Launching Student Art Lending at Dartmouth

JENNA BLAIR, Campus Engagement Manager
Hood Quarterly, fall 2024

This fall the Hood Museum is mixing art into the daily lives of Dartmouth students with Student Art Lending at Dartmouth (SALAD). The SALAD program offers current undergraduates and graduate students the opportunity to borrow museum-quality artworks from an exclusive capsule collection at the Hood Museum of Art. After a successful pilot in the 2023–24 academic year, the museum is thrilled to launch this exciting new program, extending art beyond our walls and into the heart of campus life.  

Developed in consultation with Hood Museum curators and a student committee from the Museum Club, the SALAD collection reflects a broad range of artistic approaches, styles, periods, and viewpoints to best connect to the diversity of student perspectives and interests here on campus. Featured artists include Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Larissa Bates, Romare Bearden, Ambreen Butt, Kota Ezawa, Antonio Frasconi, and Cara Romero, with many more.

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Campus Engagement Assistants Anja Grover '26 and Camille Richmond '26 visited the Junction Frame Shop in White River Junction, VT, to select frames for SALAD artworks in preparation for the 2024 launch. Photo by Jenna Blair.

Students borrowing from the SALAD collection will be encouraged to share their experiences in a journal accompanying each artwork. The journals will feature prompts to guide students through close looking and reflection. Responses collected during the pilot phase revealed musings on the works and their influence on the student experience. Recent graduate Sophia Swanson '23 shared her thoughts on living with Robert Mangold's lithograph Fragment VI:   

Throughout my final term, the organic lines and rich earthiness of this lithograph—qualities I don't often see in prints—have helped me feel grounded as I look forward to an undefined next few months and grateful for the amazing opportunities afforded to me throughout my academic career.

This individual journaling practice will eventually become part of an ongoing dialogue between generations of students and a living archive of the art's impact over time.  

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Museum intern Molly Rouzie '24 poses with the artwork that decorated her dorm room throughout the winter and spring terms.

We hope the immersive experience of living with works of art allows students to develop deep connections and engagement with new artists and ideas, transforming their living spaces into an extension of the museum's mission. We are excited to see how proximity to and daily interaction with art can influence students' academic, social, and personal well-being through the SALAD program. We hope to instill a deeper appreciation for art and encourage students to integrate art into their lives during their time at Dartmouth and beyond.

Students! SALAD Pickup Day is Friday, October 4, at 3:30 PM. Arrive early to secure your artwork for the academic year. 

How it works:
1. Come to the Hood Museum on Friday, October 4 at 3:30 pm (arrive early to get first pick).
2. Select a work from the collection.
3. Complete and sign a loan form.
4. Take the artwork home and decorate your space.
5. Return the artwork to the museum before you leave campus.

Click here to learn more and view the exclusive SALAD collection.

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Alicia McCarthy, "Untitled (4)," 2019, color softground etching with aquatint and drypoint. Student Art Lending at Dartmouth Collection. Museum Purchase. © Alicia McCarthy. Photo by Rob Strong.