a question of imagination and taste: the Jewett Arts Center, then and now

a question of imagination and taste: the Jewett Arts Center, then and now is an exhibition of photographs, artifacts, and archival material that examines and celebrates the history of the Jewett Arts Center, the modernist creative hub near the center of Wellesley's campus.

Designed by Paul Rudolph, Jewett opened in 1958. Originally built to house the Art, Music, and Theater programs as well as the College's public art museum, the building has since undergone a number of physical and programmatic changes while retaining its distinctive appearance and character. Rudolph designed the building to be a modern response and companion to other buildings already on the Wellesley College academic quad.

One of Jewett's most distinctive external features is its brise soleil, or sunscreen: a white aluminum and porcelain enamel grille attached to the sides of the south wing of the building. Brise soleils (literally 'sun breakers') do serve a practical purpose in some climates. They are a passive cooling and light control solution, disrupting sunlight as it enters through windows and mitigating heat gain inside the building. But Jewett's brise soleil is also a visual metaphor for the ivy that grows on older campus buildings. Rudolph never intended it to actually look like ivy, but he thought of it as a modern design element with some of the same effects: a small, patterned overlay on brick walls and windows whose details resolve only upon close viewing.

Other Jewett features that make modernist nods towards its neo-Gothic neighbors include pyramidal skylights on the south wing and the building's materials. Look at the sharply peaked repeating forms on Green Hall or Pendleton Hall and you will see how the skylights relate to the older building designs. The red brick and concrete aggregate columns, stairs, and plazas used on and around Jewett acknowledge the brick and stone of the other quad buildings. Although Jewett's massing and shapes are much more modern, by deliberately choosing to relate its materials and details to Green, Founders, and Pendleton Halls Rudolph managed a rare thing indeed: an example of modernist architecture that integrated well with an existing campus aesthetic, instead of fighting or overwhelming it.

Any uncited photographs on this exhibition website are by Samara Pearlstein.

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