The Davis Museum at Wellesley College held its annual fall exhibition opening and reception to welcome the public back after the museum’s summer hiatus. Light snacks, followed by the chance to be the first to view two new exhibitions was plenty motivation to draw a crowd of about 150 students, College faculty and staff, and local residents. Catering set up the bar outside this time—pro move, given the lobby of the Davis is always packed shoulder-to-shoulder for this event. As visitors moved about with plates of nibbles and glass in hand, students stood sentry at the gallery entrance. Nobody gets to see the art without first listening to opening remarks. The event was free, but not that free.

Wellesley College, Davis Museum, fall reception — Davis Museum, fall opening reception

The showpiece exhibit, “Excavating Antioch: the Archaeology of an Ancient City,” located in the lower level galleries, explores the ancient city of Antioch-on-the-Orontes (modern Antakya, Türkiye) and the legacy of its 1930s excavation. Drawing on artifacts, archival photographs, field notes, and film footage from the original dig, the exhibit reunites objects from five museums and uncovers the complexities of excavation, collection, and preservation.

“Excavating Antioch” was curated by Dr. Nicole Berlin and developed with Dr. Elizabeth Molacek as part of a multi-year research project with Wellesley College students and archaeological partners Dr. Banu Özdilek and Dr. Onur Tıbıkoğlu.

The other major exhibit is “Shi: Stories in Stone,” a display of rocks, minerals, and fossils, valued for their unusual forms. The shape of 石 shi, the Chinese character meaning “stone” or “rock,” mimics a small stone falling from a high cliff. Many of the stones are part of the Davis Museum’s permanent collection, a generous gift from Alan Helms, Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the University of Paris. The exhibit was curated by Yuhua Ding, Kemper Assistant Curator of Collections and Academic Affairs.

In addition to the new exhibits, the entire 5-floor museum was open to the crowd. If you haven’t been to the Davis in a while, stop by. They rotate their collection of 16,000 artworks in and out of storage, so you’ll be sure to see something new. Plus, the Davis is a great low-stakes museum visit for the kids, because it’s free and it’s local. If the littles get squirmy, you can self-eject the family with little fuss. The Davis will still be there, and you can try, try again until proper museum behavior becomes ingrained.

You’ll have plenty of time to catch both exhibits. They are on display through May 30, 2027.

The Davis Museum will be doing curatorial tours of these new exhibits as well as drop-in public tours across different themes throughout the museum. You can visit the Davis Museum website to find more information.

Parking for the Davis Museum is free and available in the Visitor Parking facility located directly off of the Route 135/Central Street entrance to the College.

If the great outdoors is more your family’s scene, you might check out the town’s varied outdoor art.

Take a look at Swellesley’s October Arts Roundup story for cultural outings in town and slightly beyond.