Exhibitions

What happens when an art exhibition becomes a neuroscience laboratory? We are once again pleased to partner with Professor of Art Elizabeth Mead and Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences Jennifer Stevens on the exhibition Thinking Sculpture | Sculpture Thinking featuring sculpture, drawings and prints by James Sullivan. Curated by Elizabeth Mead, the exhibition will serve as the laboratory portion for the class Neuroaesthetics: The Artist and the Mind. This interdisciplinary class uniting art and science will use the works in the exhibition to examine the roles of creativity and cognition.

The permanent collection at the Muscarelle Museum of Art is one of the oldest university-based art collections in the United States, dating from 1732 when William & Mary received its first gift of art. Since then, the collection has grown to nearly 8,000 objects, serving as an encyclopedic academic and artistic resource to the university and the wider community.

The artworks on display provide an opportunity to experience the breadth and diversity of the Muscarelle’s collection in new ways. A mixture of gifts and acquisitions, this cross section of the collection spans centuries and cultures, and encompasses a wide range of approaches and media. We invite you to engage with old favorites and recent additions to the collection, including a number of works that have never before been on view.

Where Late the Sweet Birds represents selected works from Morgan Bulkeley’s expansive creative output across five decades.  Bulkeley’s eclectic realm of symbolism is concerned with the ecological crisis of our time, which has remained at the center of his practice since the early 1970s.  Where Late the Sweet Birds arrives at William & Mary during the Year of the Environment, a year-long celebration of our shared commitment to protecting our planet and the communities that depend on its health and resilience. This exhibition is curated by Patrick Harkin, Director of the Andrews Gallery, and is presented jointly by the Department of Art & Art History and the Muscarelle Museum of Art at William & Mary.

The opening of the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the Martha Wren Briggs Center for the Visual Arts coincided with the 332nd anniversary of the issuing of the Royal Charter to establish a “perpetual college of learning in Virginia,” making us the second oldest university in the United States. The history of this institution is deep and dynamic, and parallels the founding of our nation with both struggles and successes. William & Mary educated four U.S. presidents, judges, statesmen and women, signers of the Declaration of Independence, teachers, legislators, lawyers, doctors, astronauts, scientists, veterans and exemplary citizens of this nation and the world. For this we are aptly known as “the Alma Mater of the Nation.” In this exhibition we return to our unique origin story with a look at our Royal Charter and the individuals who were essential in the founding of the “College of William and Mary” with selections from the permanent collection and loans from the Special Collections Research Center at Swem Library.

Featuring 13 hand-embroidered panels, one for each of the original colonies, America’s Tapestry illustrates the diverse stories of individual contributions — many overlooked — that reveal each colony’s struggle for independence. Collaboratively stitched by artisans from New Hampshire to Georgia, the panels weave together stories from our nation’s founding through the medium of embroidery to commemorate our country’s 250th anniversary. The project was developed and curated by Stefan Romero. The Virginia panel is being stitched at the Muscarelle by members of the Williamsburg Rose and Thistle Chapter of the Embroidery Guild of America, along with community volunteers, under the direction of Catherine Theron.

This exhibition, in collaboration with William & Mary’s Office of Strategic Cultural Partnerships, is supported by a grant from the Coby Foundation during The Year of Civic Leadership at William & Mary and the nationwide America250 celebration.

As time moves us further from September 11, 2001, the responsibility to remember, and to understand, grows ever more important. For many, that day remains vivid: the blue morning sky, the shock, the disbelief and the profound loss. For younger generations, however, the events live only in stories, classrooms and memorials. Forever Marked By The Day: A Quarter Century of Mourning and Renewal commemorates the 25th anniversary of that pivotal day and invites visitors of all ages to reflect on its meaning to our nation and its enduring impact on our culture, our cities and our collective memory.

The exhibition unfolds across four galleries, exploring the history of the World Trade Center through an architectural perspective. It begins with Minoru Yamasaki’s Twin Towers, once emblematic of New York’s energy and ambition, and thoughtfully acknowledges the profound loss and impact of the events of 2001. From there, it considers the site’s careful and intentional rebuilding. Visitors follow the site’s transformation through Daniel Libeskind’s visionary plan, Michael Arad’s moving Reflecting Absence memorial, David Childs’ towering One World Trade Center, Santiago Calatrava’s Oculus, the St. Nicholas National Shrine and the Perelman Performing Arts Center designed by architecture firm REX. Together, these works create a place that honors the past while embracing hope, resilience and renewal.