In celebration of the upcoming exhibition, Julia Jacquette: Unrequited and Acts of Play, opening at the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art on Feb. 18, Director Tracy Adler and New York-based artist Julia Jacquette hosted a reception this month at the Skowhegan New York City Programming Space.

About 60 alumni and museum donors were in attendance, including long-time supporters of Hamilton arts initiatives Kevin Kennedy, Linda Johnson and Wendy Wellin, as well as recently graduated Wellin docents.

Attendees saw a preview of select works, which included paintings, a slideshow and a short video.  Samantha Koss ’95 noted that the upcoming exhibition will be the first major museum retrospective for Julia Jacquette and will include paintings and site-specific murals.

The exhibition will also feature a graphic memoir, Playground of My Mind, composed of a series of original gouache drawings which explore the modernist playgrounds that she grew up with in New York during the 1970’s.  The memoir will be published as an illustrated artist book by the Wellin and DelMonico Books/Prestel.

The Wellin will also publish a monograph, the first major publication on the subject of Jacquette’s work.

Tracy Adler, the Johnson-Pote Director of the Wellin Museum of Art, introduced Jacquette, who then spoke about her influences and the works on display as well as about the upcoming exhibition. She discussed how she had the honor of working on famous murals around NYC with well known muralist Richard Haas and how she will pass on that experience to current Hamilton art students, who will be helping her create two 12’ by 16’ murals at the Wellin.

“It's this kind of experience that highlights the tremendous value that the Wellin brings directly to students as well as working artists,” Koss wrote. “It's also what Keith Wellin ’50 and his wife Wendy had hoped for when they provided the means with which to build the museum,” Koss continued.

Ashlie Flood ’15, a former Wellin docent, attended the event as well and shared these reflections: “It has become somewhat of a tradition for the Wellin Museum to host a New York-based reception during the first weekend in December. As a recent alumna, I greatly appreciate this annual opportunity to reconnect with Wellin staff and learn about upcoming programming and exhibitions.

"Eighteen months ago I thought that graduation meant an end to the years of artist lectures and conversations that became such an important part of my Hamilton education. However, I’m not surprised to realize that – in true Hamilton fashion – the opportunity to learn continues long after we graduate. These engaging conversations with artists and Wellin staff continue to inspire me, and I look forward to seeing what’s next for the Wellin Museum of Art.”

http://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/alumni-docent-get-wellin-museum-Julia-Jacquette-show-sneak-preview