Kennedy Hamblen

Visiting the Hood Museum of Art

The Hood Museum of Art is on the Hanover side of campus, near Alumni Gym and the Visual Arts Center. A teaching museum with opportunities for students to curate, promote, and even contribute their own artwork, the Hood offers a plethora of incredible opportunities for anyone interested in archival work, studio and visual art, or museum work.

One of my favorite pieces in the Hood; it is made of leather

But even if that doesn't describe you, the Hood is a jewel on campus. I mean, how many small towns are there where you can walk to a world-class art museum with such a fantastic permanent collection, regularly rotating exhibits, and events every week?! Where I'm from, the nearest art museum is a thirty minute drive away; I'm sure many can relate. The presence of the Hood only a ten minute walk from my apartment makes me feel very lucky.

I went this weekend and got to see exhibits curated by Dartmouth students and staff: those exhibits included Love as Ceremony: Legacies of Two-Spirit Liberation; Faith and Empire; and Recording War. We have Catholic devotional paintings from South America, handmade German guns, and Goya prints. Our permanent collection also includes several huge ninth-century BCE Assyrian stone reliefs, which I have spent hours staring at. We have artwork from all over the world—you can check out the full collection here—and from a broad scope of media and time periods. Because of Dartmouth's unique Native American and Indigenous Studies program, and because the college recommitted itself to educating Native American students when John Kemeny was president, we also have an unusually expansive Native and Indigenous art collection.

The Assyrian Reliefs

The events the Hood hosts include everything from talks with curators and professors, arts and crafts sessions, lectures from visiting artists, and guided gallery tours. Part of what makes the Hood special is that it brings together campus and the wider community. On any given day in the gallery, you'll see Dartmouth students and faculty mingling with Hanover and Upper Valley locals.

Nor does the Hood's work only take place at the actual Hood Museum. The Orozco Mural Room is considered part of Dartmouth's artistic collection, even though it's painted on the walls of the Baker Library basement. The mural is also one of my favorite things about campus. I used to walk through the Orozco Mural Room every day to work my library shifts, and I found something new to appreciate about the mural each time. I especially love the panels just opposite the circulation desk. [I highly recommend you check out the mural or the Hood—or both—if you ever come to campus.] Much like Rauner Special Collections Library, the Hood sponsors research on objects and artwork in its collection, and professors and students alike take advantage of this unique opportunity.

One of my favorite Hood collection pieces is this dog statue

We're extremely lucky to have such a valuable resource here, both for our academic endeavors and for the community's enjoyment. The Hood is perhaps one of the best examples of the benefits Dartmouth's location brings to Hanover and to its undergraduates.