Friends of Art
Friends of Art is a dynamic organization of alumnae, community members, and art patrons providing over 50 years of generous giving in support of visual art at Wellesley College. Memberships support the Davis’s educational mission, including exhibitions, programs, and acquisitions. Friends of Art also provides crucial ongoing support for student opportunities unique to Wellesley: the Davis Museum Student Advisory Committee (DMSAC), the Student Visitor Assistants (SVAs), the Student Initiative Program Fund, the Davis Museum Summer Internship Program, and the integration of Cuseum—a mobile app designed to feature student generated content. With seven regional chapters in the US—Boston, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston—and international outreach, members stay connected to the Wellesley community through special art events and networking opportunities.
Join Friends of Art
Support inclusion, excellence, innovation, and access at the Davis Museum by joining Friends of Art. Members receive special courtesies and invitations to select arts-related events organized by active regional chapters across the country. Contributions are tax-deductible, and eligible for corporate matching gift programs. All alumnae donations count toward Wellesley gift totals—including class reunion gifts, and membership in the Durant Society.
Patron Society members enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of new acquisitions during Reunion weekend, spring 2019.
Friends of Art Regions
Friends of Art regions in Boston, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston organize special events and gatherings throughout the year, spearheaded by FOA Regional Chairs.
Regional Chairs: Lia Dawley ’12, Chair of Regions, Mary Flannery ’80, Chair New York, Hope Anderson ’81, Chair Los Angeles, Emily Weddle ’14, Co-Chair Boston, Julia Antonatos’85, Co-Chair Chicago, Rikki Tracy ’07, Co-Chair Boston, Rebecca Turkington ’12, Co-Chair Washington, Jia Jing Liu ’05, Regional Co-Chair San Francisco, Carlyle Madden ‘82, Co-Chair Chicago
Members of the Washington D.C. Friends of Art group listen on during a Q&A session with Emily Wales ’98, co-founder of Glenstone.
2019 Friends of Art Regional Event Highlights
Washington D.C. - On September 27, Washington D.C. Friends of Art held an amazing event at Glenstone, which included a private conversation with founder and chief curator Emily Wei Rales ‘98. Attendees explored Glenstone together and then met with Rales where they were invited to ask questions and share observations and impressions.
Friends of Art New York members after their tour with Wellesley alumnae Ami Li ’10 and Elaine Merguerian ’90.
New York
In early January, 22 alumnae and guests joined Friends of Art in New York for a curator-led tour of The Progressive Revolution: Modern Art for a New India at Asia Society. Many thanks to Ami Li ’10 and Elaine Merguerian ’90, who work for the institution, for making this event possible!
Friends and Art members and members of the Wellesley Club of Silicon Valley join forces for a great event at the Pace Gallery.
Los Angeles
On June 20, members of Friends of Art and the Wellesley Club of Silicon Valley gathered for a free event at the Pace Gallery in Palo Alto. Guests viewed the latest exhibition of sculptures by Liu Jianhua, and were invited to a private Q&A with the artist.
2019 Patron Trips
Patron Trips are an amazing benefit for Friends of Art members at the Patron Society, Curator’s Circle, and Director’s Circle levels. Bespoke and full of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, the trips offer uniquely Wellesley experiences, as travelers join Lisa Fischman, Ruth Gordon Shapiro ’37 Director, and key Museum staff on cultural expeditions that highlight the Davis expertise and initiatives, and celebrate art on global level. The Davis hosted two Patron Trips in 2019:
Of the many homes and private collections visited by Patron members on their Southern Exposure trip, this visit with Joe Minter at his "African Village in America," located in Birmingham, Alabama was one of the most intriguing and inspiring.
Southern Exposure
April 3 – 7
Eight Trippers traveled with director Lisa Fischman and Amanda Gilvin, Sonja Novak Koerner ’51 Senior Curator of Collections and Assistant Director of Curatorial Affairs, to Atlanta, Montgomery, and Birmingham for a powerful four-day tour of museums, private collections, and historic sites. In addition to visiting the world-renowned High Museum in Atlanta, the group spent time at the 16th Street Baptist Church and nearby Ingram Park. A highlight of the trip was joining multi-media artist Radcliffe Bailey for a tour of his home and studio. Bailey’s wife, Leslie Parks, chef and daughter of photographer Gordon Parks, prepared a seasonal meal for the group. Travelers also enjoyed festive receptions at the gracious homes of Eleanor Dunlap Henderson ’73 and her husband James Henderson, and Trustee Emerita Bunny Winter ’70.
Patron trippers proudly representing Wellesley in Calpan, Puebla!
Day of the Dead
October 30 - November 7
Fourteen lucky Patron members traveled with director Lisa Fischman and Jay Oles, Senior Lecturer in the Art Department at Wellesley College and adjunct curator of Latin American art at the Davis Museum, to Puebla and Mexico City. From museums and private collections to historic sites and sugar-figure making in the small town of Huaquechula, the travelers were immersed in Mexican art, history, and tradition. The group visited the phenomenal museum of baroque art, Museo Internacional del Barroco, the magnificent murals of Mexico City, and visited many homes to view the beautifully decorated altars during the famous celebrations of the Day of the Dead.
FOA Art Acquisitions
In 2019, two artworks were accessioned into the Davis collections with funds generously contributed by Friends of Art. Selected by director Lisa Fischman, the important paintings by African American artists June Edmonds (L) and Peter Williams (R)—representing beautiful, compelling, and extremely varied approaches—add depth and richness to our holdings in "Black Abstraction."
June Edmonds, A Tisket, 2018, Acrylic on canvas, 72 in. x 43 in. (182.9 cm x 109.2 cm), Museum purchase with funds provided by Wellesley College Friends of Art 2019.1114
Peter Williams, Lost Flag of New Africa, 2019, Oil-based enamel, oil and pencil on canvas, 60 in. x 72 in. (152.4 cm x 182.9 cm), Museum purchase with funds provided by Wellesley College Friends of Art 2019.1113
Exhibitions and Program Support
The Davis Museum is extremely grateful for the generous support of our FOA members. Your membership dollars directly contributed to the development, realization, future-planning of the following exhibitions and programs:
Art_Latin_America: Against the Survey (Spring 2019)
Tabitha Soren: Surface Tension (Spring 2019)
Fatimah Tuggar: Home’s Horizons (Fall 2019)
Kanishka Raja: I and I (Fall 2019)
Alexandria Smith: Seed to Harvest (Fall-Spring 2020)
Q20: Wellesley College Faculty (Spring 2020)
Going Viral: Photography, Performance, and the Everyday (Spring 2020)
Making Not Taking: Portrait Photography in the Nineteenth Century (Spring 2020)
Student Programs
Davis Museum Student Advisory Committee (DMSAC)
Davis Museum Student Guides
Davis Museum Student Visitor Assistant Program (SVAs)
Davis Museum Student Initiative Program Fund (SIP)
Davis Museum Summer Internship Program
2019 National Committee Members
The Friends of Art National Committee is a dedicated group of leadership volunteers who promote and support Davis exhibitions, educational programs, and art acquisitions, and who strengthen the links between the Davis and alumnae, parents, and friends of the Museum. We are extremely grateful to this devoted group for advocating tirelessly for the Davis.
Eileen Conroy ‘75, Chair
Hope Anderson ‘81, Regional Co-Chair Los Angeles/Pasadena
Allison Brown ‘73, Member at Large, Nominating Sub-Committee
Lia Dawley ‘12, Chair of Regions
Lily Elsner, Regional Chair Washington D.C.*
Mary Flannery ‘80, Regional Co-Chair New York
Mildred Copper Glimcher ‘61, Member at Large*
Cathryn Griffith ‘88, Member at Large*
Lynn Harvey '86, Patrons' Co-Chair***
Jennifer Hughes ‘06, Finance Chair
Nancy Lee Smith Kemper ‘73, Member at Large, National Patrons Chair**
Melissa King ‘92, Member-at-Large
JiaJing Liu ‘05, Regional Chair San Francisco
Mildred Baer Palley ‘78, Member at Large*
Betty Rauch ‘65, Nominating Chair
Maggie Scheyer ‘87, Patrons Chair Chicago, Member-at-Large
Fran Schulman ‘75, Member at Large, Patrons Subcommittee*
Kristen Thompson ‘81, Regional Co-Chair, Washington, D.C.*
Rikki Tracy ‘07, Regional Co-Chair Boston
Rebecca Turkington '12, Regional Co-Chair Washington D.C.
Rosamond Brown Vaule '59, Patrons' Co-Chair, Patrons' Chair Boston***
Emily Kirk Weddle '14, Regional Co-Chair Boston
* Term ended 6/19
** Term ended 9/19
*** Term began 9/19
