In the Richardson Family Art Museum
Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m., with extended hours Thursday to 9 p.m.; Sunday-Monday, closed. Admission is free. The Richardson Family Art Museum and Richardson Family Art Gallery are part of the Spartanburg ArtWalk held on the third Thursday of each month from 5 to 9 p.m.
Spanish Colonial and Religious Art
Through Saturday, April 7, Lower Level
Exhibition description: The arrival of the Spanish to the Americas from the 15th century through the 19th century introduced Spanish beliefs and traditions to the regions, creating a new artistic tradition that evolved with the convergence of cultures. This influence can be seen through selected works on exhibit, on loan from the collection of Dr. Francis and Mrs. Lilly Robicsek of Charlotte, N.C. The exhibition includes a variety of oil paintings, such as "Santo Domingo Holding the Infant Jesus," "Saint Martin Preaching to Native Americans" and "The Virgin of the Candlestick with Christ Child" as well as wood carvings such as "St. Michael Archangel" and other artifacts. The works showcase how religion was a major motivating factor in the Spanish settlement of the Americas, especially Mexico and Peru, the greatest focus of Spanish interest and the most outstanding regions for artistic production in the colonial period. From around the mid-17th century, if not earlier, local traditions began to develop quite independently of their European referents, and by the late 17th century, distinctive styles developed in metropolitan Mexico, Quito, Lima and Cuzco. Visual culture in the colonial period often was multivalent and dissonant, reflecting societies in which many ethnicities interacted.
Julia Elizabeth Tolbert: Her Paintings through the Eyes of Woman
April 19 – Aug. 4, Lower Level
Curated by Wofford student Julie Woodson
Curator’s Talk, 7 p.m., Thursday, April 19
Exhibition description: “Julia Elizabeth Tolbert: Her Paintings through the Eyes of Woman,” an exhibition of paintings by South Carolina-born artist Julia Elizabeth Tolbert (1911-1978), features works that are reflective of what life was like for a female artist in the early 20th century. Curated by Julie Woodson ’18, an art history major from Spartanburg, the exhibition is a culmination of Woodson’s gender studies capstone and serves in conjunction with her yearlong art history honors research, which centered on the artist herself. The exhibition includes 23 of Tolbert’s best paintings, which were fully restored and added to Wofford’s permanent collection in 2017, thanks to the generosity of Dr. Thomas W. Tolbert ’67 and Judith Klasen Tolbert ’77. Additional funding was provided by Joseph M. and Angela S. Tolbert, according to Youmi Efurd, curator and cultural arts coordinator at Wofford. Most of the paintings had been stored in barns for a half-century.
The South Carolina Coastal Lithograph Projects by Spartanburg artist Jim Creal
April 19 – Aug. 4, Upper Level
Artist’s Talk, 7 p.m., Thursday, June 21
Exhibition description: The original mission of the project was to create a lasting body of lithographic work devoted to capturing the mood, spirit and rich diversity of South Carolina’s coastal habitats and some of their extraordinary indigenous creatures. In the exhibit, Creal augments the original project to including not only the hand-produced original lithographs as originally envisioned but also adds his documentary site/habitat photographs to flush out telling the visual story of the coast’s magnificent and increasingly endangered ecosystem. The project is Creal’s way of sharing the visual story and magnificent beauty of South Carolina’s coastal habitats, their combined significance as a vital ecosystem under stress and their value as a national treasure that needs to be preserved for future generations.
In the Richardson Family Art Gallery
Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m., with extended hours Thursday to 9 p.m.; Sunday-Monday, closed. Admission is free. The Richardson Family Art Museum and Richardson Family Art Gallery are part of the Spartanburg ArtWalk held on the third Thursday of each month from 5 to 9 p.m.
Juried Student Art Exhibit
April 10-April 29
Studio Art Program Senior Capstones
May 8-May 20
Gallery talk, Thursday, May 17
In the Sandor Teszler Library Gallery
Sandor Teszler Library
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-midnight; Friday 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.-midnight
Wofford's Literary Societies
Through Thursday, May 31
Gallery Talk, March 22
Exhibition description: This exhibit examines the history and legacy of Wofford's literary societies. In August 1854, the first literary society was created as a venue to practice skills such as debating, oratory, parliamentary procedure and writing. Three more societies had been formed by 1920. During the college's first century, the societies were integral to student life - starting libraries, building the college portrait collection and starting three student publications. Members planned major student events and provided the ceremonial activities of the annual Commencement week. While literary societies no longer exist, their influence on the college continues.
In the Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery
Campus Life Building
Hours: 7 a.m.-midnight daily
Old Main: A Trip Down Memory Lane
Through Saturday, Aug. 18
Exhibition description: "Old Main: A Trip Down Memory Lane" explores the visual history of Wofford College through Main Building, known affectionately as Old Main. Referred to as "The College" for many years, Old Main remains one of the nation's outstanding examples of "Italianate" or "Tuscan Villa" architecture. The cornerstone of Old Main was laid with imposing Masonic rites on July 4, 1851. Construction finally began in the summer of 1852 under the supervision of Ephraim Clayton of Asheville, N.C. Skilled African-American carpenters executed uniquely beautiful masonry and woodwork, including a pulpit and pews for the chapel. The exterior of the building today is true to the original design, but the interior has been modernized and renovated three times - in the early 1900s, in the 1960s and in 2007. The selected archival and photographic prints as well as works on paper provide an opportunity to take a trip down memory lane to Wofford's most famous landmark.
The galleries and museum at Wofford College, and related events, are open to the public free of charge during the published hours unless otherwise noted.