Work/Shop: the making of New Impressions Print Studio is our first exhibition of the academic year in the Jewett Art Gallery. The show will be on view August 31 - October 2, 2026, with a reception to celebrate with the artists on Thursday Sept. 17, 5:00 - 6:30 pm.

New Impressions Print Studio is an independent, artist-run printmaking studio in Somerville, MA. The studio, which opened in 2024, was co-founded by Boston area printmakers Stacy Friedman (who will be familiar to some of you as our Wellesley Art Dept print tech from 2018-2022!) and Andrew Stearns.

The exhibition tells just some of the story of how an emptied-out commercial bakery and a dream turned into the busy, thriving community space it is today. Photos and objects from the studio are on display, along with collaborative professional artist prints produced in the studio, work by community members, and art by Friedman and Stearns. An exhibition website will be updated with additional documentation and information over the course of the show.

The exhibition is open to the public Thursdays - Sundays 12:00 - 5:00 pm, until 6:30 pm on Sept. 17 for the reception, or by appointment. The exhibition is open to members of the Wellesley campus community whenever Jewett is swipeable (typically Art/Music library hours).

The Gallery is free to visit. Visitors should plan to park in the Davis Parking Facility garage (near the west entrance to campus) and walk to Jewett from there; see the campus map here. Visitors who need handicapped accessible parking closer to the gallery should contact the Gallery Director for directions.

To arrange a viewing appointment or tour, or for any other questions, you can contact Gallery Director Samara Pearlstein at spearls2@wellesley.edu or 781-283-2043.

Are you a returning Art Dept major or minor? Are you considering a new Art Dept major or minor? Are you someone who loves taking Art Dept classes and spending time with the coolest department on campus? Join us for our annual Welcome Back ice cream social!

This year, in addition to ice cream (vegan/dairy free options available!), we will have materials for you to make your own Dept Cat felt pennant flag!

Art Dept faculty and staff will be in attendance to chat about our classes, the majors/minors, what we did this summer, and art! Come for the info, come for the ice cream, come to make a pennant, come to just hang out.

This event is open to members of the campus community only. Not open to the public. 

We are planning to be in the Davis Plaza tent, but if the weather is bad we will relocate to the Jewett Sculpture Court. Keep an eye on this space and on our social media for updates.

Contact mm138 with any questions.

Studio Art professor Daniela Rivera's solo exhibition, Hacia Cuando (To When), opens at Mass MoCA on July 11!

Featuring new work in fresco, drawing, sculptural installation, and sound, the 3 gallery spaces occupied by prof. Rivera's work operate in tandem to activate sight, sound, and smell, creating a powerful sensory experience for museum visitors. Enormous, room-filling structures supporting vast frescos share space with exactingly drawn lines that reward both close and distant looking. Visitors are invited to walk on a tilted handmade fresco floor; the pressure from their feet will break and mark the surface while the sounds created by visitors walking across it and the resonance space beneath it will be amplified and echoed by contact mics.

Deeply invested in the ancient processes that she uses to create her work, prof. Rivera asks visitors to reflect on the histories carried by her materials, the people who pioneered their use and those who have kept their traditions alive, and what it means to engage with them here and now. The art will evolve over the course of the show, creating an ever-changing participatory work referencing the histories of art-making and architecture, politics and place. 

More information about the exhibition, and the accompanying opera performance planned for October 2026, can be found on the Mass MoCA website here.

This exhibition is open to members of the public with admission to Mass MoCA. See here for the museum's ticketing prices and policies.

Contact Mass MoCA with any questions. The Wellesley Art Dept is not running this exhibition and cannot answer questions about it.

What happened in the Art Department this past year? What didn't happen?

The Jewett Hallway Galleries will be taken over by this popular photo exhibition, which showcases the breadth of activities that take place in the Art Dept every year. Sttarting May 22 for Reunion, this show will remain on view all summer for members of the campus community to enjoy.

This exhibition is open to members of the campus community only. 

Contact Gallery Director Samara Pearlstein at spearls2@wellesley.edu or 781-283-2043 with any questions.

The Jewett Arts Center and Pendleton Hall West are closed to the public over the summer.

Students can swipe into the Jewett front doors, the Jewett handicapped-accessible entrance, and the exterior doors of PNW on the following schedule:

Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 8:00 pm

Saturday - Sunday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm 

Note that the Studio Art side of PNW is closed to general student access. There is no general student access to restricted art spaces (including but not limited to the darkroom, lighting studio, printmaking, wood shop, etc).

If you are a student who believes you need additional swipe hours, or access to part of the Studio side of the building, contact building manager Samara Pearlstein, spearls2. Students requesting Studio access must have a Studio Art faculty member who is able to vouch for their project.

For any questions about Jewett or PNW building access contact Samara Pearlstein: spearls2@wellesley.edu or 781-283-2043.