visual art Archives

Home » visual art

they never asked
suspicious or not –
just put us away

By Sen Taro, a poet incarcerated by the U.S. Wartime Civil Control Administration in the 1940s

The exhibition they never asked examines systemic, racialized U.S. immigration enforcement and confinement, showing how creative expression and documentation can counter forced erasure. Tracing over 200 years of policy, the show features the artwork of Wheaton alumna Momo Nagano, who was incarcerated at Manzanar, an American concentration camp, during World War II, alongside Mariam Ghani and Chitra Ganesh’s archival project the Index of the Disappeared. Local and historical resources include Mapping Deportations, a data visualization history project and book on Rhode Island detention created by Honora Spicer and Giancarlo Huapaya with the AMOR network.

The exhibition will be on display September 10–November 14, 2026.

Gallery hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 1–5 p.m., Thursday 1–8 p.m..

Join us for the opening reception of our first gallery exhibition of the academic year, they never asked. This exhibition examines systemic, racialized U.S. immigration enforcement and confinement, showing how creative expression and documentation can counter forced erasure. Tracing over 200 years of policy, the show features the artwork of Wheaton alumna Momo Nagano, who was incarcerated at Manzanar, an American concentration camp, during World War II, alongside Mariam Ghani and Chitra Ganesh’s archival project the Index of the Disappeared. Local and historical resources include Mapping Deportations, a data visualization history project and book on Rhode Island detention created by Honora Spicer and Giancarlo Huapaya with the AMOR network.

The exhibition will be on display September 10–November 14, 2026. The galleries are open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 1–5 p.m., and Thursdays 1–8 p.m..

2026 Senior Visual Art Exhibition

This exhibition highlights the work of our graduating Visual Art majors. It features animation, illustration, painting, photography, and sculpture. Featuring work by: Claire Berman, Charlie Black, Shaye Cox, Cali Griffin, Anjonelys Grullon, Tessa Hammond, Ben Massouda, and Olivia Price.

Exhibition runs: April 21–May 9, 2026

Commencement/Reunion Weekend: May 15 & 16

The Wheaton College Friends of Art proudly present the 18th Annual Mary L. Heuser Lecture in Art History featuring Camran Mani. Throughout his artistic career, Henri Matisse tried to be the teacher he had never had as an unhappy art student in late 19th-century Paris. In his talk, Camran Mani will explore the evolution of ideas about how to educate young people for careers in art by looking at a few of Matisse’s experimental teaching efforts from 1908-1948, including the art academy he briefly operated in Paris, his mural for an educational foundation in Pennsylvania, and the book Jazz.

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.