The Wellesley College 150th Community Fund was created to support innovative and impactful projects that embody the legacy and spirit of Wellesley. The selected initiatives include a film festival, a community-created graphic novel, and an archival exploration of Wellesley’s iconic Hooprolling tradition. Each project showcases the creativity, collaboration, and curiosity that characterize the College in honor of this milestone year.
Our projects
To Make a Difference in the World: The Wellesley Landscape at 150
This one-day symposium, organized by faculty in the Grace Slack McNeil Program for Studies in American Art, explored how Wellesley’s landscape design shaped and was shaped by the College’s mission to educate women for leadership. Bringing together students, faculty, alumnae, and leading experts, the event reflected on the evolution and meaning of Wellesley’s iconic campus.
Imagining Museums: The Next 150 Years of Stewarding Art at Wellesley
In this recorded symposium in English and French hosted by the Davis Museum, students, scholars, and alumnae from around the world extended Wellesley’s legacy of learning directly from works of art. The symposium proposed new strategies for the ethical stewardship of artworks collected by the College since 1875. In collaboration with the Wellesley Club of France, Centre International de Recherches André Malraux, the Pluralism Initiative, French House, and the Department of French, Francophone, and Italian Studies, the symposium paid special attention to the influence of novelist, politician, and cultural critic André Malraux on Wellesley’s museum in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Founding Members of Wellesley: Visual History Preservation
This project brought Wellesley’s visionaries to life through framed portraits and brief biographies installed near the buildings that bear their names. Featuring figures including Katharine Lee Bates, class of 1880 and professor of English; Alice Freeman Palmer, professor of history and later the College’s second president; Helen Almira Shafer, Wellesley’s third president and professor of mathematics; Ellen Fitz Pendleton, class of 1886 and the College’s sixth president; and Diana Chapman Walsh, class of 1966 and Wellesley’s 12th president, the initiative highlights the individuals who shaped the College across generations.
Our Queer Stories: A Digital Timeline of LGBTQ+ History at Wellesley
Created through student research under the guidance of LGBTQ+ Programs and Services, the timeline—available to view on the College’s Intranet—highlights community milestones, amplifies underrepresented voices, and recognizes Wellesley College’s enduring and complex LGBTQ+ legacy.
Sesquicentennial Film Festival
Our community came together for a unique film festival honoring the remarkable contributions of Wellesley alumnae to the entertainment industry.
Chasing Gender Roles, Iconic Campus Traditions, and the Meaning of Community Across 131 Years of Hoop Racing at Wellesley College
Hooprolling is a beloved annual tradition at Wellesley College. A team from the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies will create a digital humanities StoryMaps website featuring historical photographs, news articles, and interviews with 22 past winners, and curated a public exhibition in the Humanities Lounge. With the support of student research assistants, the team also developed an article based on its findings.
Cultural Houses at Wellesley College: A History
“The Genesis of Wellesley’s Cultural Houses” is a graphic novel that celebrates the histories of Harambee, Acorns, and Slater, honoring their legacies and their lasting impact on campus life. Copies are available at Clapp Library.
Written by Wellesley: Composers and Lyricists Throughout the Ages
This concert featured a selection of works that showcased the diverse musical contributions of our alumnae and honored their rich legacy, from Katharine Lee Bates, class of 1880, and Katherine Kennicott Davis, class of 1914, to today’s students.