Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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2026 Herb Jackson Annual Student Art Exhibition
The Van Every/Smith Galleries and the Davidson College Art Department will present the Herb Jackson Annual Student Art Exhibition in the Van Every Gallery from April 22 to May 7, 2026, with a reception on April 22 from 7-8:30 p.m. Awards will be presented at 7:15 p.m. The exhibition highlights more than 60 works produced during the…
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Mary Claire Hendrick ’26 | The Space Between Remembering
On View: April 22-28, 2026 Reception: Friday, April 24, 2026, 5-6 P.M. I am a Studio Art major with an Applied Physics minor and a member of the Women’s Lacrosse Team at Davidson College. Originally from Glenview, Illinois, I plan to pursue a master’s in architecture after graduation. My work explores how architectural space transforms…
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Sculpture Tour: For Students by Students
Join Van Every/Smith Galleries interns for a tour of campus sculpture! The campus sculpture program is an extension of the college’s permanent art collection. Available for viewing from dawn until dusk, in Richardson Plaza and throughout campus, the campus sculpture collection features outdoor works by significant, internationally-acclaimed artists. Meet in the VAC Missy Boaz Woodward ‘73…
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Seen in My Room: Sculptures I
Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983)Sculptures I, 1974Color Lithograph on Paper11 x 22 in. Gift of John Andrew MacMahon ’95 I picked this piece from ArtMate – the student art lending program – because I really love the colors and clean design. There’s something about the way it’s simple but unique composition caught my attention. Even though…
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Seen on Campus: The Warhols
Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987) Fran Lebowitz, Unidentified Man, and Unidentified Woman, no date 8 x 10 in. Gelatin silver print Ladies and Gentlemen (Broadway), 1974 4.25 x 3.375 in. Polaroid Jon Gould and Victor Hugo on a Surfboard, no date 8 x 10 in. Gelatin silver print Gift of the Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Project(c)…
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Seen in My Room: Pelé
Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)Pelé, 1979Polaroid4.25 x 3.375 in.The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. (c) My selected piece from ArtMate is an Andy Warhol Polaroid of Pelé. Pelé (1940-2022) was a Brazilian soccer player, considered one of the world’s all-time greatest (if not the greatest). Here, he is pictured in a Brazilian jersey,…
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Lunch-and-Learn: Rez Colored Glasses, The Native Perspective of Tom Farris
Tom Farris, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and Otoe-Missouria tribe, draws inspiration from his culture and life-long immersion in the breadth of American Indian artistic traditions. His work – often humorous, always smart – invites viewers to question the boundaries of what is “American Indian” art and appreciate the impact of Indigenous influences on…
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Lunch-and-Learn: Steve Sando: In Praise of Indigenous Beans
Join us for a Lunch-and-Learn with Steve Sando, founder of Rancho Gordo. Rancho Gordo is a specialty food company focused on growing and promoting heirloom and heritage beans (as well as grains and spices). Sando will speak on his work in supporting smallholder farms and inspiring a new wave of interest in indigenous bean varieties.…
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Steve Sando: In Praise of Indigenous Beans
Steve Sando is the founder of Rancho Gordo, a specialty food company focused on growing and promoting heirloom and heritage beans (as well as grains and spices). He will speak on his work in supporting smallholder farms and inspiring a new wave of interest in indigenous bean varieties. His passion has culminated in the best-selling…
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Seen in the Galleries: “Justice” and “We The People”
Hank Willis Thomas, Justice (Red), 2021. Mixed media, including U.S. Flags, 39.5 x 71.5 x 2.5 inches. Hank Willis Thomas, We The People, 2025. Mixed media, including decommissioned prison uniforms, 76.5 x 92.5 x 2.5 inches. Currently on view in the Van Every Gallery are two compelling works by artist Hank Willis Thomas: Justice (Red),…
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Maker’s Market
More than 10 vendors will sell their goods as our first Maker’s Market, in collaboration with the Hurt Hub.
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With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited
On October 23rd, 2025, over 700 hundred people gathered on the Davidson College campus between buildings built from bricks bearing the thumbprints of enslaved laborers for an October ceremony dedicating a new memorial in their honor. With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited serves as a place to remember and reflect upon…
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A Playlist Of the People, By the People, For the People — A Companion to We the People
Hank Willis Thomas’s new exhibit, “We the People,” comes at a very appropriate time for Davidson College and our nation. Thomas’s sculpture, With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited, has finally opened after years in the making, marking a long-overdue recognition to those who were directly affected by the college’s historic connection…
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Seen in the Van Every Gallery: Loving Day
Hank Willis Thomas’s solo exhibition We the People is currently on view in the Van Every and Smith Galleries, and this reflection explores one of several sculptures he created which highlights gesture. Like other smaller works in the exhibition, Loving Day, which Thomas created in 2022, is related to a larger work by the artist which…
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Seen on Campus: Brass Section (Jamming at Minton’s)
Romare Bearden (American, 1911-1988)Brass Section (Jamming at Minton’s), from the “Jazz” series, 1979Lithograph in colors on paper24.75 x 32.5 in.Gift of Carol Quillen, 18th President of Davidson College, and George McLendon It is difficult to capture the essence of sound through visual media. Already is it difficult to translate music into a visual language. It…
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Seen on Campus: Student Curators Take ART300 Learning Beyond the Classroom
Since the spring, the Belk Visual Arts Center has displayed the product of months of learning, critical thinking, and collaboration. On view in the rear of the Missy Boaz Woodward ’78 Atrium, Shades of Separation: Women in the Grey Area represents the combined efforts of fifteen students, mostly current senior art history majors. ART300, or…
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Seen on Campus: Perforated Seascape #2 (Red) Landscape
Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923–1997)Perforated Seascape #2 (Red) Landscape, 1965Porcelain enamel on perforated steel Located at Belk Visual Arts Center, 1st Floor Hallway Roy Lichtenstein is best known for his bold Pop Art creations from the 1960s, which often feature comic book heroines encapsulated in speech bubbles above fields of Benday dots. However, his work goes…
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Seen in Storage: The Family
Alice Neel (American, 1900-1984)The Family, 1982 31.5 x 27 inLithograph in colors on Arches paper Every fall at Davidson is marked with a dull ache of homesickness. Each year, I forget about this feeling, perhaps burying the emotion, trying to prevent it from resurfacing. Yet, each fall, the absence of my family hangs over my…
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Reception – In House: Art and Craft by Faculty and Staff
Join us for the reception for In House: Art and Craft from Faculty and Staff on Friday, Nov. 14, 5-6 p.m. Location: Hurt Hub@Davidson, 210 Delburg St, Davidson Exhibition On View: Oct. 31, 2025 – Feb 22, 2026 The Van/Every Smith Art Galleries, Hurt Hub@Davidson, and Davidson Arts and Creative Engagement are pleased to present an exhibition of art and…
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Lunch-and-Learn with Dr. Robert Carter: Catawba Ethnobotany
The Catawba Indian Nation developed a deep connection with the land they’ve lived on for over fourteen thousand years. Their connection is so deep their name for themselves is Ye Iswa, (People of the River). Join us for a lunch-and-learn with Dr. Robert Carter, Outdoor Education Coordinator and Clemson Extension Agent, who researched and compiled Catawba…
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Global Cinema Classics: Close-Up
1990 Iranian docu-fiction writte, directed, and edited by Abbas Kiarostami
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GLOBAL CINEMA CLASSICS – Close Up
Co-sponsored with Departments of English and Film, Media and Digital Studies Close Up (1990, Iranian docufiction written, directed and edited by Abbas Kiarostami.) Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Location: Semans Lecture Hall (VAC 117)
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Artist Lecture: Hank Willis Thomas
Join our community for an artist’s talk with Hank Willis Thomas, creator of With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited on Davidson’s campus. Thomas is a conceptual artist whose work explores perspective, identity, commodity, media, and popular culture. In this lecture, Thomas will discuss With These Hands alongside his broader art practice, considering…
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Gallery Walk Through of Rising Senior Studio Art Majors, Hurt Hub@Davidson
Join us at the Hurt Hub@Davidson College to hear from rising senior art majors. Artwork on view May 27-Oct. 29, 2025 Location: Hurt Hub@Davidson, 210 Delburg Street, Davidson, NC 28036
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ART + APPS
Join us for a snack and a short talk about artworks in the Galleries or around campus. Gallery Tour Join gallery staff and interns for a 15-minute talk about different works in Hank Willis Thomas: We The People. Friday, Oct. 10, 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00…
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ART + APPS
Join us for a snack and a short talk about artworks in the Galleries or around campus. Gallery Tour Join gallery staff and interns for a 15-minute talk about different works in Hank Willis Thomas: We The People. Friday, Oct. 10, 2 p.m., 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. Location:…
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Seen in Storage: Court Avenue Underpass
Amy Namowitz Worthen (American, b. 1946)Court Avenue Underpass, 1982Engraving on Paper14.5 x 12.625 in.Gift of Christopher A. Graf Peering into the organized abyss of Court Avenue Underpass, the sweeping arches draw me into the cross-hatched expanse and a half-oval of light under one of the arches suggests the brightness outside the tunnel which contrasts the…
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Seen in Storage: Antonius-Tín Bui
Antonius-Tín Bui (American, b. 1992)years staining from the inside out / all losses have lifetimes/ we who are made mostly of distance / But, who can prepare you for the past?/ we deal with a permanent voyage, the becoming of that which itself had become / you needed me first, and now I’m shaped like…
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Art, Mindfulness, and Community – Bearing Witness Lunch
Join Ivan Mayerhofer, Associate Chaplain for Buddhist Programs, Director of Davidson Meditation Initiative, Coordinator of Interfaith Programs, for a lunch where we will engage in the practice of Bearing Witness from the Zen Peacemakers Order. This includes (i) experiencing the exhibit from a place of unknowing mind, (ii) looking deeply, and (iii) responding compassionately. No experience…
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Art, Community, and Mindfulness – COMMUNITY SESSION
Join Ivan Mayerhofer, Associate Chaplain for Buddhist Programs, Director of Davidson Meditation Initiative, Coordinator of Interfaith Programs, for a mindfulness session, followed by lunch. No experience with mindfulness necessary. Register here.
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Art, Mindfulness, and Community – STUDENTS ONLY
Join Ivan Mayerhofer, Associate Chaplain for Buddhist Programs, Director of Davidson Meditation Initiative, Coordinator of Interfaith Programs, for a student mindful and meditative community engagements. No experience with mindfulness necessary. Register here.
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Art, Mindfulness, and Community – STUDENTS ONLY
Join Ivan Mayerhofer, Associate Chaplain for Buddhist Programs, Director of Davidson Meditation Initiative, Coordinator of Interfaith Programs, for a mindfulness session just for students of mindful and meditative community engagements. No experience with mindfulness necessary. Register here.
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Dedication for “With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited”
Join us for the dedication of With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited, collaboration between artist Hank Willis Thomas and global architecture firm, Perkins&Will. Musical prelude begins at 3:30 p.m.; Dedication at 4 p.m. Reception to follow. Location: Davidson College Front Campus, adjacent to Elm and Oak Row.
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Art + Apps – Seen on Campus
Join us for a quick snack and short talk about artworks in the Galleries’ collection installed in the E. Craig Wall Jr. Academic Center – We’re in This Together by Tavares Strachan & Ntozakhe II, Parktown, from the Somnyama Ngonyama series by Zanele Muholi.
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Day With(out) Art/World AIDS Day
In partnership with Davidson College Arts & Creative Engagement and Davidson College Health Education, the Galleries will once again commemorate Day Without Art with a screening of 6 videos commissioned by Visual AIDS that forefront the experience of drug users and harm reduction practices as they intersect with the ongoing HIV crisis. As a memorial…
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GLOBAL CINEMA CLASSICS – The Battle Of Algiers
GLOBAL CINEMA CLASSICS Co-sponsored with Departments of English and Film, Media and Digital Studies The Battle Of Algiers (1966, Italian-Algerian by co-written and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo) Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Location: Semans Lecture Hall (VAC 117)
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GLOBAL CINEMA CLASSICS – Black Girl
GLOBAL CINEMA CLASSICS Co-sponsored with Departments of English and Film, Media and Digital Studies Black Girl (1966, French-Senegalese drama written and directed by Ousmane Sembène) Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, 5p.m.-6:15 p.m. Location: Semans Lecture Hall (VAC 117)
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Coffee + Conversation – Explorations: New Works by Joelle Dietrick, Luis Sahugun, Tyler Starr, and Katie St. Clair
Hear from studio art faculty about their work in the group exhibition, Explorations: New Works by Joelle Dietrick, Luis Sahugun, Tyler Starr, and Katie St. Clair This exhibition celebrates the creative research of Studio Art faculty, whose practices span a wide range of media, methods, and concepts. As working artists and educators, Dietrick, Sahagun, Starr, and…
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Reception – Explorations: New Works by Joelle Dietrick, Luis Sahugun, Tyler Starr, and Katie St. Clair
VAN EVERY GALLERY Explorations: New Works by Joelle Dietrick, Luis Sahugun, Tyler Starr, and Katie St. Clair On View: Monday, Aug. 25 – October 1, 2025 Reception: Thursday, Sept. 10, 2025, 5:30-7:30 p.m. This exhibition celebrates the creative research of Studio Art faculty, whose practices span a wide range of media, methods, and concepts. As…
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Coffee + Conversation: ArtMate
ArtMate Selections On View: Aug. 25 – Sept. 9, 2025 ArtMate Selection: Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, 5 p.m. Students, drop in and learn about ArtMate, an art lending program for students in any residence hall. Imagine transforming your residence hall room into a personal gallery with a piece of art that speaks to you. With…
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ArtMate Selection Party
ArtMate Selections On View: Aug. 25 – Sept. 9, 2025 ArtMate Selection: Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, 5 p.m. Imagine transforming your residence hall room into a personal gallery with a piece of art that speaks to you. With ArtMate, you can do just that! This unique art lending program allows the first 125 students to…
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Seen in Storage: From the Reina Sofía to Davidson College
I spent my Fall 2024 semester studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. I enrolled in courses held directly in Madrid’s world-renowned museums: the Prado and the Reina Sofía. While the Prado’s Renaissance and Baroque artworks left me speechless, the Reina Sofia holds a special place in my heart because it features works I had yet to…
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New Acquisition: Liên Trương’s From the Earth Rise Radiant Beings
Liên Trương (Vietnamese, b. 1973)From the Earth Rise Radiant Beings, 2021Oil, silk, acrylic, copper pigment, enamel on canvas72 x 96 in.Gallery Purchase with funds from the Dr. Joan Huntley Art Acquisition Endowment and Lisa Robinson Chidsey ’83 & John Chidsey ’83 Liên Trương’s exhibition, From the Earth Rise Radiant Beings, was on display in the…
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Seen in Storage: Vincent Attends “Homage to Van Gogh” Exhibit at Moma, 1982
Greg Constantine (Canadian-American, b. 1938)Vincent Attends “Homage to Van Gogh” Exhibit at Moma, 1982Lithograph on paper15.25 x 22.75 inGift of Christopher A. Graf Happy National Museum Lover’s Day! Greg Constantine’s playful Lithograph depicts Vincent Van Gogh at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. I remember hearing about Vincent Van Gogh, along with Monet,…
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Amelio Aragona ’25 | Where’s My Nice Bra?
On view: April 24th- 30th, 2025 Reception: Friday, April 25, 4:00-5:00 p.m. Artist Statement: Amelio’s practice pulls from their experiences working as a first responder. Amelio is fascinatedby people in situ, and they search for ways in which irony and humor serve as earnestdepictions of the human condition. In moments of chaos, the southern “bless-yer-heart”social script is…
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Tyler Ramsey ’25 | Adorned Still
On view: May 3 – 9, 2025 Reception: Tuesday, May 6, 4:00-5:00 p.m. Artist Statement: Having grown up with an undiagnosed inflammatory disorder, Tyler’s work is informed by hispersonal distortion of comfort and the pain of remembering his childhood. Tyler’s art attempts tosubvert associations of comfort specifically that of light and softness. Through his interactionswith the materials used, I hope to convey a sense of unease and the desperate struggle tosolve/understand my health issues. Tyler’s practice is a method of self reflection and represents hissearch for closure from a chapter of my life that has brought about so much lasting confusion. Learn more about Tyler’s Art Process Studio Visit: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Van Every|Smith Galleries (@davidsoncollegeartgalleries) Artist Talk: Virtual Tour:
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Seen on Campus: RFK Funeral Train
Paul Fusco, American (1930 – 2020)RFK Funeral Train, 1968 (FUP1968010K003), 1968, printed 2011Cibachrome print16.875 x 20.875 inGift of John Andrew MacMahon, Class of 1995 I TA a class in Chambers, so I see this photograph twice a week when I enter and exit the room. The first time I noticed it, I thought I saw…
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Seen on Campus: Martha Graham – Letter to the World
Barbara Morgan (American, 1900-1992)Martha Graham – Letter to the World, 1940Gelatin silver printGift of Martin Blumenthal Happy International Dance Day! One of my favorite things about visual art is its propensity to encapsulate other fields within it – for example, try looking up “science” or “music” in the gallery’s online collection, and lots of related…
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Seen on Campus: Celebrating Award-Winning Artists’ Work this International Sculpture Day
Happy International Sculpture Day! Each day, Davidson students, professors, staff, and community members alike encounter with fond familiarity the myriad of sculptures which bring to life countless campus spots. Whether working on an assignment in the Wall Center, heading into Commons for a meal, trekking to the library for a study session, or strolling through…
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Evie Mulhern ’25 | Playgrounds of the void
On view: April 9 – 15, 2025 Reception: Thursday, April 10, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Evie Mulhern is a Computer Science and Studio Art double major at Davidson College, originally from Alexandria, VA. Most recently, she has explored mixed media pieces with fine art paper, canvas, glitter, and acrylic paints. Evie is a printmaker and digital artist at heart,…
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