Long Profile of Davison Art Center at Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
Established:
Davison Art Center at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut was established in 1952.
The Museum has approximately "24,000 works of art on paper, mostly original prints and photographs, with smaller numbers of works in other media."
History:
The history of the Davison Art Center begins with George W. Davison (1872-1953), who "was the greatest benefactor of the DAC Collection."
George W.
Davison was a graduate of Wesleyan University and along with his wife Harriet, began in 1907 collecting prints from well-known artists and print-makers. By the 1930s, they had amassed a collection of 6,000 prints, which they gave to Wesleyan University as a founding collection for the Museum.
The Davison Art Center was built in 1952 to house the Davison's art collection.
Mission:
The Museum's mission according to their website, is that artworks in the collection will help serve the educational needs of students: "Wesleyan students in many departments use the DAC Collection for class assignments or viewings as well as for individual research projects with University faculty, and the museum also encourages teaching and learning from objects in a wide range of other ways."
Location:
The Davison Art Center is located at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.
Please refer to the Museum's website for driving and public transportation directions.
Museum's Conservation Department:
Art conservation is the practice of preserving and restoring an artwork.
Art conservators do detailed research and scientific analysis to explore the best way to conserve an artwork for future generations. They use archival materials to help conserve the artwork, as environmental factors such as light, dust and humidity can make an artwork rapidly disintegrate.
Famed Artworks in Collection:
The Museum has acquired a print collection that is "considered to be one of the two or three most important at an American university."
Prints by Old Masters and renowned artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Northern and Italian Renaissance artists, Rembrandt, Goya, and 19th-century French artists Manet and Millet are in the collection.
American modern and contemporary art is represented by artists such as Jim Dine.
The collection includes approximately 600 Japanese ukiyo-e woodcuts and "early histories of mezzotint and lithography."
"The collection includes multiple states of many prints, providing a historical window into printmaking techniques and artists' creative processes."
Noteworthy Facts:
"The DAC also has a Print Reference Library containing several thousand volumes of reference works. These are used in close conjunction with teaching and learning from original objects in the print collection."
Employment Information:
The Davison Art Center will post job opportunities on the University's website if any positions become available in the various departments such as administrative, curatorial, educational, marketing, public relations, and security so be sure to check the listings regularly.
How to Apply for a Job:
Please refer to the Museum's guidelines regarding employment, as you can apply online for a job. When a job opening is available, it is typically requested to submit your résumé, with a cover letter to the Museum stating the position which you are applying.
Museum's Contact Info:
Davison Art Center at Wesleyan University, 301 High St., Middletown, CT. 06459-0487. Tel:860-685-2500.
Davison Art Center's website
Museum Hours:
Davison Art Center at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut was established in 1952.
The Museum has approximately "24,000 works of art on paper, mostly original prints and photographs, with smaller numbers of works in other media."
History:
The history of the Davison Art Center begins with George W. Davison (1872-1953), who "was the greatest benefactor of the DAC Collection."
George W.
Davison was a graduate of Wesleyan University and along with his wife Harriet, began in 1907 collecting prints from well-known artists and print-makers. By the 1930s, they had amassed a collection of 6,000 prints, which they gave to Wesleyan University as a founding collection for the Museum.
The Davison Art Center was built in 1952 to house the Davison's art collection.
Mission:
The Museum's mission according to their website, is that artworks in the collection will help serve the educational needs of students: "Wesleyan students in many departments use the DAC Collection for class assignments or viewings as well as for individual research projects with University faculty, and the museum also encourages teaching and learning from objects in a wide range of other ways."
Location:
The Davison Art Center is located at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.
Please refer to the Museum's website for driving and public transportation directions.
Museum's Conservation Department:
Art conservation is the practice of preserving and restoring an artwork.
Art conservators do detailed research and scientific analysis to explore the best way to conserve an artwork for future generations. They use archival materials to help conserve the artwork, as environmental factors such as light, dust and humidity can make an artwork rapidly disintegrate.
Famed Artworks in Collection:
The Museum has acquired a print collection that is "considered to be one of the two or three most important at an American university."
Prints by Old Masters and renowned artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Northern and Italian Renaissance artists, Rembrandt, Goya, and 19th-century French artists Manet and Millet are in the collection.
American modern and contemporary art is represented by artists such as Jim Dine.
The collection includes approximately 600 Japanese ukiyo-e woodcuts and "early histories of mezzotint and lithography."
"The collection includes multiple states of many prints, providing a historical window into printmaking techniques and artists' creative processes."
Noteworthy Facts:
"The DAC also has a Print Reference Library containing several thousand volumes of reference works. These are used in close conjunction with teaching and learning from original objects in the print collection."
Employment Information:
The Davison Art Center will post job opportunities on the University's website if any positions become available in the various departments such as administrative, curatorial, educational, marketing, public relations, and security so be sure to check the listings regularly.
How to Apply for a Job:
Please refer to the Museum's guidelines regarding employment, as you can apply online for a job. When a job opening is available, it is typically requested to submit your résumé, with a cover letter to the Museum stating the position which you are applying.
Museum's Contact Info:
Davison Art Center at Wesleyan University, 301 High St., Middletown, CT. 06459-0487. Tel:860-685-2500.
Davison Art Center's website
Museum Hours:
- Mondays closed
- Tuesdays 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
- Wednesdays 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
- Thursdays 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
- Fridays 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
- Saturdays 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
- Sundays 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
- Closed Holidays