AMETHYST BEAVER ‘08
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
Major: Art History
"I love being at Wellesley because of the professors. They are experts in their fields and inspiring to speak with; they also know their students by name. I have been invited to their homes for dinner, to their offices for tea, and into their hearts forever. They are advisors and mentors, and I feel incredibily privileged to be in such a comfortable and dynamic learning environment."
- Amethyst

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FAVORITE COURSE: I loved Modern Art Since 1945 in the Art History Department. It was one of the best lectures I have ever been privileged to hear. I feel like I can walk into any 19th-century to contemporary gallery space and be able to speak intelligently about the works on the walls (even if I am not exactly sure about artist, date, and time). Studying art history is about putting what you see into context: What does this remind you of? Where have you seen this style/imagery/medium used before? Studying art history is about asking questions and thinking critically about the work, but also about the context.

YOUR PERSPECTIVES ON ACADEMICS: I love how art can be related to a larger context. Studying art history is not just about memorizing names and dates; it is about placing artistic human creation and thought into a historical, social, economic, and political landscape. Art is not created in a vacuum, and studying art can give a different view into the past. In many ways, studying art history is about the human condition, how we react and reflect and translate our worlds into art.

This year I am co-president of DMSAC (Davis Museum Student Advisory Council) which I gladly allow to consume my life. DMSAC collaborates with the Davis Museum to make it more accessible to students and the greater Wellesley community. We arrange museum trips, contract with local artists to do installations in the gallery spaces, and advise the museum about future acquisitions. Being part of the executive board has allowed me to see the inner-workings of the museum and to realize the potential that a museum has to positively affect its community. Each week, all of DMSAC meets with the director of the museum to discuss the role of the Council within the museum context.

Along with promoting museum events and encouraging students to get more involved with the museum, each semester DMSAC organizes, manages, and oversees Davis After Dark, our biannual evening event with speakers, performances, crafts, and lectures. Last fall we arranged for the Guerrilla Girls, an anonymous feminist art group, to come and speak at Davis After Dark in conjunction with the museum's Global Feminisms exhibition. Over 500 people attended the event.

BEST THING ABOUT WELLESLEY (OR WOMEN'S COLLEGE):My friends. I have the best friends anyone could ask for. In my experience, being at an all-women's college allows the women here to truly be themselves, to think for themselves, and to find other people who share their same hopes and dreams and values.

I love being at Wellesley because of the professors. They are experts in their fields and inspiring to speak with; they also know their students by name. I have been invited to their homes for dinner, to their offices for tea, and into their hearts forever. They are advisors and mentors, and I feel incredibily privileged to be in such a comfortable and dynamic learning environment.

FUN FACT: Wellesley was the only all-women's college I applied to. It was also the only school on the East Coast I applied to. But, if I had known then what I know now, I would have applied Early Decision.



Davis Museum Student Advisory Council Co-presidents Amethyst Beaver and Sarah Burney with two Guerrilla Girls at the
fall 2008 Davis After Dark.





                               

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Last Modified on March 21, 2008
Expires on September 30, 2008