SUMMER HOURS: Tuesday – Friday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday 12 – 4 p.m. (closed Sunday and Monday)
Plan Your Visit
The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University features the work of renowned, emerging, and regional artists. The museum presents exhibitions in a wide variety of media and genres, including selected exhibitions from the permanent collection. With programming such as artist talks, workshops, and tours, the museum provides a forum for art through viewing, dialogue, and an understanding of the creative process. The museum also offers student internships, volunteer opportunities, and an undergraduate course on museum curatorial practices offered every other year.
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Collections
The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum houses a diverse collection of artwork by well-known artists working in a variety of media. Paintings, photographs, and works on paper acquired by generations of Hollins University art professors and alumnae form the basis of our collection. Now, the museum actively collects work by internationally recognized artists working today. With more than 1500 art objects and a growing archive, the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum’s collection is an important cultural and educational resource for the university and the greater southwestern Virginia community.
Thanks to the Frances Niederer Artist-in-Residence program, the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum also has a growing collection of works documenting participating residency artists, which provides an important cross section of contemporary art being made in the last years of the twentieth century and into the early decades of the twenty-first. This program, which started in 1997, brings a nationally recognized artist to campus each spring. The artist creates work, teaches a seminar open to all students, delivers a public lecture in conjunction with their solo exhibition, and donates an artwork to the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum. A selection of these works are available for viewing online.
To schedule an appointment to view work from the collection for scholarly research, please email Laura Jane Ramsburg at lramsburg@hollins.edu.
Museum Staff
Jessica L. Ambler, Ph.D., Museum Director amblerjl@hollins.edu
Janet Carty, Preparator jcarty@hollins.edu
Laura C. Ilawan, Visitor Services and Programs Coordinator cardenla1@hollins.edu
Laura Jane Ramsburg, Associate Director lramsburg@hollins.edu
Museum Statement
The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum is dedicated to supporting the academic and artistic freedoms of the curators and artists we collaborate with; it is not an endorsement of the ideas or opinions expressed in their work. The exhibitions we host may awe, inspire, challenge, or offend, and we hope that our visitors see their museum experience as an opportunity to learn, converse, and grow in the spirit of scholarly exploration at Hollins University.
Our Founder
Eleanor Delaney “Siddy” Wilson graduated from Hollins with a degree in chemistry. She went on to become an accomplished actress on Broadway and to receive a Tony nomination. She directed plays, performed with the USO, and worked in television and movies. She pursued her interest in art by studying with Margaret Stark and Rafael Soyer in New York City. Siddy’s desire was that her beloved Hollins have a world-class art museum. This museum, named in her honor, is the culmination of her philanthropic generosity and benefits both the Hollins and greater Roanoke communities.
In 2008, Tanya Bickley and Sheri Dean, executors of her estate, gave the museum an extensive archive of documents, including photographs, journals, writings, and artwork by Siddy, to be used as an educational resource.
Special Partnership
The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum is proud to partner with It’s Here! Roanoke.
We’re using our creativity to improve our lives, our place, and our community. This collective exploration brings together artists, the nonprofit arts sector, arts-based businesses, and our community development partners. It’s right here, right now in Roanoke that we’re creating the community we want, and we invite you to join us. With the combination of incredibly talented local artists, a robust nonprofit arts and culture sector, and a host of events throughout the year that celebrate all the ways art enriches our community, we’re building a THRIVING arts ecosystem.
Visit It’s Here! Roanoke for more information on arts opportunities around the region.