After a several year hiatus, M Gallery, Middlebury’s student-led gallery space, has returned. Over 100 students gathered on Nov. 14 in the Old Stone Mill for the opening of the first exhibition “Etymology of the Self.”
The exhibition featured a wide range of student work, from paintings, drawings, and photography to film, pottery, and dance, celebrating multidisciplinary creativity and unique interpretations of the self and the body.
The curated environment radiated warmth, with string lights accompanying each work, interactive viewing experiences tucked in small, cozy spaces and the first public showing of the dance work “Current,” which took place on the frosty grass outside dazzling the viewers with dreamy movements, white lights and a (unintentional, but apt) light drizzle of rain. Performed by Hannah Ennis ’23.5 , Eloise McFarlane ’24.5 and Liefe Temple ’25.5, the work draws inspiration from the structures of rivers — mouths, rocks, meanders, rapids — to shape both improvisation and set choreography. The work will appear again on Dec. 4 and 5 at the Middlebury Dance Department’s fall concert.
The night came together through board meetings throughout the semester, energy from the Student Activities Fair and funding from the Student Activities Office’s (SAO) Explore Grant and the Innovation Hub’s Treehouse Fund. Mark McGoey ’26.5 and Annalise Johnson ’25.5, who was a member of the previous iteration of the club, were the vital forces in reviving M Gallery.
McGoey explained the journey of bringing the club back to life and its unique role in the art community.
“Last year, I wanted to show some paintings and I was finding out that there's really no easy way to do that if you're not presenting in the thesis show or if you're not doing it for some other student organization, like MiddCat, for example,” McGoey said.
To get around this obstacle, McGoey put on his own exhibition last November — but he was still determined to create larger, more official avenues for a greater number of students to share their talent together. At the time, he alluded to the possibility of the reemergence of M Gallery, which caught Johnson’s attention, not knowing that students were still passionate about the club. The two of them grabbed lunch shortly after and the rest is history: by September, they had created a new board and secured a table at the SAO Club Fair, though they are not yet an official club under the SAO.
Equally passionate about the rebirth of this creative community were students who, like McGoey, were looking for outlets to showcase their work. Willa Sullivan ’27, whose portrait photography highlights the body interacting with the surrounding environment, was grateful for the opportunity to share her work within a supportive community.
“Going to school in a small rural town, it can be hard to find places or events where I can appreciate student art in a way that feels structured, but most importantly celebratory. I love that M Gallery provides a space for artists to be seen by a large group of students, and I feel excited to keep creating more,” she said.
Sullivan looks forward to the potential of the club.
“I think that the revival of M Gallery is going to create a very strong community here at Middlebury. Their first show in several years pulled in hundreds of students who are interested in coming together to enjoy art. I see this being a very cool space for both artists and art lovers,” she said.
Given how pleased McGoey appeared to be with the exhibition, I had to ask him what was next. Though he cannot say for certain quite yet, he alluded to conversation about a pop-up exhibition during J-Term, as well as another exhibition in the spring.
He also reflected on how to improve the curation and planning aspects.
“I think by releasing the theme earlier, we give people more time to make work specifically for it. So, we were all happy with it. We thought it was a strong start. But also, we want to get more particular about it.”
In any case, the future of M Gallery seems promising. M Gallery’s successful first exhibition of 2025 is a great reminder that you certainly do not need to be taking a class or be officially part of a club to showcase and enjoy art. While it may be intimidating to showcase personal work, the turnout of the event proved that there is serious interest in and support for student art; it brings together a wonderful group of people who take time to observe and dissect each piece and spark conversations with others about it.
Maya Alexander ‘26 (she/her) is an Editor at Large.
She is a sociology major and intended French minor from New York City. She loves getting lost in her Pinterest feed and staging spontaneous photoshoots, occasional yoga and a solid iced oat milk maple latte.
