JENNA BLAIR
Campus Engagement Manager
The Museum Club brings together Dartmouth students who share a common interest in art, material culture, and museums. Founded in 2018, just before the museum's reopening, the club was formed to engage students and empower them to connect the museum to campus. Museum Club members promote awareness of the Hood Museum's collections and resources, plan and host student events, and advise museum staff.
In particular, the Museum Club runs popular event series at the museum, including Alumni in the Arts, through which students connect with Dartmouth alumni and learn more about career pathways in the arts and museums. Recently, students spoke with Meg Montgoris '09, Assistant Director, Public Relations, about her experience at one of the largest art museums in New York. They also met with Kelly Sidley, Head of Department for Bonhams Photographs (and a former museum professional), to discuss careers in auction houses and transitions between non-profit and for-profit organizations within the art world.
Club members also plan and host the student takeover, Hood After 5, in the fall and spring terms. This museum-wide party includes artmaking, music, and activities that connect students to our current exhibitions. At recent takeovers, the club hosted live music with student bands, created crafts inspired by exhibiting artists, snapped Polaroids with friends, and welcomed hundreds of students to the museum to explore art together.
The students also meet with and advise Hood Museum staff. Over the past year, John Stomberg led a special tour of Always Already to kick off the fall term, and Ashley Offill shared the museum's collection development plan with them, alongside recent acquisitions in the Bernstein Center for Object Study. The club also met with former Hood Museum communications assistant Anna Patten to discuss social media strategies and how to increase student engagement with museum content.
The club has also developed exciting new initiatives to increase opportunities for student engagement and ownership at the museum. Members of the newly formed Museum Club Leadership Committee help plan and run club meetings alongside staff and direct club activities. This new committee structure keeps club decision-making democratic and student-driven while helping students develop key leadership skills. It also encourages peer-to-peer collaboration, teamwork, and camaraderie, all key outcomes for Museum Club this past year.
Recently, students expressed interest in developing exclusive Museum Club merch to build their own identity and represent the club on campus. The club worked with student designer Emma Hwang '28 to reimagine the club's logo. The new logo takes inspiration from campus architecture and Ellsworth Kelly's Dartmouth Panels in the public art collection as an ode to the club's mission to increase awareness of the Hood Museum's collection and resources on campus. The logo will be featured on student-designed club merch launching this spring.
The Hood Museum is excited to foster space for students to explore their interests and join a community centered around a passion for art and museums. We can't wait to share what Museum Club creates next.