Embodied Labor: Care and Control

December 1, 2022–March 25, 2023

A forest colored ladder. A multicolored patched quilt. The shapes on the patchwork are incohesive. Text on the wall reads: “Embodied Labor/Care and Comfort.”

Closed for Winter Break: Sunday, December 11, 2022–Monday, January 30, 2023

Closed for Spring Break: Saturday, March 11–Monday, March 20, 2023

Embodied Labor: Care and Control was designed by the students in Exhibition Design, a History of Art course taught by Leah Neiderstadt. The 12 students in the course worked with objects selected from Wheaton’s Permanent Collection, the college’s Marion B. Gebbie Archives and Special Collection, and loans from private collections.  

Embodied Labor: Care & Control explores how human labor is both embodied and experienced. The exhibition focuses on both visible and invisible forms of labor to reveal how labor is often systematically erased, forgotten, or simply misunderstood. Through the exhibition we hope you will gain a greater understanding of and an appreciation for the myriad ways in which labor is perceived and valued, whether it is creative, emotional, intellectual, physical, reproductive, or ritual.

Student designers: Shuchang Gu, Mairen O’Neill, Alizabeth Jewell, Jackie Murillo, Deirdre Gill, Reka Moscarelli, Hailey Tice, Isabel Mayers, Emily Redler, Lillian Bates, Hannah Borges, and Nia Budakova

  • A forest colored ladder. A multicolored patched quilt. The shapes on the patchwork are incohesive. Text on the wall reads: “Embodied Labor/Care and Comfort.”
  • Two masked individuals crouch near a table. The one closest to me is on all fours, nearly underneath the table.
  • Someone stands on a ladder in the gallery and adjusts a light. Three people stand around the ladder.
  • 5 people gather around a mannequin. It dons a cream colored sweater. They’re talking about the garment, I believe.
  • A person gives a thumbs up to the camera in front of a multicolored patchwork quilt.
  • A person sits on the floor next to three mannequins. The mannequin on the left is wearing a short light brown dress and a cap that looks like an acorn to me. Next is a white colored blouse, with possibly some design on it. Finally is a longer, cream colored dress. It has lace at the bottom, making the piece appear semi-transparent.
  • A group of eleven people stand in front of a multicolored patchwork quilt.
  • Somebody presents a piece of art on the wall while behind a glass table. There is also another person and a third person’s hand on the right side of the image.
  • People exploring the exhibition.
  • Three people are working together to set up a canvas so it stands upright in the gallery.
  • A woman speaks to a group of people. I wonder if she’s explaining the painting in front of her to the crowd.
  • To me this looks like a person measuring the width of a canvas. At first glance, I thought the image was of a beetle on a black background, but instead it is a combination of people orienting their hands differently. This abstract piece gives a real sense of peace to my soul.
  • A group of 8 people gather around a table with many papers on it. One person has their hands up, appearing as though they are speaking.

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