For our inaugural 2023 Artist Residency, the Beard and Weil Galleries will be transformed into a studio workspace for two visiting artists, Bláithín Haddad and Adjua Gargi Nzinga Greaves. Haddad, who graduated from Wheaton in 2019, is working in printmaking and glass sculpture on ideas around immigration, belonging, and parasites. Greaves’ interdisciplinary practice is guided by metaphysics, network science, ethnobotany, and the granular analytics of poetic inquiry. She will be working with poetry, linguistics, and LEGOS this fall.

Drop-In Artist Studio Hours | weekly on Wednesday, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Collaborative Workshop | October 12, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Closing Reception | October 13, 5:30–8:00 p.m.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 1:00 pm–5:00 pm & Thursday 1:00 pm–8:00 pm

We have boxes of brightly colored pencils, marking pens, hex codes, and seasonal fashions.  All of these give us access to color. But could it be that we are not seeing the whole picture in the color choices that are offered to us? The way many of us identify individual colors actually closes us off from the protean nature of color and from our abilities to interact with our color vision.  Color is not a thing; it is a relationship between. In this talk, artist Rosy Lamb shares her research into color as a responsive language we all can learn to speak by listening, and by attending to what our eyes see all around us.  Her reserach includes a prototype of a digital tool she is developing, which allows users to intuitively build relational colors using a similar methodology to pigment mixing.

Over the last half century, hip hop has taken over the world. Its beginning is marked by Cindy and Clive Campbell’s (aka DJ Kool Herc) legendary back-to-school party held in the Bronx on August 11, 1973. Since that time, hip hop has spread around the globe, lending its influence to innumerable spaces. Style is one of the most pervasive and visible manifestations of the culture, and twenty- first century fashion, from luxury labels to everyday dress, owes a debt to hip hop. Join Associate Curator Elizabeth Way to discuss her recent exhibition celebrating hip hop style at the Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Ms. Way will also discuss her curatorial specializations, impactful Black designers in American fashion and the historical evolution of fashion systems rooted in American slavery. 

The ensembles, under the direction of Visiting Assistant Professor Alexandra Lutkevich, present a concert of works with orchestra, featuring visiting artist conductor Christopher Lowrey and soloists from Ensemble Altera: Clare Brussel, Andrew Brown, and Michael Garrepy.  Suggested donation $10.

This professional dance company based in DC, focuses on the polyrhythmic art of stepping. Steeped in African and African American tradition, step has deep roots in the emergence of HBCUs in the south. Complex percussive sequences demand energy, precision, and teamwork; the intricacies of the movements can be heard as well as seen. Step Afrika! is committed to performance and outreach, their visit to Wheaton will surely expand our understanding of collective movement—and have everyone on the edge of their seats.

Free tickets may be reserved online via the Watson Box Office.

Noted soprano Louise Toppin presents an evening of art song, arias, and spiritual arrangements by Harry T. Burleigh and his contemporaries. The art songs featured will be included in a forthcoming edition of the art songs, long out of print but happily rediscovered by today’s artists.

Nicholas Kitchen, internationally recognized violinist, founder of the Borromeo String Quartet, and faculty member of New England Conservatory, presents a concert with Professor of Music, Ann Sears, piano. This performance includes sonatas by Beethoven and Mozart, as well as works by Clarence Cameron White and Amy Beach.

The Wheaton Chorale and Chamber Singers under the direction of Visiting Assistant Professor Alexandra Lutkevich, present an evening of musical theater and jazz, featuring group numbers as well as student soloists.

Dr. Ronald Crutcher, President Emeritus returns to Wheaton to celebrate the release of his recently published memoir I Had No Idea You Were Black: Navigating Race on the Road to Leadership. A leader in higher education, distinguished classical musician and accomplished administrator, Dr. Crutcher shares his talents on the cello before sitting down for an interview discussing his life as a Black leader successfully bridging America’s cultural divides and sharing his compelling story which offers many important lessons on life and leadership.

Diana Khoi Nguyen is a first-generation Vietnamese-American poet whose book, Ghost Of, is an elegy for her brother, and she explores the difficulties felt by parents from this culture.  A brief Q&A will follow this evening event.