The Museum is currently CLOSED during Tulane University's Summer Break.
We will reopen on Thursday, August 20.

Tulane receives more than $2 million to expand Newcomb Art Museum’s pre-1950 collections

We are excited to announce that Tulane has received a $2.43 million gift from the estate of alumna Anne Robertson Sellin (NC '62) to expand the collections of nationally recognized Newcomb Art Museum, one of the university’s most significant repositories of art, material culture and creative scholarship. Sellin’s bequest establishes the Anne Robertson Sellin Endowed Fund, which will provide permanent support for exhibitions and the acquisition of works of art created before 1950. The bequest reflects her enduring commitment to Tulane and to Newcomb College, the pioneering center for women’s education in the arts and design. Read more in Tulane Today.

Newcomb Wall Hanging, c. 1905–1915, Helen DeGrange McLellan, silk embroidery on linen, 57” x 39”, The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2017.0080.75. Image courtesy of The New Orleans Historic Collection.

Opening in August 2026, Quiet Reserve: Stitching an Ambitious New Woman will examine embroidery’s role as a professional and artistic practice at H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College in the early twentieth century. The college’s needlework curriculum encouraged students to see embroidery as both creative expression and viable career training, reshaping ideas about women’s labor and independence in the U.S. South.

Students described their work as “art needlework,” producing handsewn textiles inspired by natural motifs and everyday life. Under the leadership of Ellsworth Woodward, the program cultivated a distinctive style marked by refined design and accessible techniques that allowed students to develop sophisticated, personal artistic voices. Woodward, the first director of Newcomb’s School of Art, noted that the students’ needlework conveyed a “quiet reserve in design.” 

The exhibition highlights how Newcomb helped expand opportunities for Southern women in the decorative arts while promoting the ideals of the “New Woman”—
college-educated, self-sufficient, and professionally trained. Curated by Sarah Brokenborough, a graduate curatorial assistant at the Newcomb Art Museum and PhD candidate at Tulane University, Quiet Reserve explores embroidery as both artistic practice and economic opportunity. 

This exhibition is supported in part by the Decorative Arts Trust's Dean F. Failey Grant.

Students participate in a scavenger hunt at The Moss Mystique exhibition.

On June 3, Newcomb Art Museum partnered with educator and artist Journey Allen and The Coalition for Compassionate Schools to welcome students for a special visit to The Moss Mystique: Southern Women and Newcomb Pottery exhibition.

During their visit, students participated in a gallery scavenger hunt — discovering how Newcomb artists used symbolism, pattern, and imagery from the natural world to express identity, history, and voice. Students explored the connections between pottery and mural-making, recognizing the shared language of visual storytelling across artistic mediums.

Newcomb Art Museum is proud to be a featured participant in Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026 — a nationwide semiquincentennial initiative to showcase the importance of the handmade both throughout our history and in contemporary life.

Presented by Craft in America, Handwork 2026 is a year-long collaboration among arts organizations, educators, and makers to celebrate the crafts that define America.  This initiative brings compelling stories and the work of  underrepresented art and artists into the spotlight.

Celebrating our 30th year as the steward of the artistic legacy of H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, Newcomb Art Museum is a natural fit for this collaboration. The museum’s collections and 2026 featured exhibitions highlight the influential role Newcomb artists played in the American Arts and Crafts movement through pottery, embroidery, metalwork, textiles, and other handcrafted traditions.

More than 250 organizations nationwide have joined the initiative, each contributing exhibitions and events that showcase the depth and diversity of American craft.

Visit the Handwork 2026 website to learn more!

Explore the Collections

View Current Exhibitions

Public Programs

Newcomb Art Museum offers guided tours and an array of public programs, all free of charge. Designed around the salient themes and images of each exhibition, such activities speak to an array of community and campus interests. https://newcombartmuseum.tulane.edu/programs/

For more information on events and current exhibitions, visit: newcombartmuseum.tulane.edu

THE MUSEUM WILL BE CLOSED May 16 – August 19, 2026
and will reopen on Thursday, August 20 with normal operating hours.

Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane is Free and Open to the Public.
Regular Hours: Monday – Friday 10 AM – 5 PM | Saturday 11 AM – 4 PM | Sunday CLOSED

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