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Rachel Perry (American, b. 1962)Lost in My Life (Chiral Lines 3), 2016Digital pigment60.25 x 40.75 in.Gift of John Andrew MacMahon '95 It took me a few moments to recognize what was happening in this photograph – amidst the colorful, vibrating lines is a person, blending into the background and hiding their face with a piece of the abstract pattern of their environment. As it turns out, this hidden figure is not just anyone, but the artist herself, and the lines draw directly from her own life. Artist Rachel Perry is best known for her manipulation of everyday items to comment on...

Ignatius Palmer (American, 1904-1992)Deer, 1978Watercolor on paper8.5 x 11.5 inGift of Carol Quillen, 18th President of Davidson College, and George McLendon While working a shift in the Galleries' offices where I returned some art to the storage racks, my eyes were drawn to a specific piece. Two blue-tinted mule deer, identifiable by their black-tipped tails and gray muzzles, gallivant through a fragmented environment reminiscent of early Safavid paintings. Deer are my favorite animal, and to see them depicted in such natural movement yet beautifully stylized really pleased my soul. The colors, cool yet bright, remind of a landscape just after...

Jiha Moon (South Korean, b. 1973)Genie (Peony), 2019Lithograph, screenprint and nail decals26.75 x 21 in.Gallery Purchase This fall, I had the opportunity to participate in ArtMate, an incredible program at Davidson College that allows students to select artwork from the college's gallery collection to display in their personal spaces. During the selection party at the Smith Gallery, where all the pieces were on display, a few works caught my eye, but one in particular drew me in with its bold colors and intricate details. Fortunately, it was still available when it was my turn to choose, and it became the...

Jaume Plensa (Catalan Spanish, b. 1955)Waves III, 2012Stainless steel and stone98.5 x 75.5 x 131.5 in Gift of James G. Pepper, Class of 1965 Whenever I walk by Waves III by Jaume Plensa, I feel like I have to stop and look at it. It’s a sculpture made up of letters and symbols from all sorts of languages, forming the shape of a person. Something about the way the letters come together makes it impossible to ignore. I feel drawn to it as if it’s quietly calling me to stop and pay attention. The letters are from different alphabets, representing...