Celebrate Salve Regina’s 75th anniversary through art exhibition reception, faculty lecture

As Salve Regina continues to celebrate its 75th anniversary during the 2022-23 academic year, the Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery and Salve Regina’s Department of Art and Art History are pleased to announce the opening of “Muse and Mercy: Celebrating 75 Years of Art at Salve Regina University.” This exhibition is showcasing the University’s diverse collection of fine and decorative arts, and it will run from Nov. 10 through Dec. 11.

This exhibition is a complement of a much larger project — a published book that is the first ever catalogue of the University’s art collections — entitled “Muse and Mercy: Exploring Fine and Decorative Arts at Salve Regina University.” A faculty lecture will be held on this book, which is not yet published, and more details on the lecture are below.

An opening reception to celebrate the art exhibition, Salve Regina’s 75th anniversary and its artistic legacy will happen on Thursday, Nov. 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Hamilton Gallery located in the Antone Academic Center. The Salve Regina community and general public are invited to attend.

Ernest Jolicoeur and Dr. Anthony Mangieri, professors in the Department of Art and Art History, curated the exhibition. Jolicoeur, who is also the director of the Hamilton Gallery, and Dr. Mangieri worked with a team of students in an upper-level art history class to co-curate the exhibition and create videos that will be displayed in the show.

“Muse and Mercy: Celebrating 75 Years of Art at Salve Regina University” presents a selection of paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, rare books, textiles and metalwork, along with photographic and video documentation of Gilded Age works on campus that cannot be displayed in the gallery. Highlights include a number of rarely seen works, such as two Oscar de la Renta dresses and a group of John Howard Benson drawings, both from the University’s Special Collections.

Faculty lecture on forthcoming “Muse and Mercy” book

Ernest Jolicoeur

This art gallery exhibition is a complement of a much larger project — a published book that is the first ever catalogue of the University’s art collections. Entitled “Muse and Mercy: Exploring Fine and Decorative Arts at Salve Regina University,” this book is a years-long project with collaborations among varying departments and students across campus.

Dr. Anthony Mangieri

Jolicoeur and Dr. Mangieri are presenting at a faculty lecture about the book on Monday, Nov. 14, at 4 p.m. on the first floor of McKillop Library. For more information on the faculty lecture and to register, go here.

During the lecture, Jolicoeur and Dr. Mangieri will be speaking about the way “Muse and Mercy: Exploring Fine and Decorative Arts at Salve Regina University” came together, highlighting the lengthy process, careful scholarship and and active collaboration that enabled this book to come into being. The book will be published and launched in early December.

The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery is located in the Antone Academic Center on the campus of Salve Regina. It is handicap accessible with parking along Lawrence and Leroy Avenues. Its exhibits are open Tuesdays through Thursdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays Noon to 4 p.m. The gallery is closed on Mondays.