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About Us

Mission

The mission of the Boyden Gallery of St. Mary’s College of Maryland is to serve as an educational resource for students, faculty and staff of the College, and as a cultural resource for the community of southern Maryland.

The Boyden Gallery and Fine Art Collection is guided by the conviction that art is a key component of a strong liberal arts education and is a critical social resource that adds value to the life of the college community, as well as enrichment to our local and regional communities. The mission of the gallery advocates for the visual arts by exhibiting, collecting, programming, and researching contemporary and historical forms of art, and connecting the visual arts to other fields of human knowledge for the cultural expansion of our diverse patrons.

Goals

Our overarching program goals address inclusivity, diversity, creativity and learning:

• augment and enhance the educational initiatives of the college's fine & performing arts departments
• extend programs and activities to diverse students, faculty, and staff across campus while attracting the interests and involvement of people residing in southern Maryland
• plumb fertile avenues for exploration between the arts and other disciplines
• enliven and delight audiences by offering enriching and varied arts programming
• elevate all phases of operation to meet national standards and best practices as established by the American Association of Museums

History

Since 1972, the gallery has hosted close to 200 exhibitions by artists from regions across the United States (especially those in the Mid-Atlantic States), and from other countries, such as China and the former Soviet Union. In addition, historical exhibitions showcased works from the college’s art collection which comprise over 2,100 artifacts. The Boyden gives students the experience of a professional gallery with its annual student shows and capstone St. Mary’s art project exhibits. As a vital institutional and community resource, the Boyden designs its exhibitions and accompanying programs (such as lectures, hands-on projects, and panel discussions) to address scholarly activities across academic divisions, while responding to the cultural needs and interests of the larger community.

As Maryland’s only public honors college, 85 percent of St. Mary’s students are Maryland residents. Although the gallery’s programming takes place in southern Maryland, our audience is truly statewide. Moreover, our programming content extends far beyond state boundaries. Diverse participating exhibitors include, for example: Chinese and Latino artists, a Chicano photographer, a Hungarian-American painter and collector, and our own valued faculty contributors – who together cover a wide range of media spanning photography, collage, painting, printmaking, drawing, and sculpture.

To accomplish our goals, The Boyden selects exhibitions that lend themselves to multiple points of entry for diverse audiences. By choosing topics that offer a depth of inquiry and relevance to other disciplines, art at the Boyden Gallery becomes a vehicle for dynamic learning and sustained enjoyment. Moreover, many exhibitions use art as a springboard to larger cultural phenomenal: be it immigration, enculturation, scientific discovery, and political/ historical developments. Resonant topics tap both regional and international perspectives that use the creative language of art to probe both aesthetic and humanistic concerns.

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