Learning and teaching with objects has always been at the center of what we do at the Hood Museum of Art, both in the galleries and behind the scenes. This section outlines the curricular and co-curricular programs that the museum offers for campus, public, and K–12 audiences.

When the original Hood Museum building opened in 1985, one small classroom on the ground level was available for Dartmouth class visits to see objects from the collection. By 1989, in order to expand the museum's capacity for teaching with objects from storage, and with the support of Hood board member and Dartmouth parents Raphael and Jane Bernstein, the museum established a second classroom in the museum's art storage area. The success of the work in those spaces eventually led us to where we are today, with a large new facility dedicated to teaching—the Bernstein Center for Object Study—that enables us to use objects for learning in broader and deeper ways than ever before. Our campus engagement itself has also expanded well beyond the core pedagogical support that the museum staff and collections offer to Dartmouth faculty and students. It now encompasses co-curricular activities for students, faculty, and Dartmouth staff. Hood Museum internships in curatorial, education, campus engagement, and other special projects offer in-depth paid experiences for up to eight students a year. Many of our new campus programs have both learning and social components, creating experiences that are anticipated and shared through a variety of social media platforms. The newly formed Museum Club is another new vehicle for empowering students to get more involved in what we do and how we do it.

All engagement at the museum starts with easy access: the Hood Museum's programs are free, and most are open to everyone. This year, visitors of all ages joined the 21 building and highlights tours we offered. They participated in the "conversations and connections" program series with curators, scholars, and artists. Our once-a-season "mindfulness in the museum" afternoon breaks and sip-and-sketch evenings in the galleries attracted over 150 people. Family days and workshops provided activities for parents and children to think critically about collection objects and make art together. Friends connected at the museum opening and exhibition receptions, and the auditorium was full to capacity for the May 2019 symposium titled Art, Artists, and the Museum. Programs for area K–12 schools have continued to be both innovative and robust. The museum provided hundreds of thematic tours and offered its signature multiple-visit programs for schools throughout northern New England this year.