The Wellin Museum of Art, founded in 2012, already houses a wide collection of culturally rich art that Hamilton uses as a tool for learning and community-building. In the last decade, it has become an integral part of the campus environment and an important space for reflection. The Wellin serves both recreational and educational purposes for students and the local community. It fulfills its role as a teaching museum by holding classes and tours; however, it also engages with the community through fun events such as Art Yoga and T-Shirt Design. “We are a teaching museum and so our mission is to support interdisciplinary learning at the College,” explained Marjorie Hurley, museum educator and supervisor.

Hurley’s responsibilities include supervising student employees, who are docents and education assistants at the museum, helping with academic class visits and performing some work regarding the exhibitions themselves. She oversees the K-12 and community outreach programs, hosting school visits for local schools. The Wellin also employs many students to enrich their own learning and allows them to gain experience in the artistic realm. Liz Jacoby ’26, a docent, explained her responsibilities: “As docents, one of the jobs is to sit at the greeter desk, and greet the people coming in and tell them the rules. There are also gallery shifts, so you float around the gallery and if people have questions you answer them. A main part is leading tours so, when class groups come in, those are docent-led.”

The Wellin currently houses a new solo exhibition by artist Rhona Bitner, an artist whose interest in performing arts informs her artistic style. “She is a contemporary photographer in New York City and Paris, and she focuses on performance and the art of performance,” explained Jacoby. While Bitner’s work has been displayed in a variety of Wellin collections, this is her first museum show. “We decided to do this show, partially the way that we decide to do any show, because we thought that it would have value to teaching and learning at Hamilton,” Hurley continued.

Various exhibits at the Wellin contain connections and overlapping themes, as this interdisciplinary nature characterizes the Wellin’s unique mission. Hurley is particularly excited about Raven Chacon’s artwork at the Wellin, “He created a series of prints which look like line drawings but are actually musical compositions. They are using non-western style notation that the artist designed in response to specific female indigenous composers, so he is creating a print devoted to a composer that that person can then interpret and perform. It is playing on this idea of music and performance and gender which is relevant to the Rhona Bitner exhibition, so there is a connection there but it is not her work,” she said.

Hurley expressed her enthusiasm for René Treviño’s upcoming exhibit at the Wellin next spring. “He is an artist originally from Texas currently based in Baltimore. His art reflects connections between Mesoamerican history, astronomy, looking towards the future with optimism, and pop culture. And, as a gay Mexican American man who grew up in Texas and is now living in Baltimore, he has a unique perspective on all of those things.”

In the near future, many exciting events are coming up at the Wellin! “One thing I am really excited about is our series of art yoga: yoga that takes place in the gallery. The instructor is Tim Cane and we do a guided meditation at the beginning where people will be invited to look at a piece of art and just do some quiet reflection around that work of art. That is actually starting this Friday, Sept. 29, and it will go until November. We have five dates. We are planning an art walk for Hispanic Heritage Month and that is going to be on this Saturday. We are going to feature artists in our collection that have either Hispanic or Caribbean heritage. And I think it will be really meaningful to the people that come just because of the cultural connection. Next week artist Rhona Bitner will be on campus and she is doing a public talk. She will be in conversation with Professor Nadya Bair from the Art History Department. On Thursday, we have an evening of art for local educators,” explained Hurley.

The Wellin engages with the community in a multitude of ways, serving as a space designed not only to further academic interests, but also as a personal outlet for creative expression and curiosity. Hurley emphasized that “You don’t have to have a specific reason to be here. So I just hope that it feels like the kind of space that people feel like they can come into and be quiet and reflective, have it be something for them.”