Over the last two weeks, much has been written and debated—on campus and off, publicly and privately—about the installation of the Sleepwalker sculpture, which is part of Tony Matelli’s New Gravity exhibition at the Davis Museum. I have welcomed the depth of the dialogue and am grateful for the many voices and perspectives that have productively contributed to conversations about art, freedom, censorship, and feminism, to name a few.
The story played out on social media, and in the national media, where some strangers mischaracterized our college and our students. An editorial in the Wall Street Journal went so far as to refer to Wellesley students as delicate Victorian maidens. I set the record straight. My letter in response was printed in Wednesday’s paper.