The Harvard Art Museums are temporarily closed, but our channels are open and refreshed frequently. On this Harvard Art Museums from Home page, you will find stories and activities that reflect the power of art to soothe the mind, inspire conversation, and bring people together.

We invite you to explore the materials below—from Art Talk videos to special tours to family-friendly resources—and check our calendar for a schedule of free online live events, which are open to everyone.

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Discover the latest offerings, including articles, videos, and events.

Mark your calendar: On Tuesday, February 2, curatorial fellow Lauren Hanson will discuss Dieter Roth’s use of unconventional and irreverent materials in his works.

Let’s talk about Picasso this coming Thursday, January 28. We’ll look at his collaboration with the Ballets Russes and his sojourn in Italy at the end of World War I.

On Friday, January 29, in the first Art Study Center Seminar of the year, explore ancient objects from the Mesopotamian town of Nuzi and how decades of technical study have revealed the secrets of their making, as well as plans for future display. This is a free event, but registration is required.

If you missed our December Creature Feature, take a step back in time and enjoy a family-friendly, interactive look at animals from ancient Egypt through a recording of the talk.

In ancient Rome, images of disgraced rulers were destroyed and their legacies erased from memory. An Art Talk on this topic is now available to watch at your leisure. This talk draws connections to contemporary debates about the removal of statues and monuments.

Watch Our Series of Art Talks
Explore this video series, which offers an up-close look at works from the collections with our team of curators, conservators, fellows, and graduate students.

Creature Feature: Animals for Ancient Egypt
Join Egyptologist Jen Thum for a family-friendly, interactive look at animals from ancient Egypt, including a bronze bird and sunbathing snakes.

Art Talk: Erased!
Throughout history, images of disgraced rulers were destroyed and their legacies erased from memory—or were they? Join curator Amy Brauer to learn more.

The Arts of the Everyday—Found Materials in Brazilian Art & Printmaking at Home
Explore the tradition of socially engaged art making in Brazil and learn how to make a collagraph print at home using everyday materials.

Install in Action: Setting the Fans Afloat in Painting Edo
Watch this time-lapse video of the installation of a wall of framed fans for the Painting Edo exhibition.

Painting Edo at the Arnold Arboretum: Japanese Black Pine
Join us to discover Japanese black pine in Harvard collections—both alive and painted—through the eyes of a botanist and an art historian.

Creature Feature: Fantastic Beings by Michelangelo
Famous for his powerful sculptures and paintings of human figures, Renaissance artist Michelangelo also had fun designing imaginary creatures.

Ruth Asawa’s Student Exercises from Black Mountain College
Learn more about Asawa’s exercises from her years as a student at Black Mountain College, where she studied with former Bauhaus master Josef Albers.
 

Check out the Art Talks channel on Vimeo for the full series.

Take a Tour from Home

Explore our world-famous pigment collection, narrated by Narayan Khandekar and Alison Cariens.

Take a multipart tour of our stunning exhibition of Edo period Japanese paintings, hosted on Google Arts and Culture.

Make and Create
Make art at home, taking inspiration from select artworks in the collections of the Harvard Art Museums.

Watch this demonstration of the relief aquatint technique that artist Dan Flavin used to create three incredible prints now in the collections of the Harvard Art Museums. 

Download the Coloring Ancient Egypt activity book, available in Spanish, English, Chinese, and Arabic. 

Learn how to create cyanotypes at home and discover the science behind it.

Use these prompts for thinking, drawing, and other creative exercises inspired by sculpture.

Read the Latest on Index
Browse our online magazine to dive into the collections and discover what makes up this vibrant 21st-century laboratory for the arts.

Our perception of time, sense of order and stability, and feelings of belonging depend on repetitive actions. Art supports, reflects, and reinforces these rituals and routines.

Charlene Briggs, receptionist in the Art Study Center, delves into the story behind one of the most famous materials in the Forbes Pigment Collection.

What can the “President’s Chair,” a beloved historical object at Harvard, tell us about patriarchy? A lot, as it turns out. 

Peter Newell’s lively illustrations for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass offer an alternative vision of Lewis Carroll’s singular world. 

In the 1960s, artists Lee Lozano and Charlotte Posenenske both pursued truly radical forms of creating and living. Their work and legacy is worthy of (re)consideration. 

View more articles on Index.