The Van Every/Smith Galleries oversee the College’s Permanent Art Collection, comprised of more than 4,000 works of art spanning five centuries. The Art in Offices program turns the entire campus into a gallery by providing staff members with works of art from the Collection for display in their offices, common spaces, and conference rooms.

Artworks are generally kept for 2-3 years, though staff members may request to keep their work of art for a few cycles. Periodically, gallery staff will come assess the work for conservation concerns.

The Van Every/Smith Galleries oversee the College’s Permanent Art Collection, comprising more than 4,000 works of art spanning five centuries. Placing art throughout the buildings and open outdoor spaces turns the entire campus into a gallery to be enjoyed by all.

Spring 2021 brought the launch of ArtMate, a program that allows student to select an artwork for their residence hall room for the academic year. Gallery staff and interns selected over 100 pieces out of the 4,000 works in the college’s permanent art collection spanning centuries, regions, and genres to provide a variety of aesthetics for students to choose from. ArtMate has expanded to the first 100 students living in the following eight Residence Halls: Chidsey, Daley, Davis, Duke, Flowe, Hart, Jamieson, and Tomlinson.

To learn more and to sign up to participate, visit this link

The artworks listed below can be viewed in the public spaces on first and second floors of the Belk Visual Arts Center.

The Davidson College Campus Sculpture Program is an extension of the college’s permanent art collection. Available for viewing from dawn until dusk, in Richardson Plaza and throughout campus, the campus sculpture collection features outdoor works by significant, internationally-acclaimed artists.

Joan Huntley (1931-2019) never had a Davidson diploma with her name on it hanging in the home she shared with her husband, Bob, Class of 1947, but she enthusiastically adopted the college as her own. Joan served Davidson as a lifetime member of the board of visitors. She attended Mary Washington College (now University) and UNC Chapel Hill, earning advanced degrees in public health during a time when women did not get those kinds of degrees; she was often the only woman in the room. She was famous for bringing people together, a real connector.

Her passion for Davidson and art led to the formation of the Van Every/Smith Galleries’ Art Collection Advisory Committee (ACAC). Amy Clemmons King '97 recalls the founding as, [Joan] knew that if you believed in something, you could make it happen. She had been to museums at other private colleges, and she knew Davidson could attain that kind of collection if enough people got behind it." It is no surprise that Joan became known as the "godmother of the ACAC." Her generosity during her time with the ACAC and her estate gift aid in the group's efforts through the Joan Huntley Art Acquisition Fund, supporting the addition of new works to enhance campus and the curriculum.

Joan’s artistic passion centered on 19th-century works of the Barbizon school. In addition to a superb selection of paintings and works on paper donated through her bequest, the college's Art Collection Advisory Committee purchased works from this era to honor her dedication and legacy. Additional works will be added to this collection thanks to the Dr. Joan Huntley Art Acquisition Endowment.