Art Gallery Exhibit - Leading & Learning: A Century of Women at Bentley

Now on display in the RSM Gallery is “Leading & Learning: A Century of Women at Bentley.” This exhibit, curated by the Bentley University Archives, explores over one hundred years of women’s achievements at our institution. It is on view in the library from 3/14/2018 – 4/22/2018. Please also join us for an exhibit reception on Wednesday, March 21st from 2:00-3:30 p.m. Enjoy snacks and refreshments, make a commemorative button, and discuss women’s history at Bentley.  No RSVP needed, drop in as you are able.

About the Exhibit

In 1918, women were first offered admission to Bentley as a response to the large number of college-aged men drafted to fight in WWI. After the war ended Bentley again became a single-sex institution, although many women were still working diligently in Bentley’s administration. Prompted by another war, admission of women resumed in 1942. Since then, women have been learning, working and teaching at Bentley and have made an immeasurable impact on our campus.

This exhibit presents a chronological narrative of some of the activities and achievements of women over the course of Bentley’s history. As you view the exhibit either in person or online, we encourage you to think critically about the context in which these events occurred. What opportunities did women of various backgrounds have in our country over the last century? How was this the same or different at Bentley? We hope this exhibit will be the beginning of a campus-wide conversation about historical narratives and recorded memory. Traditionally, the accomplishments and opinions of women and members of other underrepresented groups have often gone unrecorded. It is partly because of this fact that any exhibit discussing women at Bentley cannot be all-encompassing. We have done our best to provide a broad overview of women’s progress at Bentley, but we acknowledge many archival silences as well.

To help us create a richer picture of Bentley history – and to ensure that records from our current time are similarly robust – please consider donating photographs, documents, and items of memorabilia to the Bentley Archives. Tell us about your unique experiences in the Bentley community, and suggest ideas for other groups whose histories you would like to explore further. If you have comments, questions, or suggestions please email Jaimie Fritz, University Archivist, at archives@bentley.edu. To view the online version of this exhibit and additional multimedia content, please visit blogs.bentley.edu/bentleyarchives.