The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum provides many opportunities for research with original objects and primary materials for students.

Using Museum Files and Archives

The Museum files and archives can be an important resource for students looking to find out more about objects in the Museum, historic donors to the Museum's collection.

To schedule a time to use the Museum archives please contact Nina Frank, Assistant Curator of Engagement, at nfrank@mtholyoke.edu, including in your email the accession/object number and artist name or title of the object you are researching. Appointments should be made at least one week in advance and can be scheduled Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 am–5:00 pm. When emailing to make an appointment, please give three alternate dates/times you are available to ensure we can accommodate your request.

Seeing objects on view

You can find out if an object is currently on view by searching for it in the Five Colleges Collections Database. Works available in the galleries will have “Currently on View” posted underneath the image of the work. In this case, you can simply stop by the Museum’s galleries during open hours to see it in person:

Tuesday–Friday: 11:00 am–5:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 1:00 pm–5:00 pm
Monday: Closed

See the Visit page for up-to-date information about gallery closures.

Making appointments to see objects in storage

If the object is not currently on view, contact Nina Frank, Assistant Curator of Engagement, at nfrank@mtholyoke.edu at least 1-2 weeks in advance to set up an appointment. Depending on the Museum’s schedule and the nature of the object requested, more time may be necessary to accommodate certain requests.

Interested in browsing the collection?

Browse our Museum Highlights for inspiration or search the complete Collections Database.

The database includes works of art from all of the Five College museums and Historic Deerfield—about 90,000 objects and counting. If you want to limit your search to objects in the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum only, select “Mount Holyoke College (Art Museum)” or "Mount Holyoke College (Skinner Museum)” from the museum name drop-down menu.