We are surrounded by opportunities for object-based and in-person learning at Whitman College and our various collections stewards aim to support these possibilities in many ways.
The Sheehan Gallery is in charge of managing more than 4,000 pieces of contemporary artwork on campus, from Bunraku puppet heads to a 19-mile weaving to a book made from a meteorite. These objects range from Whitman student thesis work to worldwide creators and all of them are important to us. The number of objects also continues to grow each year through generous gifts to the college and acquisitions voted on by committee and paid for through different budgets.
Our goal at the Sheehan Gallery is to represent as many voices and perspectives as possible and to aim our resources towards investing in those creative producers that speak to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. Through our rotating exhibitions and our permanent collections, the gallery aims to make each space across campus a learning opportunity, an invitation to engage, and an experience to inspire through the artwork that surrounds you.
This spring semester, instead of the usual practice of opening an exhibition in January, the Sheehan Gallery staff team (Tara J. Graves, Andrew Somoskey, Kynde Kiefel) is focusing much of their energy behind the scenes as they make sure the college’s permanent collection is fully photographed (or re-photographed), accessioned, cataloged, accessible, and searchable online. Please stay tuned, as this trio will very likely be in contact with you as they make sure the works that occupy each building on campus are accounted for and properly labeled in order to better support collections learning throughout the college and beyond.
The Sheehan Gallery will return to its more visible programming via the Senior Thesis Art Exhibition 2023, which will open on Friday, April 21st, even while the collections stewardship work continues.
