Hood Quarterly, autumn/winter 2010-11
25th Anniversary Issue
This fall, the Hood Museum of Art celebrates twenty-five years in its award-winning Charles Moore building. The occasion is an opportunity to reflect on the ways that the Hood has served the campus and broader community through its commitment to creating learning encounters and cultivating teaching with objects. In this media-saturated world, visual literacy is vital to critical thinking. It is our goal that all museum visitors are able to navigate the visual, including the textual, realm with skill and dexterity. Examining works of art provides opportunities to learn about diverse cultures and time periods and opens a dialogue on issues and ideas that are central to human experience. On this page, we share with gratitude what you have said about how you value the Hood's contribution to your lives and to the community.
The Hood represents one of the many great resources in the Upper Valley . . . at no cost, anyone can explore the world of art. —Vermont Standard
Going to the Hood changed my perspective on art, because I didn't realize how many different ways there are of making art. —Grade-School Student
Words can't describe how much I enjoyed this class! It let us learn about ourselves, our peers, and the art in the museum.—Teenager after a Hood Workshop
The advantages [of art in a museum] are to show the students that art is real, that it was made by a real person, that it has three-dimensional quality, that it is valuable but accessible.—Dartmouth Faculty Member
It is a truly world-class organization. It is just an amazing combination of closeness and community that you don't get at other museums.—Dartmouth Student
All the publications are top quality that the Hood produces. It's great to have them because the exhibitions come and go.—Hanvoer Resident
I can't say enough how valuable it is and how unusual it is for students and faculty to have such an unobstructed access to works of art in the collection. —Dartmouth Faculty Member
I LOVE the chance to do art alongside my children. —Parent after one of the Hood's family programs
Seeing art has helped me understand the world so much better.—Grade-School Student
[Students] learn that their own ideas about art have value. They learn to look, consider, and look some more. They learn that art is for everyone and relates to the culture and environment and can take many forms. —Upper Valley Teacher
Some Quick Facts about the Hood
Dartmouth College has been collecting objects since 1772, just three years after the founding of the college. With about 65,000 objects in its care, the museum has a collection that is among the oldest and largest of any college or university in the country. The Hood Museum of Art is, above all, a teaching museum that cultivates direct engagement with works of art within an interdisciplinary setting for visitors of all ages. The Hood makes all of its collections available for use by Dartmouth students and faculty in a special classroom setting. The Hood offers ten or more special exhibitions and more than one hundred lectures, gallery talks, tours, workshops, family programs, programs for regional schools, and Dartmouth student programs each year. The Hood has a growing number of dedicated members whose support helps to keep admission to the museum and nearly all of its programs free of charge for everyone.