Mead Art Museum

The Mead Art Museum houses the art collection of Amherst College, spanning 5,000 years and encompassing the creative achievements of many world cultures.

ADMITTANCE RESTRICTED

Due to the evolving situation with COVID-19 and our efforts to keep our community as safe as possible, all Amherst College buildings are closed to visitors until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming you back as soon as we are able.

More information on the College’s actions

The Mead Art Museum is open to on-campus Amherst College students, faculty, and staff!

The Mead remains closed to the public, and Amherst College ID or advanced permission is required to enter the building. Please remember to wear your Amherst College ID in order to enter the museum. The Mead has a limited capacity to ensure physical distancing.

We look forward to welcoming our friends, neighbors, and out-of-town visitors back to the Mead soon. In the meantime, please visit our virtual exhibitions and stay in touch with us on social media @meadartmuseum.

Winter and January Term Hours

Days	Time
Sunday	9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday	CLOSED
Tuesday	9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Wednesday	9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday	9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday	9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday	9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Admission is always free.

The Mead Art Museum Annual Report

2018–2020 Double Issue

The Mead is proud to announce its first all-digital annual report, looking back at two years of exciting acquisitions, education initiatives and strides in experimentation with digital presentations and technology. You can view the report at the link below.

Read the Report

Black Lives Matter at the Mead

Recently, @BlackAmherstSpeaks shared a post on Instagram of a student who experienced racism within the Mead Art Museum. In the comments, another visitor shared an experience in which people from their tour group were racially profiled in our space. You can read the post here.

We believe Black Lives Matter and appreciate the labor of the folx running @BlackAmherstSpeaks and the bravery of the students and alumni who shared their experiences publicly. We offer a sincere apology to the individuals who shared their experience and anyone who has experienced racism within the Mead.

The Mead is committed to creating a museum environment in which every visitor feels welcome and comfortable. Our goal is always to create an environment in which Black and Indigenous people of color can engage with art and ideas. Clearly, the experiences @BlackAmherstSpeaks shared indicate that we have more work to do. We need to listen and take action to evaluate and ensure that our protocols make everyone feel welcome in the Mead, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, geography, citizenship status, neurodiversity, religion, or other identities or any combination of these identities.

Among other concrete plans, we intend to:

Develop, with input from students, alumni, staff, security, and colleagues, an anti-racism action plan across the Mead, including, but not limited to continued anti-bias training for staff, student lobby attendants, and security
Consult with our colleagues in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for advice on the best way to audit our protocols
Provide all Mead staff with training in visitor experience and on the content in our exhibitions and programs, so they are prepared to create a welcoming experience
Create an ongoing forum that invites feedback from BIPOC about experiences of racism, racial profiling, and other factors that contribute to feeling welcomed
Launch and maintain an anonymous Google form to create opportunities for audience feedback on their experiences at the Mead

We encourage you to follow and share your experiences with @BlackAmherstSpeaks. We also welcome your direct feedback. You can email mead@amherst.edu, direct message @meadartmuseum on Facebook or Instagram, or submit anonymously using the google form linked here. Our Education team will review all feedback and share it with the broader staff in a way that ensures anonymity.

What to Expect When Visiting the Mead During COVID-19

Photo of a study table inside the Mead's Rotherwas Room. This is a designated student study space during COVID-19. — Mead Study Table in the Rotherwas Room.

We’re excited to welcome Amherst College faculty, staff, and students back into the Mead. To "Protect the Herd," we’ve modified our visitor protocols and procedures, following the recommended guidelines from the CDC and Amherst College.

If you have any questions about visiting the Mead, please contact Nicholas Taupier by email at ntaupier@amherst.edu or by phone at 413-406-6361.

What to Expect When Visiting

Undergraduate Teaching and Learning at the Mead

Photograph of an Amherst College professor and the Mead Art Museum's Head of Education with three students teaching and learning in the galleries of the Mead. — Darryl Harper and Emily Potter-Ndiaye teaching in the galleries at the Mead

Open for Amherst College Classes

The Mead Art Museum connects people, art, and curricula. Using the museum as a site for learning across disciplines and topics, Mead educators work with Amherst College faculty to develop assignments, projects, and programs to deepen learning objectives. Our portfolio of projects ranges from one-time visits to entire course partnerships, and we work well with a range of disciplines, from American Studies to Chemistry to History of Art. Due to the pandemic, the Mead is closed to the public and will have limited open hours for members of the Amherst College community only, until further notice.

Click to learn more!