Claremont, CA—The Benton Museum of Art is excited to announce the opening of Tender Shield, a two-part solo exhibition by artist Davina Semo, open now until June 27, 2027. The exhibition features two site-specific installations, one inside the museum’s Art Hall and the other on an outdoor patio. The opening reception with the artist is Saturday, September 19, from 5 to 7 pm.
In the museum’s John and Debbie Starr Family Sculpture Garden, Semo presents a constellation of blown-glass bells alongside the cast bronze bells for which she is best known. The bells—a combination of colors, sizes, shapes, and resonances—are arranged on a purpose-built pergola to realize the site-specific installation. Inside the Benton, a series of bronze reliefs runs the length of the museum’s interior Art Hall in the second of annual commissions for that space. Both sets of works embody Semo’s affinity for contrast and harmony: heavy and delicate, introverted and extroverted, light and dark, luminosity and mystery. Davina Semo: Tender Shield invites viewers into an immersive landscape of sight and sound, encouraging both literal and contemplative reflection.
The exhibition is accompanied by a commonplace book about bells, inviting visitors to consider the historic significance and enduring symbolism of the bell form. Pomona College faculty, former Benton interns, current Benton staff, and the artist herself contributed entries to the publication.
Davina Semo: Tender Shield is organized by Victoria Sancho Lobis, Sarah Rempel and Herbert S. Rempel Class of 1923 Director of the Benton and professor of art history, and curatorial intern Tristen Alizée Leone ’26.
Support for this installation is provided by the Pasadena Art Alliance.