Department Event Calendar Spring 2026
All events are free and open to the public.
January 20, 5 – 7pm:
Gallery Opening Receptions
Ridderhof Martin Gallery and duPont Gallery
We open the 2026 calendar with two solo exhibitions: Origins, featuring paintings and drawings by UMW alumna Samantha Van Heest (‘20); and Woman, The Spirit of the Universe, a collection of sculptures that celebrate the women who shaped America by Carolyn Marks Johnson.
*These exhibitions run until March 15, 2026.
January 20, 4 – 5pm:
Gallery Talk and Preview with Carolyn Marks Johnson
Ridderhof Martin Gallery
Artist Carolyn Marks Johnson will lead us in a discussion of her methods of researching, designing, and creating the 23 sculptural collars included in her exhibition and their historical significance.
February 5, 5 – 6pm:
Chan Chao: Artist Talk
HCC 136
Internationally acclaimed Burmese American photographer Chan Chao will discuss his photographic practice and the personal and political histories that shape his work. Chao is best known for his series Burma: Something Went Wrong and Letter from PLF, elements of which are in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the National Gallery of Art.
February 19, 5 – 6pm:
John Dempsey: Contemporary Landscape Painting
HCC 136
Join us to hear from John Dempsey, a painter based in North Carolina, whose large-scale, collage-like paintings explore the intersection of memory, place, and perception. Dempsey was an award winner in UMW’s 2024 Mid-Atlantic New Painting exhibition.
March 11, 12 – 1pm:
20 Women in 40 Minutes
Ridderhof Martin Gallery
Join us for a “lunch and learn” Women’s History Event at the Gallery! Gallery staff, interns, and students will lead us in a speed-round discussion of the women featured in the exhibition Woman, the Spirit of the Universe.
March 12, 5 – 6pm:
Gallery Talk with Samantha Van Heest
duPont Gallery
Artist and alumna Samantha Van Heest (‘20) will speak about her artistic practice as it has evolved from her time as a student in the Department of Art to her work as a professional artist in DC and Boston.
March 31, 5 – 7pm:
Gallery Opening Receptions
Ridderhof Martin Gallery and duPont Gallery
Join us for the opening receptions of Exit Studio: Class of 2026, featuring art by graduating seniors in the Department of Art; and Mark and Method: Prints from the Bowman Collection, an exhibition curated by the students in Dr. Stonestreet’s ARTH 317: Art Museum Studies Lab.
*These exhibitions run until April 26, 2026.
April 24, 2 – 3pm:
Gallery Talks with Art Seniors
duPont Gallery
Hear from the graduating seniors about their artworks! This event is part of Research and Creativity Day.