The new art exhibit, recently installed in Watson Fine Arts, is worth seeing! From Sept. 3 to Oct. 11, by visiting the Art Center’s Beard and Weil Galleries, everyone in the Wheaton community has the opportunity to explore and witness the divine union of potent art, history, and politics. The exhibit “For the Record: Political/Personal/Historical” shines a spotlight on topics of race, immigration, and colonialism with the application of compellingly diverse artistic mediums. The exhibit includes work from artists such as Sara Jimenez, Antonio McAfee, Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, Mendi + Keith Obadike, and Dano Wall. 

As noted by Haley Gamel ’20, an employee at the exhibit, the collection is “trying to remember history and pay attention to forgotten history through different types of artist-work.” Gamel explained that for the Wheaton community, the exhibition is a space that is “accepting of different cultures and ancestry lines.” After discovering the “Harriet Tubman Stamps” by Dano Wall, Lily Tobin ’23 felt that the piece showed students that “we can start doing this ourselves rather than waiting for someone to do it for us.” 

When putting together this exhibit, the curator, Elizabeth Hoy, purposefully sought out artists who were taking “historical images and historical data and turning it into something more contemporary.” Hoy wanted to present images and artworks that “reframe” history and gave us a chance to look at it differently. 

Strolling amongst the pieces that stand on the walls and fill the space with a vibrant sound, it becomes clear that the differing art forms are rooted in coinciding themes and messages. They aim to generate discussions surrounding the prominent political issues that have confronted the United States historically, and those that have overflowed into the nation’s current political climate. It is definitely an exhibit worth seeing.