Counting Down to MHCAM’s 150th Anniversary!

November 2026 will mark our 150th anniversary, an exceptional milestone in the history of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum. To celebrate this sesquicentennial, we set an ambitious goal: to rethink entirely how we present our permanent collection.

Museum staff have been working tirelessly to meet this objective, reimagining our collection galleries through a cross-cultural, chronological display. In order to do so, we are breaking down walls and boundaries, both literally and art historically. The discrete and thematic galleries conceived for our 1971 Art Building, now over half a century ago, are being transformed into more inclusive and expansive spaces that better serve the Museum we are today.

Our newly renovated galleries will advance our Teaching with Art program in meaningful ways as well as all activities held at the Museum. By broadening the stories told through our distinctive collection from antiquity to the present, our modernized galleries will better reflect the values and mission of the College at large.

Thanks to the vital support of our Friends of Art members, the Museum has been able to advance and expand our vision over the years. In fact, during our sesquicentennial we will be celebrating another milestone — the 95th anniversary of our Friends of Art program! MHCAM staff and I hope that you will partner with us for this once-in-a-generation transformation, a rare occasion to both honor our legacy and shape our future.

With gratitude,

Tricia Y. Paik
Florence Finch Abbott Director
Mount Holyoke College Art Museum