Join UVM's Fleming Museum of Art for our semiannual Kickoff Party on Wednesday, February 11th, from 5pm-7pm and come together to celebrate two exciting new exhibitions. Free and open to all, guests can expect to view exceptional art and enjoy complimentary snacks and parking.
So what do these new exhibitions have in store?
Memory Fields is a new installation curated by UVM students, which explores how memories and narratives intertwine to create our understanding of the past. To me, memory is what makes history so impactful. To recall is to take our roots and pull them, celebrate them, and learn from them in the present day.
Students from UVM’s Spring 2025 Museum Anthropology course selected objects from the Fleming’s vast collections to cultivate group discussions about the complex narratives surrounding historical objects. For example, the Cameo of Robert Hull Fleming, a carved broach of our museum’s namesake, seems to fit perfectly on display in this exhibition. But did you know that it was actually Katherine Wolcott, Fleming’s niece, who advocated for and provided initial funding for the museum’s construction? Which sparks one of the key questions of the exhibit: which narratives of history are remembered…and which are forgotten?
What really stuck out to me about this exhibit, other than the strong pride I feel for my fellow UVM students contributing to museum exhibitions on our own campus, were the kinds of stories that were told through this program. Memory Fields will be on view from February 3 to May 16, 2026.
Sonja Lunde, Executive Director of the Fleming Museum of Art, explains how these types of course and research collaborations enhance both the museum’s offerings as well as the UVM student experience.
“Student voices and talents have real power here. This museum is a place for experimentation and growth, and a space where ideas turn into action. The art in our galleries becomes a lens for almost any conversation you can imagine, across any field of study at UVM.”
When Photography Was New
When photography began to become accessible to the general world population, it started out not as an artform, —but as a scientific tool, a form of industrial documentation, and a way to reflect your family’s memory and status.
This spring’s featured exhibition, Photo-Secession: Painterly Masterworks of Turn-Of-The-Century Photography celebrates an intrepid group of early 20th century photographers. This exhibition from art2art follows the dreamy, evocative works that forever changed the emerging technology into a fully-fledged fine art.
What I find most interesting about this exhibition is the focus on nature and the human figure in each captured framework. The Pictorialist movement of the 20th century, with its emphasis on the use of soft focus, romantic or allegorical themes, and hand worked techniques (which gave unique, more "artistic" imperfections to each work), helped build the case that photography was as worthy of a museum wall as a painting.
Photo-Secession will be on view for a limited time from February 10 through April 18, 2026, so plan your visit soon. The Museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays and is free and open to all. Visit our website for more information.
Sam Hansen, is a sophomore English major at the University of Vermont. She is a 2026 Content and Communications Assistant at the Fleming Museum of Art, avid skier, and chicken pot pie enthusiast.