The Davis Art Museum at Wellesley College: A hidden gem of hidden gems

Located in the center of Wellesley College is the Davis Museum, a hidden gem in Wellesley’s art landscape.

Free and open to the public, the Davis offers an extensive collection including pieces by world-renowned artists, such as Claude Monet and John Singer Sargent, which are located on the upper floors.

However, the lower floors, home to numerous rotating exhibits, reveal the true heart of the museum. 

Currently, the Davis boasts four new exhibits: “In Focus,” “The Worlds of Ilse Bing,” “Suzanne Ciani,” and “Digging Into History.” Ranging from a sound lounge with beanbags to a photographic journey of a Holocaust survivor, they showcase a wide variety of experiences.

“In Focus,” an exhibition presenting the work of Wellesley College art professors, is on display to honor 150 years of faculty excellence. 

One faculty artist is Genevieve Cohn. Inspired by the Women’s Land Army, a British initiative recruiting women to farm in place of men during the world wars, her work

focuses on the experiences of women. Cohn paints them in fantastical colors, envisioning a world of female-centrism. Her process and message are briefly described on the walls. 

For more in-depth analyses of the art, however, the Davis provides free immersive tours, guided and developed by Wellesley students. 

“The people who work in the Davis have a deep understanding and knowledge about most of the works in the museum,” said Tracey Liu, a senior at Wellesley College. 

One student tour guide, Lydia Hessel-Robinson, is a sophomore at Wellesley College. Studying art history and French, Hessel-Robinson seeks to spread awareness for marginalized communities through art. The tour she developed alongside Dawn Shim, another sophomore guide, focuses on female works and representations.

“Wellesley, as a historically women's college, has a really important goal to further the empowerment of voices that aren't traditionally perceived as worthy of art,” Hessel-Robinson said. 

The Davis’ focus on accentuating underrepresented art and people reverberates all throughout the museum. 

On the third floor, a wall of portraits is displayed. Traditionally, European paintings of prominent figures are museums’ core collection, but at the Davis, curators seek to highlight subjects from diverse time periods and places. 

This portrait wall is inspired by Lorraine O’Grady, a conceptual artist and Wellesley College alumna. Her project, Art is…, defies conventional ideas of who belongs in a portrait. O’Grady photographed participants of Harlem’s African American Day Parade in 1983 holding golden frames around their faces.

“Lorraine O'Grady's entire oeuvre destabilized hegemonic ideas of race, gender, and class,” said Dr. Amanda Gilvin, the senior curator at the Davis. 

O’Grady’s work, among many other pieces from notable alumni, shines alongside Ancient Roman mosaics and contemporary Native American art.

“Wellesley was founded to educate a population—women—who did not have the same access to higher education as men in the 19th Century,” Gilvin said, “The Davis takes this foundation seriously in not only amplifying underrepresented voices, but also in providing educational opportunities to Wellesley's diverse students and our diverse public.”

However, despite the Davis’ exceptional resources, many residents of Wellesley, including Wellesley College students, are unaware of its presence.

“I don’t really know much about it,” said Vae Hong ’25, a freshman at the college who grew up in Wellesley. 

Luna Bian, a student visitor assistant, noted that visitors are mostly older residents, even though the Davis has something for everyone.

“Encouraging more younger people to come…would be great,” Bian said, “It’s a learning experience, just looking at the museum.”

“I hope that high school students will learn something new about people--whether themselves, their loved ones, or someone in history that they will never meet--through engaging with the works of art in the Davis collection,” said Gilvin.