In first peek at collections, Art Museum announces two opening exhibits

The opening exhibitions at the Princeton University Art Museum (PUAM) will be “Princeton Collects” and “Toshiko Takaezu: Dialogues in Clay,” the museum announced on Thursday. Both are set to open alongside the museum on Oct. 31.

Described as a “once-in-a-century remaking of our Museum” by PUAM Director James Steward in the statement, the inaugural exhibitions “establish the dynamism of the collections today and how much they have been shaped by individuals to reflect a teaching museum.”

PUAM consists of 32 galleries, primarily on the second floor of the building, with the singular gallery on the first floor set to host longer-term exhibitions and referred to in the press release as the “Welcome Gallery.”

The Welcome Gallery will host “Toshiko Takaezu: Dialogues in Clay” from Oct. 31, to July 5, 2026. Chris Newth, the director for collections and exhibitions, previously described the Welcome Gallery as “a project space” and explained that only certain pieces of art could be on show there due to the large windows in the room.

Takaezu, who earned an honorary PhD from Princeton in 1996, taught at the University from 1967 to 1992. Best known for her closed-form works, Takaezu used traditional pottery techniques. Her pieces are “as individual as people are, varying greatly in scale and shape, color and texture, and in their internal tectonic rhythms,” according to Glenn Adamson, a curator based in New York. She experimented with clay throughout her career and also explored large-scale textiles and paintings.

Dialogues in Clay will be made up of Takaezu’s ceramics from PUAM’s collection as well as those of her teachers and peers “who embarked on parallel pathways of innovation,” tied together by reflections on Takaezu from her students.

“Takaezu’s willingness to push the boundaries of the medium reflects the artistic upheaval of her time and made her a fearless and deeply exciting creator across her career,” wrote Juliana Ochs Dweck, PUAM’s chief curator, in the press release.

The other opening exhibition, Princeton Collects, will run from Oct. 31 through March 29, 2026, and will be made up of approximately 150 works that include significant works of art donated to the University over the last four years.

Located primarily within the second floor’s special exhibition galleries, Princeton Collects includes the largest work to date by Irish-American artist Sean Scully, as well as abstract Expressionist paintings, photography, early American furniture, and British art from the 1800s.

“[The exhibition is] a testament to the enduring legacy and impact of philanthropy,” Steward said in the statement. “We are honored to be entrusted with the care, presentation, and interpretation of such works which we steward in the public trust.”

PUAM will have a student preview on Oct. 25, followed by a members preview on Oct. 26, before officially opening to the public with a 24-hour open house starting at 5 p.m. on Oct. 31.

Victoria Davies is a head News editor for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Plymouth, England and typically covers University operations and the Princeton University Art Museum