Out of the Corner of My Eye: things seen, barely seen, and imagined.

Art Wellesley (AW) is pleased to announce our fifth juried art exhibition and our inaugural exhibition at the Wellesley Historical Society. AW is delighted to have David Teng Olsen and Samara Pearlstein as guest jurors for this show. 

The jurors are interested in the space between what is seen by the eye and what is perceived by the brain – the visual slippage that can occur when things are incompletely glimpsed, visible only for a moment, or barely apprehended, and what might happen when imagination has to step in to fill in blank spots in perception. 

Works can address this topic directly or abstractly, but should in some way engage with the theme of the show. Create something new, or dig into your archives, all submissions welcome!

Samara Pearlstein is an artist, educator, and arts administrator in the Boston, MA area. She studied art and biology at the University of Michigan and received her MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Tufts University. She is currently Gallery Director and Program Coordinator for the Wellesley College Art Department. Her recent work addresses exploration, surveying, human-made and geological marks on the land, and questions who gets to inhabit or claim the landscape. She received a 2024 SMFA at Tufts Traveling Fellowship, which funded research on (and descents into) iron and copper mines in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She also makes many images of cats.

David Teng Olsen is a Professor of Art and the director of Studio Art and co-director of Media Arts and Sciences at Wellesley College. His research focuses on the interdependent relationship between identity, culture and technology with acquisitions by museums in the US and Europe. His students have gone onto successful design, technology and media careers at companies including Google, Facebook, Apple and Industrial Light and Magic. He has been creating large-scale public art since 1999, working with at-risk youth, children community centers, and colleges to create opportunities for hands-on experiences and educational talks about his work and the power of art to heal and transform community.