Wellesley arts roundup: Davis Museum not quite ready for the rest of us; Dana Hall shows children’s book art; paintings & collage at Main Library

January 12, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Our round-up of the latest Wellesley, Mass., arts news:

Davis Museum not quite ready for the rest of us

The Davis Museum at Wellesley College will be reopening its galleries to the Wellesley College campus community at the start of the spring semester, come Jan. 25. Among the exhibits: “Picturing Pompeii: Archaeology and Early Travel Photography.”

Virtual galleries remain the consolation prize for the wider community. Thanks, but we’ll pass. We filled our art quota for the month by taking in the Worcester Art Museum (we’ll try to sum up that visit for you soon).

worcester art musum — The big mosaic a Worcester Art Museum

Dana Hall gallery shows children’s book illustrations

The new Dana Hall Art Gallery exhibit called “Children’s Book Illustration and Other Work,” will run through Feb. 11. The show features the art of alumnae illustrators Devin Cole ’06 and Nez Riaz ’14.

Cole is a multimedia artist based in Italy whose work ranges from conceptual jewelry to large-scale paintings. Cole has self-published a children’s book intended to aid in teaching Italian.

Riaz has experience in children’s publishing and editorial illustration as well as educational art for print. She is serving as a sabbatical replacement for Visual Arts Department Head Michael Frassinelli.

Located in the Classroom Building, the Dana Hall Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Due to COVID-19 protocols, please email [email protected] before planning your visit. The gallery is closed weekends and school
holidays.

Wellesley library exhibits

At the Wellesley Free Library, two exhibits will run through the end of January. In the lobby, Wellesley resident Jae Roosevelt explores collage in her garage studio, which she describes as a “welcoming and creative space.”

Roosevelt, a Boston University Art History graduate, has shown her work in numerous galleries in Washington, D.C., as well as Accra, Ghana, and Nantucket. This is the first exhibit of her collages.

Art, Wellesley, Jae Roosevelt — Jae Roosevelt, collages.

In the Wakelin Room, Small Works, by Michael William, features paintings on a relatively small scale. William’s goal was to not spend more than a few days on each piece, and to choose simple subjects. In an artist’s statement, William says the paintings, “…bring me back to those moments where something often overlooked moved me enough to want to capture it.”

Art, Wellesley Library, Michael Williams — Spring Wedding, 12″ x 16″, acrylic on wood, by Michael William.

More: Seeing the world through Kunal Sharma’s eyes at Wellesley Free Library photography exhibit

Red dresses at Wellesley College stand in for missing Indigenous women

December 18, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

During a recent walk on the campus of Wellesley College, we came across a haunting outdoor installation created by artist Jaime Black. From branches of several mature trees hung red dresses, blowing in the breeze. A nearby plaque identifies the artwork as the REDress Project, which “…works to create space for families of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Persons (MMIP) and their supporters to tell their stories and to find solidarity in the struggle to protect the rights of Indigenous women and girls.” The dresses are a visual reminder of MMIP girls and women who have gone missing or been murdered.

Wellesley College, red dress — The REDdress Project, an art installation by Jaime Black, will remain at Wellesley College until Dec. 21st.

Indigenous women and girls face higher rates of violence than any other group in Canada and the Unites States, the plaque continues, calling for the demands of families and communities to dismantle the colonial system that allows perpetrators to escape justice to be heard.

Jaime Black is a multidisciplinary artist of mixed Anishinaabe and Finnish decent. According to her website, Black’s work, “engages in themes of memory, identity, place and resistance and is grounded in an understanding of the body and the land as sources of cultural and spiritual knowledge.”

The dresses will remain in place until December 21. The project’s placement on campus was funded in part by the college’s Native American Student Association. The REDress Project has been installed in public spaces throughout Canada and the United States.

My happy running return to Wellesley College’s campus

November 16, 2021 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

You know how it is on the night before school starts. I could barely sleep due to the excitement of returning to the Wellesley College campus for the first time in a year and a half, so woke up early ready to go.

Outfit? Check.

My well-worn Wellesley College cap, courtesy of an exuberant Scream Tunnel participant thrown to me during a Boston Marathon long ago. I figured wearing this might ward off any hairy eyeballs from those on campus who hadn’t yet heard the news that the public was allowed back on certain parts of campus today.

Courses? Check.

I’m only taking 1 course this semester to start. I picked 1 that ran from the woods along Lake Waban on the allowed side of the Hunnewell border and then past the Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center, Davis Museum, Paramecium Pond, and out to Rte. 16 to head home.

Room & Board? Check.

I’m staying off-campus at our Wellesley home and grabbed a just-ripe pear available from our meal plan (aka, fridge) before heading out, a Wellesley-esque Mitski album queued up in my airpods.

Back on campus

I slipped onto the Lake Waban path from my usual spot, immediately challenging myself not to stumble over leaf-covered roots and stones during my run. I’m proud to say I came darn close to staying on my feet the whole time.

Given that I was zipping across campus not too long after sunrise, I only ran into one other person on the path, a fellow runner who looked to be past college age, too. Though swans kept me company along the shore.

I only ran across 1 early rising student on campus, and I gave an extra wide berth to help ease us both back into this co-existence.

The outdoors campus activity at that time of the day mainly belonged to construction workers and lawn maintenance crews moving leaves around.

A neighbor who ventured onto campus a bit later conveyed that he and his wife “were warmly greeted by a student, a cop and a faculty nanny. Of course we were accompanied by a fuzzy brown dog.”

It felt great to be back. I even appreciated seeing that inexplicable public art in the woods along along the shore.

I still like the shiny one deeper into campus better though.

I didn’t remember ever seeing this one, tucked along a path near the Wang Center.

I recall the last time I ran at the college, on the track that shortly thereafter became off limits, as it remains. I was the only one there, running near dusk before the public ban took effect. Though a college cop car idling in the lot above had me nervous that that could be my last run there for a while, as the COVID-19 pandemic just started to rear its head in March of 2020.

It felt good seeing old friends, including the boardwalk and 9 3/4 marking, an ode to Harry Potter.

Felt so good to be back running through @Wellesley College campus for first time in a year and a half. Thank you! @DrPaulaJohnson pic.twitter.com/yKqUl2ahqa

— swellesley (@swellesley) November 16, 2021

I noticed what were maybe new or updated signs, too, including an emphasis on “Health.” The college has been closed to the public in the name of protecting students and staff.

The earlier Campus is Closed signs had been updated by the college’s crack facilities staff.

I abided by the rules but tried not to dwell on the excess signage.

There was plenty else to see and enjoy with fresh eyes.

Wellesley College alum Suzy Littlefield share this photo of her (yes, leashed) dog Archie, who joined her for a sunset walk at the Lake on reopening day.

archie dog lake waban — Photo courtesy of Suzy Littlefield

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Wellesley College campus to reopen to visitors—good news, and bad news

November 15, 2021 by Deborah Brown 13 Comments

The campus of Wellesley College will reopen to visitors starting Tuesday, Nov. 16. That’s the good news.

The bad news is those who thought they’d be resuming the most beautiful walk in town, the loop around Lake Waban, will be sorely disappointed. Earlier this year the Hunnewells informed the College and the Town that they will not be reopening their portion of the lake path to the public, according to the College. This closed section extends from the closed gate behind the President’s house and along the southern shoreline to the closed gate at Pond Road.

Lake Waban, Wellesley, Summer 2016 — Lake Waban, summertime.

The College reminds visitors that there is no public access to campus buildings or restrooms. Building access is limited to members of the Wellesley College community and registered visitors on College business. All athletics facilities—indoor and outdoor, including the track, fields, and tennis courts—will remain closed to the public. Spectators are permitted for outdoor games.

Perhaps 1 clue that a campus reopening might be coming was that the Wellesley Turkey Trot course would be allowed to run through the college campus on Thanksgiving morning.

Wellesley College closed off campus to the public last March 31 as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, in an effort to keep students and staff safe. The College and Hunnewells at that time also closed off access to the path around Lake Waban, technically a Great Pond that state law appears to require public access to. The reality was that the campus and path were getting overrun with people seeking outdoor spaces, and many weren’t abiding by campus rules.

Residents who have long been used to wandering around campus and on the lake path have been frustrated by the continued lack of access, even while acknowledging the college is a private facility. Many took to social media and the comments section of our site to vent. The College maintained its priority was to keep students and staff safe, leading some in town to wonder if the campus would ever reopen to the public even as vaccinations rates rose and case numbers dwindled in the area.

Babson reopened its Wellesley campus to the public over the summer.

So, the hope now is that the public and college community will get along well, and that those of you with Hunnewell connections can convince them to change their minds on lake path access. After all, no one says that elementary school up for rebuilding over on Cameron Street couldn’t be renamed.

Wellesley College campus reopening guidelines including parking restrictions

[Read more…]

Campus roundup: Wellesley College not an island; Babson taps first Black trustees chair; MassBay all in on vaccines

September 21, 2021 by Bob Brown 5 Comments

Our roundup of the latest news from Wellesley’s colleges:

Wellesley College not an island

President Dr. Paula Johnson said during a recent panel discussion with peers that colleges and universities need to support one another and the wider community.

“This experience has made it very clear that we’re not islands,” said Johnson, as reported by The Wellesley News student news site. “It’s not just about keeping our campus safe. It’s about how we can improve the health of our entire community. And we’re not going to get beyond this pandemic until that is the feeling that we have across the country, and quite frankly across the world.”

According to the article, Johnson said Wellesley College offered dorm space to first responders in COVID-19 isolation.

Students are doing their part to support the wider community by again offering to create customized signs for Boston Marathon runners. It will be interesting to see what the Scream Tunnel— where some students typically aren’t shy about smooching sweaty runners—looks like this Oct. 11 in light of the college’s efforts to protect its community from the virus.

The Boston Athletic Association issued health and safety policies that included a special message for Wellesley College students, though not by name (bold added by us): “From guests traveling with athletes to spectators cheering on participants, everyone is encouraged to take efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. These efforts may include being fully vaccinated, getting tested for COVID-19 prior to any travel, wearing a mask when you cannot socially distance over race week, refraining from kissing a stranger around the halfway mark of the Boston Marathon, and only using B.A.A. provided course nutrition in lieu of accepting hydration or food from spectators.”

We have confirmed that Wellesley Repertory Theatre remains on pause for live indoor performances for the public while the campus is closed to the public. Though the theatre company will be ready when public performances are allowed—it has joined with other Boston-area theatre companies in requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test for all those performing in, working at, or attending such performances.

Artistic Director Marta Rainer assures us that “we are devoted to creating compelling student work this semester… We’ll be interpreting a selection of plays from Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks’ ‘365 Plays in 365 Days’ collection—which will have live audiences who have sanctioned campus access —both in the Ruth Nagel Jones black box, and outdoors throughout the semester.”

The college is exploring ways to stream performances to a wider audience.

Babson taps first Black trustees chair

jeffery-perry-1200x630-1 — Jeffrey Perry (photo via Babson College)

Babson College has named 1987 alum Jeffrey Perry, who as a Cleveland teen learned about Babson through an early access management expo, as its Board of Trustees chair.

He becomes the first Black chair, as well as the first chair to have a child attending the school at the same time.

Perry founded the firm Lead Mandates after a long career as partner with professional services firms EY and A.T. Kearney.

MassBay all in on vaccines

The presidents of Wellesley’s MassBay Community College and other community colleges across the state have declared that they will require students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January, 2022. An exception will be made for students taking fully remote classes and that have no plans to visit campus.

According to a statement issued by the schools: “During the last eighteen months, the Massachusetts Community Colleges have prioritized the health and safety of our communities while also recognizing that many of our students have been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. While a significant number of students, faculty, and staff are already vaccinated or are in the process of becoming vaccinated, the fifteen colleges are seeking to increase the health and safety of the learning and working environment in light of the ongoing public health concerns and current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

MassBay and the other schools will continue to make vaccine clinics available on site.

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Wellesley college campuses still closed to visitors for now

March 25, 2021 by Deborah Brown 4 Comments

It’s been over a year since Babson College, Wellesley College, and MassBay have closed their campuses to all but students and employees of the schools due to the pandemic, and there is no sign of the ban being lifted anytime soon. Perhaps thinking back to last March, when cars lined up along routes 16 and 135 and unloaded piles of people who flocked to the Wellesley College campus, a rep contacted us with this message: “We are trying to get the word out to folks that the Wellesley campus is still closed to the public right now due to the pandemic—that includes folks walking to campus and then walking on campus, even outside. We know with the lovely spring weather and the state opening up some regulations that folks are very eager to get out, but this policy hasn’t changed and we are really hoping that folks can respect this for the time being.”

Lake Waban boardwalk, Wellesley, Summer 2016 — Lake Waban boardwalk, 2016. The popular walking path is closed off to those outside the Wellesley College community due to the pandemic.

This Wellesley College closure includes the 2.5 mile walking path around Lake Waban, a very special spot where Wellesley residents are itching to return. The entire lake is surrounded by private property, some owned by Wellesley College, some by the Hunnewell family.

We checked in with Babson and MassBay representatives, who echoed the plan to proceed with a cautious approach. MassBay, which this year is celebrating its 60th anniversary (albeit quietly), is delivering most of its learning online, with very limited academic activities taking place on its Wellesley campus. Babson, too, is waiting to welcome neighbors back to enjoy campus when it is “safe to do so.”

No word yet on when this all might change. Policies are likely to be revisited as vaccination rates rise and the pandemic slows down.

Wellesley College presents Grammy-nominated artist JP Saxe

March 15, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley College, JP Saxe Join Wellesley College on Thur., March 18 at 8:30pm for an exclusive concert followed by a Q&A with Grammy nominated artist JP Saxe. All proceeds raised via this Zoom event will go towards UNICEF’s Sustainable Development Goals to fight gender inequality. JP Saxe is a Canadian artist best known for his hit song, “If The World Was Ending,” featuring Julia Michaels. He is currently working on a new album, and has a recently released single with Maren Morris titled, “Line by Line.”

DATE: March 18, 2021

TIME: 8:30pm

Tickets are $10. REGISTER HERE.