Planning Your Visit
Please review the class scheduling information below and see our tips for selecting objects as well as ideas and inspiration from other faculty.
How to Schedule a Class Visit to the Art Museum or the Skinner Museum
We ask that all visits to the Art Museum and Skinner Museum be scheduled through a staff member, and we invite you to arrange an initial planning meeting to discuss your ideas for a new class experience or assignment. Collaboration is key! The better we understand your teaching objectives and specific course content, the more helpful we can be in structuring your museum visit.
To better serve you and to give us time to make all necessary preparations, we ask that you contact us at least 2-4 weeks in advance to arrange your museum visit. Due to high demand, we reserve our Teaching Spaces—the gallery spaces and our classroom, the Carson Teaching Gallery—on a first-come, first-served basis. The classroom is often booked a semester in advance, especially for classes visiting multiple times throughout the semester and for popular afternoon seminar times.
When you are ready to reserve a date for your visit, please email the following information to Ellen Alvord, Weatherbie Curator of Education and Academic Programs, at ealvord@mtholyoke.edu:
- Department, course number, and course title
- Estimated number of students in class
- Preferred options for date and time of visit
- Preferred meeting space, including classroom and/or specific galleries
- If known, topic or theme related to your museum visit
- If known, objects or types of objects you would like to request (see tips for selecting objects)
- Possible date(s) for a planning meeting with Museum staff
Art Museum Public Hours
Tuesday-Friday 11:00 am-5:00 pm
Saturday-Sunday 1:00-5:00 pm
Skinner Museum Public Hours
Wednesdays and Sundays 2:00-5:00 pm from May through October
With advanced scheduling, faculty, students, and classes may visit the Skinner Museum any time throughout the year.