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Museums at Washington and Lee University

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Museums at Washington and Lee University

We advance learning through direct engagement with the collections. Free admission and all are welcome.

The Museums at W&L advance learning through direct engagement with the collections and facilitate an interdisciplinary appreciation of art, history, and culture. The Museums at W&L consist of the Reeves Museum of Ceramics, University Chapel & Galleries, and Watson Galleries. Sign up for our monthly newsletter at http://eepurl.com/immQK6

06/01/2026

The Reeves Museum of Ceramics and the Watson Galleries will be closed to the public this summer as we prepare for the upcoming 150th anniversary of the W&L Art Collection. During this time, we will be installing new exhibitions and preparing for our exciting line up of programs.

Watson Galleries will be the first site to reopen, with September 2, 2026 marking the start of "Block Party!", a show highlighting the work created by Chinese brush painter Zhang Xiaoli during her 2025 artist residency at the W&L Art Museum! Stay tuned for additional details!

Keep an eye out, as well, for "Portrait of a President: George Washington at 250," a W&L Art Museum interactive installation going up in the Leyburn Library on July 3, 2026.

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05/28/2026

Congrats grads! We at the W&L Art Museum are so proud of our graduating student workers!

Jordan Hoover, a double major in journalism and studio art, has worked at the W&L Art Museum for three years as a social media lead. After graduation, she plans on combining her interests in journalism and photography as a TV news producer!

Kate Martin, a double major in art history and classics, is a museum assistant and Poynor Research Scholar. She will be volunteering on the Agora excavation in Athens, Greece this summer, after which she will start her masters of classical archaeology degree at Oxford University!

Nora Kuhn, a double major in history and English literature, has worked at the W&L Art Museum for four years as an administrative and curatorial assistant. She co-curated "The Leyburn Edition of LONG TIME NO SEE" and is preparing to attend graduate school in the fall!

05/21/2026

More photos from Zimbabwe!

Based out of the Mbare Art Space in Harare, 15 W&L students are using their Spring Term to explore the intersection of art and sustainability with Director of the Art Museum Isra El-beshir and Associate Professor of Art Sandy de Lissovoy.

Through ARTS 238 "Sculpting Sustainability in Zimbabwe," the students are not just meeting local artists, environmental scientists, and members of the cultural community, but actively collaborating with them, gaining truly unique hands-on experiences that will stay with them throughout their academic and professional careers.

05/20/2026

While we will greatly miss museum assistant Kate Martin '26, we are so excited to hear about her plans for after graduation! Kate will be volunteering on the Agora excavation in Athens, Greece this summer, after which she will start her masters of classical archaeology degree at Oxford University!

Way to go Kate!

05/18/2026

Happy International Museum Day! Since 1977, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) has organized this annual celebration in honor of the ways museums strengthen societies by fostering cultural and intellectual exchange.

This year's theme is "Museums Uniting a Divided World," highlighting museums' potential as trusted public spaces to foster dialogue, inclusion, and peace in the face of social and political polarization.

Hope to see you soon at the Reeves Museum of Ceramics and Watson Galleries, open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10AM - 5PM!

05/14/2026

Sometimes the best way to process other people's art is by making your own!

It's been such a thrill hosting students from our local schools, not just in our galleries, but on the lawn and along our sidewalks as well. It's certainly a reminder that the joy of creativity doesn't have to come from something permanent, let alone polished!

05/11/2026

More news from Spring Term travel study!

Director of the Art Museum Isra El-beshir and Associate Professor of Art Sandy de Lissovoy are leading ARTS 238 "Sculpting Sustainability in Zimbabwe," a course that combines studio art and cultural heritage studies to explore Zimbabwe's environmental, political, and social landscapes.

W&L students have been working with artists and scientists at Mbare Art Space, Geo Pomona Waste Management, and other natural and cultural sites as they learn about and experiment with techniques for repurposing materials from the global waste stream.

05/10/2026

Mothers have played a special role in the arts throughout history as advocates, models, thematic subjects... and, of course, as artists themselves! For Mother's Day, we share two works highlighting some of these influences:

"Washington's Interview with his Mother" captures the moment that Mary Ball Washington, a single mother, steered the course of her son's (and the nation's!) destiny by discouraging a young George Washington from becoming a midshipman.

"Madonna II" adopts a more symbolic (but no less impactful) approach with a composition referencing the Christian "Madonna and Child" works of medieval and Renaissance Europe. Artist Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012), herself a mother, examined the power and diversity of maternal relationships frequently in her work.

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Slide 1: after Alonzo Chappel (artist), Johnson, Fry and Co. (publisher), Washington's Interview with his Mother, 1857, print. Museums at W&L, Gift of Marian S. Carson, U1984.3.4.

Slide 2: Elizabeth Catlett, Madonna II, 1991, serigraph. Museums at W&L, Museum purchase made possible in part by a generous gift from Jane Joel Knox, 2020.31.2.

05/08/2026

This summer, Art Museum gallery assistant Lydia Ruffin '29 will be working as a historic trade intern at George Washington's Mount Vernon! There, she will do historical interpretation of 18th-century farming techniques, as well as research subjects related to George Washington.

We're so excited for Lydia and can't wait to hear all about the experience!

05/04/2026

Our new intern: "Uh, everything's under control. Everything's perfectly all right now. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?"

May the Fourth be with you! Be sure to visit the Reeves Museum of Ceramics and Watson Galleries before our exhibitions close on May 30! Free and open to the public on Wednesday through Saturdays from 10AM - 5PM.

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Slide 3: Moffat Takadiwa, Pregnant Picasso Bull, 2024. Image courtesy of the Artist and Nicodim Gallery.

Address

204 W Washington Street
Lexington, VA
24450

Opening Hours

Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+15404588768

Website

https://museums.wlu.edu/

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