chinese woodblock prints to contemporary art, including photography, sculpture and works on paper and canvas. Tour the collection’s treasures with Leah Niederstadt, associate professor of museum studies and curator of the Permanent Collection.
Room 145, Watson Fine Arts
Note: This program also will be offered at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Wheaton Maker Spaces Open House
Stop by Wheaton’s Fab Lab to see the incredible resources available for free to students! Meet Brandon Witter ’20, who frequented the lab as a student and now runs the new and improved space. Tour the space and about the numerous processes and machines involved in Digital Fabrication! Have you ever been curious how a 3D printer works? See for yourself! Student employees will be present to further explain the capabilities of the Lab.
Room 2339, Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center

10:30 – 11:15 a.m.
Navigating the College Years
The college experience presents new challenges for students learning to succeed with a greater degree of independence and for the parents and families supporting them in this transition. Join Dean of Students Darnell Parker and a panel of parents in discussing how to support your student and the resources available on campus to help all students throughout their college career.
Hindle Auditorium, Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center

10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Wellness Walk
Grab a map at check-in and enjoy a self-guided tour of some of the many spaces on campus that support wellness.

11 – 11:30 a.m. 
Educational Treasures: A tour of the Permanent Collection
Representing the gifts of scores of donors, Wheaton’s Permanent Collection is an extraordinary resource for teaching and learning. It consists of more than 7,500 objects ranging from Egyptian antiquities and seventeenth-century Chinese woodblock prints to contemporary art, including photography, sculpture and works on paper and canvas. Tour the collection’s treasures with Leah Niederstadt, associate professor of museum studies and curator of the Permanent Collection.
Room 145, Watson Fine Arts
Note: This program also will be offered at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Frisbee Clinic
Join the Ultimate Frisbee team for a hands-on lesson in how to throw and catch a frisbee.
Nordin Athletic Field

11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Art in the Open
Public art is displayed throughout campus. Works by commissioned artists, Wheaton professors and students, the pieces offer inspiration and reflect the creative capacity of the community. Tour them with Associate Professor of Art Kelly Goff, whose work is displayed on campus, in public spaces and private collections across the globe.
Hood Courtyard (Concourse in front of Meneely)

11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
What Only You Can Make: The National Black Doll Museum and the Art of the African Wrap Doll
This exhibition is a partnership between the college and The National Black Doll Museum of History & Culture, the country’s largest repository dedicated to the art, craft, history, and preservation of Black Dolls. The exhibition includes selections from the Museum’s collection of handmade African Wrap Dolls, the history and family lore that connect the Museum’s dollmaking to the past, the process and the materials used for making the dolls, and connections between the African Wrap Doll and African and African American hair and clothing styles.
Beard and Weil Galleries, Watson Fine Arts

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Lunch
Chase Dining Hall or Emerson Dining Hall

12 – 1 p.m.
Solitary Garden: A Garden for Incarcerated Mothers
A public art collaboration with artist and activist Jackie Sumell, Roxbury-based non-profit Families for Justice as Healing, and mothers who are incarcerated at MCI Framingham. Seed packets will be available for anyone who wants to join the project!

1 – 1:30 p.m.
Educational Treasures: A tour of the Permanent Collection
Representing the gifts of scores of donors, Wheaton’s Permanent Collection is an extraordinary resource for teaching and learning. It consists of more than 7,500 objects ranging from Egyptian antiquities and seventeenth-century Chinese woodblock prints to contemporary art, including photography, sculpture and works on paper and canvas. Tour the collection’s treasures with Leah Niederstadt, associate professor of museum studies and curator of the Permanent Collection.
Room 145, Watson Fine Arts
Note: This program also will be offered at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

1 – 2 p.m.
Exploring the Classroom Beyond Campus
Hear from Wheaton students about the many ways that they explore and connect academic and career interests through internships, research and global study. The panel will offer food for thought for students and families. The discussion will be facilitated by Gretchen Young, dean of the Center for Global Education and Lisa Gavigan ‘83, P’18, director of Career Services
Hindle Auditorium, Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center

2 – 4 p.m.
Filene Center Open House & Ice Cream Social
Join the Academic Advising and Career Services staff for an ice cream social to learn more about the many services they offer.
Kollett Hall, Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center

1:30 – 7 p.m.
Club Rugby Doubleheader
Cheer on the Wheaton men’s and women’s rugby club teams. The men will face Roger Williams University at 1 p.m.; the women square off against Southern Connecticut State University at 3:30 p.m. Enjoy the competition as well as refreshments from Del’s Lemonade.
Nordin Athletic Field

3:30 – 5 p.m.
Phi Beta Kappa Ceremony & Reception
The nation’s oldest honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, celebrates and advocates excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. During the ceremony, this fall’s inductees will be welcomed into the honor society. Reception to follow.
Hindle Auditorium, Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center

7 – 8:30 p.m.
Trivia
Join Student Activities, Involvement and Leadership (SAIL) for a fun night of trivia and awesome prizes!
Emerson Dining Hall