Policy Statement
Approved by: Mead Art Museum Collection Committee
Approval Date: July 1, 2020
The mission of the Mead Art Museum is to make artwork in the collection available to the Amherst College community, and the wider public, for education, enrichment, and enjoyment. The Mead carries out this mission by displaying artwork in the Museum, inviting the public to request works of art for viewing by appointment in the Study Room, and by providing a free, online digital catalog of the collection.
While the Mead often lends works of art from the collection to other museums for exhibitions, the Museum’s stewardship obligations, set forth by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), rarely permit the lending of artwork to non-museum entities that cannot provide appropriate care, such as specific controlled climate conditions and security. For the most part, this policy extends to Amherst College campus locations. Sites on the College campus other than those overseen by the Mead do not meet the requirements for the care of artwork in the collection. The two campus locations apart from the Museum where works from the collection may be displayed are the Amherst Center for Russian Culture Art Gallery in Webster Hall and the President’s House. Requests for loans to other locations on campus will not be considered.