Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Alumni Highlight – Brian T. Leahy ’11
Last semester when I was researching the artist Bethany Collins, I stumbled upon an article published on Artforum. The author of this article was Davidson alum, Brian T. Leahy. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Leahy, who generously shared his experience in Davidson and post-Davidson. Leahy received B.A. in religious…
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New Intern: Kate Cross
Meet Kate Cross, one of our amazing new interns on staff at the Van Every/Smith Galleries! Kate Cross is a Junior at Davidson College from Durham, North Carolina. Kate is currently studying Art History, and studied abroad in Rome, Italy this past semester. Learn more about Kate: Why did you want to intern at the…
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A Look Inside the Studio: Natalie Hall
This past week Claire Begalla, an intern at the Van Every/Smith Art Galleries had the chance to take a tour of Natalie Hall (’23) studio in the Visual Arts Center. Watch this video to learn more about Natalie, her art, and get to see into her artistic space! Natalie will have her own show in…
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Centering Geography: A Conversation about the Missing Academia
“Geography is always human, and humanness is always geographic.” – Katherine McKittrick Davidson College’s commemorative site project is now moving into its next phase. Laid out by the Commission on Race and Slavery, the initiative seeks to create a work of art to honor the contributions of enslaved people and others whose labor was exploited…
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A Look Inside the Studio: Art Major Meredith Lodice
This past week Claire Begalla, an intern at the Van Every/Smith Art Galleries had the chance to take a tour of Meredith Lodice’s (’23) studio in the Visual Arts Center. Watch this video to learn more about Meredith, her art, and get to see into her artistic space! Meredith will have her own show in…
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Embodied Cartography in Territorial Disputes and the Davidson College Chambers Singers
October 12 marked the opening of Susan Harbage Page: Embodied Cartography in Territorial Disputes, the newest installation in the Van Every Gallery at Davidson College. The exhibit reflects artist Susan Harbage Page’s pilgrimages tothe U.S.-Mexican border and grapples with the messiness, confusion, and tragedy that marks this tumultuous place. From photographs to quilts to golden…
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Farewell to our beloved sculpture, “Common Ground”
Click the image to read the full article on The Davidsonian and join us on Monday, December 5 from 4-5:30pm for a little farewell event!
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In Conversation: Lorena Mal
As we wrap up our exhibitions for the semester, we wanted to share our conversation with artist Lorena Mal. Earlier this semester, Mal spent three weeks on campus creating her exhibition, Witness Trees, currently on view in the Smith Gallery through December 7. We were thrilled to be invited into a conversation with Mal along…
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Seen in storage – The Dr. Joan Huntley Collection
I remember three years ago when I just started working in the gallery, my first task was to add Japanese titles to our Japanese woodblock prints. One of the first ones that I worked on was 台の茶屋 浅間下 (Teahouses on the Bluff, Below Asama) by 歌川広重 (Utagawa Hiroshige). I remember myself searching for the work…
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New Intern: Tyler Ramsey
Meet Tyler Ramsey, one of our amazing new interns on staff at the Van Every/Smith Art Galleries! Tyler Ramsey is a Sophomore at Davidson College from Manilla, Philippines. Tyler is currently studying Computer Science. Learn more about Tyler: Why did you want to intern at the art gallery? “I like art.” Who is your favorite…
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Seen on Campus: Iruka Maria Toro
Iruka Maria Toro (Puerto Rican, b. 1983)The World and Her Double, 2016Acrylic and collage on paper40 x 53 in.Gallery Purchase Iruka Maria Toro is a Puerto Rican artist whose paintings serve as a record of her life. Toro uses patterned flora, fauna, pools of water, and liquefying landscapes in an imperfectly symmetrical arrangement to best…
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Returning Intern: Sarah Zhang
Meet Sarah Zhang, one of our amazing returning interns on staff at the Van Every/Smith Galleries! Sarah Zhang is a Junior at Davidson College from Shanghai, China. Claire is currently studying Art History and Psychology, and has worked in the gallery for the past 3 years. Learn more about Sarah: What has even your favorite…
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A Look Inside the Studio: Art Major Laura Bullock
This past week Claire Begalla, an intern at the Van Every/Smith Art Galleries had the chance to take a tour of Laura Bollock’s (’23) studio in the Visual Arts Center. Watch this video to learn more about Laura, her art, and see into her artistic space! Laura will have her own show in the Smith…
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Seen In My Room: Anonymous Portrait with Shirt
The piece that I chose in ArtMate was Anonymous Portrait with Shirt by Anthony Goicolea. In many ways, this piece was the best of what was left, and it was not my first choice but it was a top 5 piece of the collection (in my opinion at least) so in many ways it was a steal…
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Returning Intern: Toshaani Goel
Meet Toshaani, one of our amazing returning interns on staff at the Van Every/Smith Galleries! Toshaani Goel is a Junior at Davidson College from Chandigarh, India. Toshaani is currently studying Global Literary Theory, and has worked in the gallery for the past year. Learn more about Toshaani: What has even your favorite exhibition during your…
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New Intern: Rory Mullis
Meet Rory Mullis, one of our amazing new interns on staff at the Van Every/Smith Galleries! Rory Mullis is a Freshman at Davidson College from Mooresville, NC. Rory is currently studying Psychology and Biology. Learn more about Rory: Why did you want to intern at the art gallery? “I like art and wanted to be…
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Seen in my room: Andy Warhol’s Crosses
Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)Crosses, 1982Polaroid4.25 x 3.375 in.The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.(c) The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. Going into ArtMate this year, I was incredibly excited- and mainly because I knew the galleries had several Andy Warhol polaroids in their collection. The idea that I, a student,…
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New Intern: Gaby Sanclimenti
Meet Gaby Sanclimenti, one of our amazing new interns on staff at the Van Every/Smith Galleries! Gaby Sanclimenti is a Sophomore at Davidson College from Doylestown, PA. Gaby is currently studying Psychology. Learn more about Gaby: Why did you want to intern at the art gallery? “I’ve always enjoyed spending time in creative, self-expressive places.…
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Unshadowed Land Project: Catawba Corn Lunch
Living in the present age of capitalist and industrial markets, we seem to be drifting away from the land. It is so easy now to just swipe a card at the grocery and receive processed food. So we often take for granted how food is grown and instead think of it as merely products for…
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Seen in My Room: Utagawa Kunisada’s Untitled
歌川 (Utagawa) 国貞 (Kunisada) (Japanese, 1786-1865)Untitled, ca. 1950Woodblock on paper20.5 x16.5 in.Gift of John A. Welsh III, Class of 1959 This Untitled piece of art by 歌川 (Utagawa) 国貞 (Kunisada) hangs above my bed and is the first thing you see upon entering the room. This woodblock piece from the 1800’s was a gift to…
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Returning Intern: Oliver Poduschnick
Meet Oliver Poduschnick one of our amazing returning interns on staff at the Van Every/Smith Galleries! Oliver Poduschnick is a Sophomore at Davidson College from Middlebury, VT. Oliver is currently studying Economics and Political Science, and has worked in the gallery for the past year. Learn more about Oliver: Did you do anything art related…
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Art 348 Exhibition | Learning , Unlearning, Relearning: Mediating on America’s Past and Present
The white walls surrounding any gallery or museum space alway seem so innocent: they create an isolated and quiet space, detached from our living reality, that allows an immersive experience of the artworks on display without the intrusion of external influences. But museums and galleries are in fact institutions; they are bound up with various…
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Seen in Storage: Eddy Mumma
Eddy Mumma (American, 1908-1986)Untitled, ca. 1969-1986Acrylic on Canvas18 x 14 in.Gift of John A. Welsh III, Class of 1959. The bright colors and playfulness of Untitled may lead one to believe they are viewing the masterpiece of an aspiring 9 year old artist. Therefore, one might be shocked to find it’s not only made by…
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New Intern: Kaiyan Wang
Meet Kaiyan Wang, one of our amazing new interns on staff at the Van Every/Smith Galleries! Kaiyan Wang is a Junior at Davidson College from Jinhua, China. Kaiyan is currently studying Art History. Learn more about Kaiyan: What has even your favorite exhibition during your time at Davidson? “Auguste Rodin: Truth Forum Life” You can…
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Seen in my room: Todd Webb’s Grand Street Station
Todd Webb (American, 1905-2000)Grand Street Station, 1946Gelatin silver print20 x 16 in. Gift of Vincent Mastrata Todd Webb’s Grand Street Station captures a glimpse of a seemingly quiet New York City – a lack of people, a still train, a hazy sky frozen in motion. The photograph itself, taken in 1946 and one of Webb’s…
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Returning Intern: Claire Begalla
Meet Claire Begalla, one of our amazing returning interns on staff at the Van Every/Smith Galleries! Claire Begalla is a Junior at Davidson College from Deland, Florida. Claire is currently studying Digital and Screen Media, and has worked in the gallery for the past 3 years. Learn more about Claire: What has even your favorite…
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New Semester, New ArtMate!
Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Joan Miro…… can you imagine waking up to their artwork every morning? In February of 2022, the Van Every/Smith Galleries first launched ArtMate, a program that brings high-end artworks to students’ bedrooms. Widely acclaimed by students, ArtMate returned this semester with even more works, more eligible residence halls, and more participants.…
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Catawba Corn Update – August 2022
A few weeks ago, Virginia Heiser and I harvested the remainder of the corn from the Unshadowed Land sculpture. Then, student Oliver Podushnick and staff members Halle Murphy, Lia Newman, Marisa Pascucci, David Sackett shucked and braided it for drying. A fair amount of corn of all shapes and sizes was harvested, similar to what…
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Returning Intern: Sarah Willoughby
Meet Sarah Willoughby, one of our amazing returning interns on staff at the Van Every/Smith Galleries! Sarah Willoughby is a Sophomore at Davidson College from Greensboro, NC. Sarah is currently studying Art History, and has worked in the gallery for the past year. Learn more about Sarah: What has even your favorite exhibition during your…
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Commemorative Project Update – Zoom Community Engagement Sessions
The unacknowledged contributions of enslaved Black people are everywhere on Davidson’s campus. A special committee tasked with creating a public commemoration to those whose labor was stolen will help to fulfill the promises the college has made to itself and to the world. In the fall of 2021, Davidson College released a Call For Qualifications…
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Planting Possibility
Click the image below to read about Unshadowed Land, our collaboration with artist Nicholas Galanin, the Catawba Nation and several campus partners.
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Sara Zewde/Studio Zewde Selected as a Finalist for Davidson College’s Commemorative Site
In the fall of 2021, Davidson College released a Call For Qualifications for the creation of a commemorative work of art to honor the contributions of enslaved people and others whose labor was exploited. The call was open to professional artists, architects, landscape architects, and design teams with experience managing, designing, and completing public art…
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Bethany Collins & Torkwase Dyson selected as Finalists for Davidson College’s Commemorative Site
In the fall of 2021, Davidson College released a Call For Qualifications for the creation of a commemorative work of art to honor the contributions of enslaved people and others whose labor was exploited. The call was open to professional artists, architects, landscape architects, and design teams with experience managing, designing, and completing public art…
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Hank Willis Thomas and Perkins&Will selected as Finalists for Davidson College’s Commemorative Site
In the fall of 2021, Davidson College released a Call For Qualifications for the creation of a commemorative work of art to honor the contributions of enslaved people and others whose labor was exploited. The call was open to professional artists, architects, landscape architects, and design teams with experience managing, designing, and completing public art…
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Walter Hood/Hood Design Selected as Finalist for Davidson College’s Commemorative Site
In the fall of 2021, Davidson College released a Call For Qualifications for the creation of a commemorative work of art to honor the contributions of enslaved people and others whose labor was exploited. The call was open to professional artists, architects, landscape architects, and design teams with experience managing, designing, and completing public art…
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Finalists Selected for Commemorative Site for Enslaved and Exploited Laborers
Davidson College is a liberal arts institution dedicated to cultivating humane instincts and disciplined, creative minds. Our community touchstone is the Reformed Tradition of the Presbyterian Church, a tradition rooted in the belief that all lives are valuable, equal, and deserving of dignity. Founded in the American South in 1837, less than thirty years before…
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Alumni Highlight – Marin Florence Williams ’16
This week alum Marin Florence Williams ’16 shared with us her exploration in the arts industry and how her years in Davidson have prepared her for this journey. Marin is finishing her last semester towards a dual master’s in Art History and Art Administration at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a…
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Catawba Corn Update
In addition to water, fertile soil, and a pH level of about 6.5, corn loves sunlight. But perfecting the combination of these resources fundamental to the development of corn can be quite tricky. Great variation in growing conditions can exist within meters of each other, let alone from the Farm to the Katherine and Tom…
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New Acquisition: Alice Neel’s “The Youth”
Alice Neel (American, 1900-1984)The Youth, 1982Lithograph in colors on Arches paper38 x 25 inGift of John Andrew MacMahon ’95 In this portrait, a young man sits directly in the middle of the painting. Sitting on an unpainted seat, the figure leans forward with his arms crossed over his legs and looks straight at the viewer.…
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Radcliffe Bailey Selected as a Finalist For Davidson College’s Commemorative Site
In the fall of 2021, Davidson College released a Call For Qualifications for the creation of a commemorative work of art to honor the contributions of enslaved people and others whose labor was exploited. The call was open to professional artists, architects, landscape architects, and design teams with experience managing, designing, and completing public art…
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Caring for Catawba Corn as part of “Unshadowed Land”
From my limited experience with painting, I have often used water for cleaning my brushes and occasionally thinned my paint. However, when it comes to Nicholas Galanin’s work, Unshadowed Land, those two common art terms have vastly different meanings. Rather than experimenting with new aesthetics or creating contrasting layers within a work, the thinning recently…
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Seen in Storage: Eugène Delacroix
Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798-1863)Juive d’Alger (Jewish Woman of Algiers), 1830 Etching on paperGallery Purchase 1830’s, North Africa. Eugène Delacroix and his friend, Count de Mornay, are on a good-will, diplomatic mission to the Sultan of Morocco. Delacroix’s drawings fill countless pages of his sketchbooks, depicting his observations of Arab life. An encounter greatly influences Delacroix’s…
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Seen In Storage: Raymond Pettibon
Raymond Pettibon (American, b. 1957)Untitled (However Vast), 2007Color lithograph on wove paper33.375 x 25.125 in.Gift of John Andrew MacMahon, Class of 1995 However vast the “outer space” may be, yet with all its sidereal distances it hardlybears comparison with the dimensions, with the depth dimensions of our inner being, which doesnot even need the spaciousness of…
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Seen on Campus: A Shatter of Camellia Blooms Arranged Themselves over Tom’s Face
Raymond Grubb (American, b. 1952)A Shatter of Camellia Blooms Arranged Themselves over Tom’s Face, 202023 x 17 inArchival ink jet printGallery Purchase A man sits — or perhaps lounges — on the ground, leaning against a rusted bench. Vibrant pink Camellia flowers lay across the man’s face. Vines and branches growing with green leaves curl up around…
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New Acquisition: 1, from Distorted Square Within a Circle
Robert Mangold (American, b. 1973)1, from Distorted Square Within a Circle , 1973Screenprint in colors on Arches paper27.75 x 27.75 inGift of John Andrew MacMahon ’95 Don’t tell Robert Mangold that square pegs don’t fit in a round hole. All jokes aside, Mangold’s 1, from Distorted Square Within a Circle exemplifies the contrast and tension built upon…
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Artist: Mickalene Thomas
Mickalene Thomas is a New York-based artist who boldly uses enamel, acrylic, and rhinestones in her larger-than-life pieces. Often known for her portraits, Thomas’ work points to identity, gender, and beauty standards. Even more specifically, how women are represented and presented in pop culture. The two portraits gifted to the college are of the most…
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Panel Discussion — “The Growth of ‘Unshadowed Land’: Welcoming Kus Back to Campus”
On April 19th, the VAC hosted a panel discussion titled “The Growth of ‘Unshadowed Land’: Welcoming Kus Back to Campus” on our continuing project with Indigenous artist Nicholas Galanin, “Unshadowed Land,” and our collaboration with Catawba Nation, the native people indigenous to this area. The event was sponsored by the Davidson College Farm; the Environmental…
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Seen In Storage: Anne Noggle
Anne Noggle (American, 1922-2005)Myself as a Pilot, 1982Silver gelatin print14 x 16.75 inGift of the Anne Noggle Foundation Photographer Anne Noggle titled her self-portrait series The Saga of Fallen Flesh. To her, a face became photographable when its individual story was wholly legible in the language of skin folds and wrinkles. She said, “I find…
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2022 Annual Student Art Exhibition: A Mosaic of Student Life
This year will be the first time the Van Every/Smith Galleries of Davidson’s Visual Arts Center will have a fully in-person reception for our Annual Student Art Exhibition since 2019, pre-pandemic. To commemorate, the gallery decided to print posters for the event with the printing press in Dr. Andrew Rippeon’s letterpress lab. Gallery interns Sarah…
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Alex Nikolaidis Konstas ’22 | Lethe
The goal of my art is to depict that, while memory can be ephemeral, one’s core identities can remain stable. Being a Studio Art and Psychology double major, my drawings are heavily grounded on theories that relate to the frailty of memory, such as the modification of memories upon recall and the subjective experience of…
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