Please join us for the opening of our latest gallery exhibition, Ctrl+Delete.

The exhibition 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.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Thursdays 1:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m.
Please note: the galleries will be closed November 26-December 1 for Thanksgiving break.

Beard and Weil Galleries

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.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Thursdays 1:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m.
Please note: the galleries will be closed November 26-December 1 for Thanksgiving break.

Beard and Weil Galleries

Original fine-minute plays—written, directed, and performed by Wheaton students—are showcased in our biannual festival.

The design capstone is a chance for senior design majors to apply their knowledge and skills to a topic and situation of their choice. Posters show and explain what students investigated and why, steps they took to add depth to their understanding and how they responded with design concepts through sketches, diagrams, prototypes and mockups.

It features work by: Alicia Chang, Sofia Collina, Lucia Flaumenhaft, Louise Groover, Colton LaBrecque, Bobbie Lester, Reka Moscarelli, Taly Nudelman, Rebekah Roth, Jill Ryan, Reese Staples, Hailey Tice, Alison Tremblay, Ahaan Verma, Samzok Wangdi and Pear Wongwatanawisut.

Please note: the capstone is on display and viewable when the Watson Fine Arts Building is open.

The design capstone is a chance for senior design majors to apply their knowledge and skills to a topic and situation of their choice. Posters show and explain what students investigated and why, steps they took to add depth to their understanding and how they responded with design concepts through sketches, diagrams, prototypes and mockups.

It features work by: Alicia Chang, Sofia Collina, Lucia Flaumenhaft, Louise Groover, Colton LaBrecque, Bobbie Lester, Reka Moscarelli, Taly Nudelman, Rebekah Roth, Jill Ryan, Reese Staples, Hailey Tice, Alison Tremblay, Ahaan Verma, Samzok Wangdi and Pear Wongwatanawisut.

Please note: the capstone is on display and viewable when the Watson Fine Arts Building is open.

ephemera highlights the work of our graduating visual art majors: Quinn Antle, Isabel Cahill, Morgan Calverley, Nat Coughlin, Willow Covendecker, Avery Forman-Walsh, Lia Gatta, Rachel Pool, Philip Pope, Emily Redler, Rebekah Roth, Armani Santana, Nicholas Santana, and Jack Wehrle. The exhibition features painting, sculpture, printmaking, work on paper, textiles, photography, drawing, and a graphic novel. The exhibition runs April 17–May 17.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Thursdays 1:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m.  Please note: gallery hours may very May 3-17th

Join us for an evening of creativity and exploration at the galleries as we dive into the intricate world of tatreez embroidery- a centuries old Palestinian art form that weaves together history, identity and storytelling through vibrant thread work. This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to the fundamental stitches, patterns, and symbolism behind tatreez and invites both seasoned embroiderers as well as those picking up a needle for the first time!

We may think of archives as passive repositories but the projects in this exhibition explore how archives can rewrite history, activating counter-narratives. The projects range from artist books from the Women’s Studio Workshop; materials documenting Wheaton’s history from the Gebbie Archives and Special Collections; Tirazain, a digital archive of Palestinian tatreez embroidery designs; the Rhode Island-based Binch Press/Queer.Archive.Work‘s Community Supported Art (CSA) project, and the nonprofit Internet Archive. These varied examples show how archives celebrate non-dominant and non-linear stories and show us that history is not static.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Thursdays 1:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m.  Please note: the galleries will be closed March 9—17 for spring break.

We may think of archives as passive repositories but the projects in this exhibition explore how archives can rewrite history, activating counter-narratives. The projects range from artist books from the Women’s Studio Workshop; materials documenting Wheaton’s history from the Gebbie Archives and Special Collections; Tirazain, a digital archive of Palestinian tatreez embroidery designs; the Rhode Island-based Binch Press/Queer.Archive.Work‘s Community Supported Art (CSA) project, and the nonprofit Internet Archive. These varied examples show how archives celebrate non-dominant and non-linear stories and show us that history is not static.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Thursdays 1:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m.  Please note: the galleries will be closed March 9—17 for spring break.

Shelter is vital.  It’s required for us to survive but also to thrive.  Curated by students enrolled in ARTH 335: Exhibition Design, Shelter interrogates the spaces in which we live, play, work, and worship, the objects found in such spaces, and the concept of “shelter”, broadly defined.

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