Faculty & Students

The Art Museum seeks to engage the Harvard community in many ways. Harvard students are our most important constituency, and we invite students to use the galleries as a place to meet friends or family for a social experience, to study works of art related to their courses, and to enjoy the museum as a resource for contemplation and inspiration.

Gallery talks, scholarly lectures, seminars, and symposia are offered throughout the year, presenting current research in the field of art history and related disciplines. These programs, open to the public, often feature graduate student research and dynamic scholars whose work relates to student and faculty interests.

Undergraduate art enthusiasts may get involved by joining the Harvard Art Museum Undergraduate Connection, an organization of like-minded students who raise awareness of the Art Museum and its programs across campus. Last year nearly a thousand students came to social events at the museum that were entirely organized by this undergraduate support group. Undergraduate Connection events featured gallery talks and tours developed by specially trained student guides, sketching stations, and live music — as well as free pizza and refreshments!

Experienced museum educators and curators are available to consult with faculty in various disciplines on how the collections might support course goals. Our educators are enthusiastic generalists, with graduate training in various humanities disciplines and experience engaging students with original works of art. They are available to give workshops for Teaching Fellows in preparation for section meetings, develop course-specific materials for students to use in the galleries independently, and provide digital files for use in PowerPoint presentations. The primary focus, however, is on developing and leading gallery experiences that relate directly to course readings and topics of discussion.

Contact Kelsey McNiff, Educator for University Audiences, at 617-495-9615 to learn more about our newly expanded resources to support collections-based teaching at the Harvard Art Museum.

Kelsey and others among the museum's staff of curators and educators work closely with faculty to develop course-related content and gallery experiences that feature works now on display in the Sackler Museum, as well as digital images of works in storage. The renovation of our building at 32 Quincy Street will also include a new Study Center complex in which works from storage may be made available to faculty and students in study and seminar rooms, as well as space for informal installations especially designed to support courses throughout FAS.