About
The Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College are a dynamic crossroads for inquiry, creativity, and exchange. Through exhibitions of nationally and internationally recognized contemporary artists, collaborations across disciplines, and the integration of works from our collection into teaching and campus life, the Galleries foster exploration of shared humanity and amplify diverse voices and untold stories. By engaging students, faculty, staff, and the wider community through internships, artist residencies, lectures, workshops, and other public programs, we spark intellectual and compassionate curiosity, stimulate dialogue, and nurture ethical leadership. In alignment with Davidson College’s commitment to the public good, the Galleries serve as an incubator where the visual arts spark critical reflection, social responsibility, and a more just, equitable, and connected world.
The college maintains a permanent collection of art that offers students and members of the community an opportunity to interact with and research more than 4,000 works of art spanning more than five centuries. Works from the permanent art collection are displayed in academic buildings on campus and are also loaned to other regional, national, and international art institutions for inclusion in thematic exhibitions and/or individual retrospectives.
Lia Rose Newman
Director / Curator
Email: linewman@davidson.edu
Lia Newman has held the position of Director/Curator of the Davidson College Art Galleries since January 2013. From 2002-2012, Newman was Director of Programs and Exhibitions at Artspace in Raleigh, NC. She earned a BA in Art History and a BFA in General Studio with concentrations in sculpture and photography from Winthrop University and a Master of Arts from Duke University. Newman provides leadership for the advancement of visual art at Davidson College, overseeing all administrative and operational activities of the Galleries and providing strategic vision to create an inclusive, interdisciplinary center of learning. She is responsible for curating exhibitions, developing exhibition-related programming, and overseeing the development and growth of the Davidson College Art Collection which has grown from just over 3,200 works of art to more than 4,200 during her tenure. Newman also serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Art, teaching a course focused around student-led art acquisitions.
Marisa J Pascucci
Gallery & Collection Coordinator
Email: mapascucci@davidson.edu
Marisa J. Pascucci is the Gallery and Collection Coordinator of the Van Every/Smith Galleries. Before relocating to the Charlotte area in January 2017, she was the Curator of Collections at the Boca Raton Museum of Art. Marisa graduated from American University with a Bachelors degree in art history and earned dual Master of Arts degrees in art history and museum studies from the joint program between Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Davidson College’s Art Collection Advisory Committee (ACAC) promotes the appreciation and study of visual art through the college’s permanent collection for the benefit of Davidson’s students, faculty, staff, alumni, community, and visitors. ACAC members are Davidson College’s “eyes and ears” for opportunities of potential acquisitions of art for the purposes of teaching and learning. In addition, members provide guidance to the gallery director on matters pertaining to museum policy, research, and collection advancement.
To learn more about membership on the committee, please contact Lia Newman at linewman@davidson.edu.
Jamie Knowles ’10, Current Chair
Malú Alvarez ’02, Past Chair
Charlotte Artus
Jane Avinger
Susan Baik
Alice Berndt ’22
John Chavez ’17
Lisa Robinson Chidsey ’83
Meika Fields Daus ’03
Mary Adair Dockery ’90
John David Ike ’13
Amy Clemmons King ’97, Past Chair
Joseph P. Logan ’77
Fred Lopp ’63
Frank K. Lord ’89
Susan Norman McAlister ’85
John Andrew MacMahon ’95
Daniel F. McLawhorn ’70, Past Chair
Virginia (Ginny) Newell ’78
Marian Nisbet
Elena Paul ’85, Past Chair
Katherine Hernandez Polenz ’08
Mary Margaret Cochrane Porter ’98
Susan Ross
Jessica Ruhle ’03
Lauren Sanford ’03
Betsey Boshell Todd ’93
Tyler Yvette Wilson ’14
True to the liberal arts’ tradition of promoting independent thinking, the first art exhibition ever held at Davidson College was organized by a student. Freshman Gordon Horton organized the Annual Student Exhibition in 1938. Since then, the Van Every/Smith Galleries have come a long way, organizing hundreds of exhibitions in the Katherine and Tom Belk Visual Art Center and amassing a collection of over 4,000 works of art. Read the full history here.
The Van Every/Smith Galleries are a venue for educational contemporary art experiences for students and members of the Davidson community, as well as for national and international visitors to the campus. Gallery programs are made possible, in part, because of the generosity of individual donors, grants, foundations, and endowments.
Click here and select “other” from the drop-down menu. Designate your gift to the Herb Jackson and Laura Grosch Gallery Fund (to support current gallery programs) or to the Herb Jackson and Laura Grosch Gallery Endowment (to support long-term funding of the gallery) or to the Dr. Joan Huntley Art Acquisition Endowment.
We deeply appreciate your support!