Who is Sabrina — and Where Will She Go Next?

A recent surprise pop-up at the Mead Art Museum had students, faculty, and alumni alike turning heads. The 350-pound bronze statue of the nude nymph Sabrina — the center of a storied 150-year-old Amherst College tradition — appeared mysteriously in the Rotherwas Room, sparking much discussion (and debate) about the future of the tradition on a changing campus landscape.

Sabrina has left her mark on generations of Amherst students over the centuries. Originally gifted to the college by Massachusetts Governor Joel Hayden in 1857, the statue quickly became the centerpiece of a spirited college tradition: Students from even and odd graduating class years would steal Sabrina back and forth in a battle for possession. In 1884, Sabrina disappeared for the first time. Since then, an illustrious legacy has come to surround her name — however, this legacy is not without its tensions, especially considering the highly misogynistic tone of Sabrina’s early abductions. Considered Amherst's first female student by some, Sabrina was frequently groped, kissed, and dressed in female undergarments by members of Amherst’s entirely male student body in earlier years.

For nearly 150 years, students have taken part in the tradition with such fervor (car chases, firearms, and helicopters have all been involved) that the college has, on numerous occasions, attempted to reclaim the statue — always without success. Along the way, Sabrina has lost a foot, a hand, and was even briefly decapitated (all of these injuries were quickly fixed with some expert welding). Nevertheless, she has persevered. Her presence on campus, and in the collective imagination of the student body, has ebbed and flowed along with the shifting tides of Amherst’s social climate. She has witnessed decades of transformation on campus — including the arrival of women students in the 1970s, the banning of fraternities in the 1980s, and an ever-constant reshaping of community and unity at the college.

The tradition garnered so much attention in the early 1900s that the New York Times named Sabrina Amherst’s Greatest Tradition and wrote numerous articles on her mysterious locale, including “SABRINA APPEARS, IS CARTED AWAY — Even-Year Men of Amherst Salute Statue and Again She Is Hidden in a Place Known Only to Two” (1910); “AMHERST SABRINA IS SEEN — Statue of Goddess Vanishes After Freshman Banquet at Hartford” (1925); and “CAPTURE SABRINA STATUE — Amherst Odd Classes Hold an All Day Celebration Over Their Feat” (1930).

As part of her recent visit to the Mead, discussion prompts and materials to write letters to Sabrina were placed alongside her spot in the Rotherwas Room. Visitors were invited to write notes for public viewing, for private keeping in Frost Library’s Sabrina Archives, or to send to any individual on campus. In the coming weeks, the Mead will develop ideas on if and how to display the public letters. Additionally, Student Museum Educators hosted a conversation and performance by the all-female Sabrinas A Cappella group on April 24, inviting the group to reconnect with their original namesake herself. For many members of the group, the Sabrina name is more of a vague mystery than a concrete history — auditions for the group involve the question, “Who is Sabrina?” which students rarely answer correctly.
Few know where (or when) the enigmatic figure of Sabrina will decide to make her next appearance. For now, she appears to be enjoying a long-overdue and well-earned respite — though rumors have it that, in accordance with The 2024 Constitution of Sabrina, more frequent sightings may soon become the norm. It appears to be the start of a new chapter for Sabrina — one that will favor autonomy over abduction, unity over disorder, and a renewed alignment with the evolving values of Amherst students today.