Mead Art Museum facts for kids
The Mead Art Museum is a cool place where you can see amazing art! It's located at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. The museum first opened its doors in 1949. It's named after a famous architect, William Rutherford Mead, who went to Amherst College. His wife, Olga Kilyeni Mead, gave all her money and property to the college. The Mead Art Museum is part of a group called Museums10. It's free to visit and open for everyone!
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What You Can See at the Mead
The Mead Art Museum has a huge collection of art from all over the world. There are about 19,000 different items! You can find:
- Paintings from America and Europe
- A special collection of Russian art
- Beautiful pottery from Mexico
- Tibetan scroll paintings
- An old English room from the 1600s
- Ancient carvings from Assyria
- Sculptures from West Africa
- Japanese prints
You can even search for artworks in the museum's collection online. They have a database shared with other museums in the Five College Museums/Historic Deerfield group.
Ancient Assyrian Carvings
One of the most exciting things at the Mead are the ancient carvings from Assyria. These are huge stone panels from the palace of King Ashurnasirpal II. His palace was built around 879 B.C.E. in a city called Nimrud. The walls of the palace were covered with these amazing carvings.
The main panel shows King Ashurnasirpal II wearing his royal clothes. In one hand, he holds a cup for offerings to the gods. In his other hand, he holds his bow, which showed how brave and strong he was in battle. Next to him are carvings of winged spirits. These spirits were believed to protect the king.
The carvings also have writing on them called cuneiform. This writing tells about King Ashurnasirpal II's victories in war. It also talks about how special he was among the gods. The writing describes the fancy buildings he had constructed. King Ashurnasirpal II took over new lands west of Assyria, past the Euphrates River. He moved the capital city to Kalhu, which is now known as Nimrud. He built many temples, offices, and homes there. Some people think that up to 60,000 people lived in Kalhu during his time!
A British explorer named Austen Henry Layard found these carvings in 1845. An American missionary, Dwight Marsh, suggested that colleges in the United States would like to have some of these panels. So, in the early 1850s, panels were sent to Amherst, Yale, and other colleges. Amherst College's president, Edward Hitchcock, helped get the reliefs for Amherst. The carvings were very thick, about 12 inches. They were made thinner (about 4 inches) and cut into squares to make them easier to move. All together, they weigh about 2 tons! They traveled from Nimrud to ports by the sea, then sailed to the United States. When they arrived at Amherst College, they were first shown in the library. Later, they moved to a special room called the "Nineveh Gallery."
The Rotherwas Room
The Rotherwas Room is another special part of the Mead Art Museum. It's an English room from the Jacobean period, which was in the early 1600s.
This room was originally in a large country house called Rotherwas Court in England. It was built for a family named Bodenham around 1611. The room has beautiful carved oak wood and walnut panels on the walls. It was used as a parlor, a room where families would eat privately or have casual visits with guests.
In 1945, a man named Herbert L. Pratt gave the room to Amherst College. Before that, it was in his own house in New York. While the wall panels and the fireplace are original, we don't know what the furniture or ceiling looked like in the very first Rotherwas Court house.
Fun Programs at the Mead
The Mead Art Museum offers many free programs for students and the community. These events happen throughout the school year. Some regular events include:
- Exhibition Openings: Special parties to celebrate new art shows.
- Student-Led Tours: Students from the college give tours of the museum on Saturdays.
- Study At the Mead: During busy exam times, the museum opens its galleries for students to study. They even provide food and desks!
- Community Day: A fun day for everyone with free art activities, tours, and other programs.
The Mead often shares updates about its events on its website, Facebook page, and Instagram.
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