Self and Sensibility: Women and Decorative Arts in the Age of Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson

Self and Sensibility:

Women and Decorative Arts in the Age of Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson

October 8 – November 20, 2020

The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery and Salve Regina University’s Department of Art and Art History are pleased to announce the opening of Self and Sensibility: Women and Decorative Arts in the Age of Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson, an exhibition of works from the 18^th_ and 19^th_centuries.

The exhibition Self and Sensibility transports the visitor back in time to explore European and American material and cultural life during the times of the great literary figures Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson.  It offers a glimpse into this period, reimagining the lives of women and the domestic spaces that shaped their everyday experience.  This exhibition features nearly fifty pieces on loan from a private collection in Newport.  It includes a range of decorative arts, including objects made from porcelain, silver, glass and textiles.  Highlights include a collection of dolls, figurines, vases, needlework, antique sewing supplies and objets d’art.

This exhibition was made possible through a generous partnership with a local private collection and the support of Salve Regina’s Office of Advancement.  This show was co-curated by Professors Ernest Jolicoeur and Anthony F. Mangieri of Salve Regina University’s Department of Art and Art History.  This project was designed in conjunction with group of student curatorial assistants from an advanced Art History course.

Self and Sensibility: Women and Decorative Arts in the Age of Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson runs from October 8 through November 20, 2020.  Due to public health concerns and restrictions on travel, this exhibition is open exclusively to the Salve Regina community.

The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery is located in the Antone Academic Center on the campus of Salve Regina University.  It is handicap accessible with parking along Lawrence and Leroy Avenues.  Its exhibits are open Tuesdays through Thursdays 11:00 to 6:00 pm and Wednesdays and Fridays 11:00 to 5:00 pm.  The gallery is closed on weekends and Mondays.  We invite you to visit us.