Davis Museum at Wellesley College

09/04/2026

What is a Shi? The Chinese character 石 (shi), meaning “stone” or “rock,” visually resembles a small stone falling from a high cliff. For over a millennium, Chinese people have collected and studied shi, transforming them into art. They seek 𝘲𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪 (strange stones) and 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪 (odd stones) for their unusual forms. They call their prized stones 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘩𝘪 (offering stones) to show reverence. In English, these objects are known as scholars’ rocks, a term that highlights the historical role of the educated elite in their collection but overlooks other dimensions of these stones. Opening on September 25th, 𝘚𝘩𝘪: 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 reintroduces shi as sources of individual and collective memories, painting pigments, writing tools, artistic inspiration, and representations of the microcosmic universe. ⁣🪨
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📍 Join us for our fall opening celebration on September 24th at 5 PM. ⁣

08/31/2026

Welcome back, Wellesley! 🎨

And to the Class of 2030 — welcome home. We’re so glad you’re here. 💜

This fall marks a beginning for the Davis too: Dina Deitsch has just stepped in as the Museum’s new Ruth Gordon Shapiro ‘37 Director, starting her own first semester at Wellesley right alongside the incoming class.

A quick introduction, for anyone who hasn’t wandered through our galleries yet: the Davis holds more than 15,000 works spanning antiquity to today, gathered from across the globe — paintings, sculpture, photography, works on paper, and decorative arts alike. It’s been a living classroom since Wellesley’s earliest days, and it’s yours to explore. 🖼️🏺

The Davis is open for scheduled class visits starting today — but save the date: our big opening celebration is September 24th when we all look forward to welcoming you in!

See you in the galleries! ✨

08/29/2026

Welcome back, Wellesley! 💙 While campus may have felt quiet this summer, our art and landscape team has been hard at work behind the scenes — including some care for one of our most beloved outdoor sculptures.⁣
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As many folks may or may not know, the Wellesley College campus paths were designed to wind and surprise — laid out in the “picturesque” style to reveal something new at every turn, echoing the same spirit of discovery at the heart of a Wellesley education. It’s along these paths, where students (and visitors too!) are encouraged to get a little lost, that you’ll find the Davis Museum’s public art collection. Woven into the grounds, sculptures by Nancy Holt, Kenneth Snelson, and Robert Irwin, among others, are sited outdoors in complement and contrast to the surrounding landscape (➡️ our bio 🔗 for our outdoor sculpture map! 🗺️).⁣
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This summer, our Robert Irwin sculpture, 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 (𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘦), 1980 — commissioned for its site just behind Clapp Library, overlooking Lake Waban — underwent a long-overdue cleaning. While it may look like a construction site for a bit, the sculpture was carefully cleaned by expert conservator Gregory Curci.⁣ 🚧

Not to worry: we’ll be adding new plantings around the work that will weave it back into the landscape (and, with any luck, cut down on tripping hazards).⁣ 🌱
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Thank you, Greg, and thank you to our friends at Clapp, for your partnership in keeping our art and landscape beautiful and functional for generations to come!⁣


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08/27/2026

📣 We’re kicking off the new academic year at the Davis Museum, and you’re invited! ✨ Join us in welcoming our new Director, Dina Deitsch, as we open two incredible new exhibitions: 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘩: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 and 𝘚𝘩𝘪: 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦. Light refreshments will be served. Bring a friend and come explore art and history at the Davis!⁣⁣ 🏺🪨

🗓️ Thursday, Sept 24 | 5–8 PM (Remarks at 5:30)⁣, Davis Museum Lobby & Galleries⁣⁣
Free and open to the public. Accommodations: [email protected]⁣
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08/24/2026

𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘩 began with a simple but urgent question: How and why did so much material from Antioch end up in museum collections abroad?⁣ 🏺
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The answer takes us back to the 1930s, when an international team excavated ancient Antioch under the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon. The excavations followed 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦, a system that governed how finds were divided between the host country and the foreign institutions supporting the work.⁣
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But 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 was more than a system for distributing objects. It shaped decisions made in the field: what was documented, what was preserved, what was selected, and ultimately what left the site.⁣

This is where provenance research becomes essential.⁣
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By bringing together artifacts with archival photographs, field notes, drawings, excavation records, and film footage, we can trace objects through the different stages of their lives—from excavation and documentation to dispersal, storage, and their arrival in museums. The decisions made during the 1930s continue to shape museum collections today—including the collections at the Davis.⁣ 🗺️
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Many of the objects featured in 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘩 have spent decades in storage, and looking closely at their records can reveal stories that were absent from earlier publications. 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘩 asks us to think more critically about how archaeological knowledge is produced, how collections are formed, and how museums can responsibly care for cultural heritage today.⁣
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📍 Join us on Thursday, Sept 24 at 5 PM as we celebrate the opening of our 2026-2027 academic year exhibitions: 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘩: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 and 𝘚𝘩𝘪: 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦. Visit www.thedavis.org for more information.

08/13/2026

Amanda Gilvin, Koerner Senior Curator, visited Jessica Orzulak, the Davis’s former Gruber Fellow, at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center, where Jessica recently became the curator. If you’re in Ohio, do not miss this powerhouse of an institution! Contemporary Arts Center

📷 Jessica Orzulak in front of the Cincinnati CAC

📷 Amanda Gilvin (L) and Jessica Orzulak (R)

08/11/2026

Mark your calendars! ✨ This fall the Davis Museum opens two major exhibitions that look at history and art through a fresh lens:⁣
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𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘩: 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺⁣ Examine Antioch-on-the-Orontes (now Antakya, Türkiye), from its prominence in the Roman Empire to its excavation in French-controlled Syria in the 1930s. Through archival materials and artifacts brought together for the first time since their excavation in 1937, the exhibition explores daily life in antiquity alongside the modern practices that uncovered, documented, and dispersed the city’s material culture.⁣
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𝘚𝘩𝘪: 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦⁣ The shape of 石 shi, the Chinese character meaning “stone” or “rock,” mimics a small stone falling from a high cliff. “Shi: Stories in Stone” offers cross-disciplinary perspectives on nature, science, art, and culture through the lens of collecting and studying shi.⁣
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📍 Opening Celebration on Thursday, September 24 at 5pm. Free & open to all. Visit www.thedavis.org for more info.

08/04/2026

05/24/2026

We love welcoming Wellesley alums back to the Davis! Happy Reunion Weekend! 💙

05/20/2026

Highlighting recent Wellesley College grad, Karla Narvaez ‘26, who worked as an Education Assistant and served on DMSAC.⁣ ✨
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𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴/𝘎𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴: At the Davis, I helped train student guides, designed K-12 educational materials, and worked on accessibility projects, including the Multisensory Project. As a member of DMSAC, I aided in advising the Davis on various projects, collaborated with students and museum staff for events such as our annual after-hours event, 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬, and strengthened the link between the Davis and the Wellesley College student body. ⁣
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𝘍𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘴: Through my work with the Multisensory Project, I learned how to 3D print! ⁣
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𝘍𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: My favorite object on display is 𝘜𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘉𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘭𝘺 by Chakaia Booker. The sculpture is made of rubber tires, and I love how the medium comments on labor, sustainability, and artistic traditions such as textile work. When standing in front of the piece, the curves and turns of the bent rubber are mesmerizing. Born and raised in New York City, the title reminds me of my own identity as an urban butterfly. ⁣
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Join us in congratulating Karla! ⁣🎓
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Current and incoming students interested in learning more about the Davis and ways to get involved can visit our bio 🔗 or send us a DM!⁣
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🖼️ Chakaia Booker, 𝘜𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘉𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘭𝘺, 2001, Rubber tires, Museum purchase with funds provided by Wellesley College Friends of Art 2004.79⁣
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