Julia Elise Hong
Documentation of my recent curatorial work for Sprague Gallery at Harvey Mudd College, The Claremont Colleges (2017-2025)
As part of my programmatic direction for concerts and exhibitions at Harvey Mudd College from Fall 2017 to Fall 2025, I curated a total of 27 exhibitions (including 5 co-curated) for the College’s Sprague Gallery and led strategic initiatives that expanded the Gallery’s reach and impact. The initiatives included gallery renovations, development of an arts website (arts.hmc.edu), and establishment of open calls for artwork from across the Claremont Colleges consortium.
Key pursuit of the open calls was diversity and accessibility. I invited and reviewed artwork in all mediums by students, faculty, and staff of the Claremont Colleges, supporting inclusion while maintaining high curatorial standards. My process—grounded in in-depth research, guiding and collaborative communication with artists, critical writing, and spatially dynamic, visitor-centered exhibition design—resulted in exhibitions that consistently met the professional art-industry practices, whether by art or non-art majors.
My curatorial and teaching philosophy in the academic context is that everyone can actively engage in the practice of becoming an artist. This informed my emphasis on solo and two-person exhibitions in the latter half of my appointment at the College, creating structured, rigorous opportunities for artists to each consider and present a body of work. These solo exhibitions, often the artists’ first, were a unique feature of the Gallery and exemplified my commitment to sustained development of artistic practices and scholarship.
Selected exhibitions:
Nolan Windham & Jasper Eliot, TforX: A Chronoscape, September 6–October 10, 2025
Solo; duo of student (Claremont McKenna ’25, economics and data science) and professional; video
Jasmine Baetz and Alessia Lupo Cecchet, Special Archives, October 17–December 13, 2024
Two-person; faculty and professional (Claremont McKenna and Scripps, visiting scholarship and ceramics; Pomona, media studies); video and sculpture
Jonathan Jackson, Lines, October 18–December 10, 2023
Solo; professional (Tierra del Sol Foundation); drawing
Appearance of the Body, September 5–October 1, 2023
Group; student (5Cs including Pomona, Scripps, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Pitzer); painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, textile, video
E. Bacon-Gershman, Unlocking the Secrets of Pollen, March 28–April 14, 2023
Solo; student (Harvey Mudd ’23, chemistry); photography and installation
Meghna Pamula, AAAAAANNND, February 21–March 10, 2023
Solo; student (Claremont McKenna ’25, data science and government); painting, drawing, animation
Vivian Monteiro, Extensible, January 23–February 10, 2023
Solo; student (Scripps ’23, art and media studies); drawing and sculpture
Cayman Chen, Recent Collections, November 29–December 12, 2022
Solo; student (Claremont McKenna ’25, psychology and art); fashion
Charles Ryan Becker, On the fence, open city, October 20–November 13, 2022
Solo; student (Pomona ’23, art and art history); painting
Sharda Umanath, At One Moment, September 6–September 23, 2022
Solo; faculty (Claremont McKenna, psychology); painting
Skip, 5 senses, December 1–15, 2021
Solo; student (Harvey Mudd, anonymous); writing and installation
Press:
“TforX: A Chronoscape” brings student-made slit-screen photography to Harvey Mudd Gallery. Maria Hernandez. The Student Life, October 10, 2025.
‘Lines’ exhibition at Sprague Gallery blends imagination and intricate linework. Sophie McClain. The Student Life, November 9, 2023.
Spotlight on Seniors: Vivian Monteiro ‘23’s Art Shines in Debut Solo Exhibition. Mirabella Miller. Scripps College News.
Student exhibition ‘Cayman Chen—Recent Collections’ critiques consumerism. Bela De Jesús. The Student Life, December 1, 2022.
Waverly Wang: Studies of Women Exhibition at Sprague Gallery. Waverly Wang. The Muddraker, April 30, 2022.
‘A form of self-love’: From fan art to self portraits, HMC student art exhibition highlights depictions of multifaceted women. Mariana Duran. The Student Life, February 24, 2022.
Harvey Mudd’s Sprague Gallery features ‘Accounts of Their Times’ student show. Juliana Messina. The Student Life, February 6, 2020.