
Naturality over Normality: Zackary Drucker and Taking Control of Transgender Representation
Zackary Drucker, in collaboration with Rhys Ernst, created a series of photographs titled Relationship that lasted from 2008 until 2014 that focused on not only their evolving stages in their respective transitions, but also their attachment to one another. Gaze, energy, and intimacy are all important themes in this series. The representation of transgender bodies

Upcycled Exhibition Tote Bags
This year, the Escalette Permanent Collection of Art is excited to celebrate it’s 10+2 Year Anniversary. Milestones like this give us the opportunity to look back at how much we’ve accomplished over the years. We felt particularly nostalgic looking through the stacks of retired exhibition banners saved from the past 10 plus years. Embedded within

32K in ’22: Help the Escalette Match its NEA Grant
As a “museum without walls,” the Escalette Collection fills Chapman’s campus with enriching, thought-provoking artworks that impact life on campus for thousands of members of the Chapman Family every day. In 2021, we were honored to receive a prestigious grant from the National Endowment for the Arts that will allow us to commission an artwork

Wind and Imagery of Migration: Interview with Escalette artist Bovey Lee
In celebration of Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month, Escalette Director, Fiona Shen, joins Hong Kong-born artist Bovey Lee, to discuss the imagery of migration and the freedom of creative practice. FS: So much of your imagery is airborne. I’ve noticed paper airplanes, balloons, streamers in the wind and birds, waves, sail boats, and

Challenging the Male Gaze
Have you ever heard the phrase “male gaze”? It was first coined in 1975 by film critic Laura Mulvey to describe how women are represented in visual arts and literature. She noticed that in movies, advertisements, literature, art, etc., women were often presented as objects of pleasure for heterosexual male viewers. This pattern reinforces a

An Exploration of Black Excellence in the Escalette Collection
In celebration of Black History Month, the Escalette Collection of Art shares ways to engage with artists whose works explore Black history, culture, and its influence on America. This blog post features things to see, listen, read, experience, and create this month and beyond. See Artists on Display As a “museum without walls,” the Escalette

Student Perspective
The Escalette Collection is looking back at some of the amazing work students created in the Fall 2021 semester based on artwork in the collection. Displaying artwork throughout Chapman’s campus gives students the opportunity to engage with the collection, whether in their classes or just walking by. By bringing their unique backgrounds, perspectives, and knowledge to an artwork,

This Land is Your Land
For the students in Dr. Fiona Shen’s First Year Focus (FFC) class, “Exploring the Escalette Collection of Art: An Experiential Journey,” the weeks leading up to finals looked a little different. That’s because their “final” was to collaboratively curate an art exhibition related to Wilkinson College’s Engaging the World: Leading the Conversation on Environmental Justice

Millie Wilson: Light and Memory
Millie Wilson’s light box photos are a series of haunting and humorous works that poke at stereotypes, gendered situations, and the mundanity of everyday life. The Escalette Collection of Art has two works of Wilson’s on display in Smith Hall: Untitled (boys in desert) from her 2013 exhibition Some People, and an earlier 2011 work,

Let's Get Spooky with The Escalette Collection
When the weather gets (slightly) cooler, friends thrift for the perfect costume, and campus clubs give candy by the handful, you know Halloween is just around the corner! One of my favorite things to do to get into the spooky spirit is experience or create art! Whether that be watching spooky movies or carving pumpkins,