Academic and Public Programs

We invite you to continue to engage with our collections, exhibitions, students, and staff through a dynamic series of online programs.

Please visit our calendar for details and sign up for our newsletter to receive weekly updates about what’s coming up next.

The Harvard Art Museums are committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for our programs, please contact us at am_register@harvard.edu at least 48 hours in advance.

Student Guide Tours

The Ho Family Student Guide Program at the Harvard Art Museums prepares students to develop original, research-based tours of the collections. These interactive tours typically feature three artworks from the Harvard Art Museums and offer a thematic view of our collections, driven by each student’s unique interests.

Typically offered for small groups in our galleries, Student Guide Tours will take place both online via Zoom and in-person throughout the spring semester.

Please check out the museums’ calendar and follow the Student Guides on Instagram @harvardarthappens and Facebook @HoStudentGuides for information about upcoming tours and more!

This program is supported by the Ho Family Student Guide Fund. Student Guides come from a wide range of concentrations, including Chemistry, Philosophy, Government, and History of Art and Architecture. Through their training, Student Guides gain knowledge of the collections and develop skills in critical thinking, visual analysis, public speaking, and leadership.

Interested in arranging a special tour for your group or in collaborating on a project? Contact Camran Mani, Cunningham Fellow in Academic and Public Programs, at camran_mani@harvard.edu.

Art Talks Live

Art Talks Live offer an up-close look at works from our collections with our team of curators, conservators, fellows, and graduate students. These short talks—along with our Art Talks video series—investigate artists’ materials and techniques, reveal our latest discoveries, and explore big ideas using the collections of the Harvard Art Museums.

Our fall series will focus on ReFrame, a museum-wide initiative that aims to reimagine the function, role, and future of the university art museum. Talks in the series will shine a light on difficult histories, investigate untold narratives, and experiment with different approaches to storytelling.

Art Talks Live are presented via Zoom every other Tuesday afternoon at 12:30pm (ET). Please visit our calendar for details about upcoming talks and the links to register.

Art Study Center Seminars at Home

Though we are delighted to welcome you back into our galleries soon, we are excited to continue to bring our experts to you through the online series, Art Study Center Seminars at Home.

Our monthly Art Study Center Seminars offer a chance to look closely at original works of art and discuss new research with curators, conservators, fellows, and special guests. Topics, which range from ancient Chinese gold to revolutionary Mexican prints, highlight the depth of the Harvard Art Museums collections and the dynamic research interests of our staff.

This fall, seminars will continue to take place live on Zoom once per month on Fridays at 11am; no previous knowledge is required to attend.

Please visit our calendar for more details and the links to register for upcoming seminars.

Partnership Programs

Using collections as a catalyst for close-looking and conversation, the Division of Academic and Public Programs works with partners on campus, in our community, and beyond to spearhead transdisciplinary conversations about the evolving role of art, artists, and museums in contemporary society.

Visit our YouTube page to access videos of past programs and check our calendar for information about upcoming conversations.

Creature Features

Creature Feature, an online series from the Harvard Art Museums, offers a chance for families to explore magical creatures across the collections through close-looking and curious exploration with museum staff.

Creature Feature talks are free, open to all curious explorers ages 6 and up, and offered once a month on Saturdays at 10am on Zoom. Please check our calendar for news of upcoming Creature Features.

You can also view past Creature Features and find suggestions for further exploring on our YouTube channel.

Materials Lab at Home

Make art at home taking inspiration from select artworks in the collections of the Harvard Art Museums with the Materials Lab at Home!

This series of prompts is designed by the Materials Lab to encourage you to experiment with artistic processes using materials and implements found around the house. Activities are suitable for art-makers of all ages.

“See” You Soon!

Our virtual programs are free, open to all, and offered via Zoom. Kindly read these instructions on how to join a meeting on Zoom.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to receive updates about upcoming programs!

The Harvard Art Museums are committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for our programs, please contact us at am_register@harvard.edu at least 48 hours in advance.

Finally, we make every effort to record our public lectures and, with speaker permission, to make these available for further viewing online. Please visit our YouTube channel and Vimeo page to browse videos of past programs.

(Please note that it will be occasionally impossible to post recorded talks because of copyright restrictions, speaker preferences, and technical difficulties.)

If you have any questions about our public program offerings, please contact am_register@harvard.edu.

—-

Did you know? You can use our online calendar to generate reminders about upcoming programs. Simply click the small, gray calendar icon located just below the title of each event to download an appointment that you can save to your own calendar.