A primary mission of the Muscarelle Museum of Art is to educate William & Mary students in the visual arts by serving as a laboratory for learning that extends and enriches the academic classroom experience. Through its collections and exhibitions, the Museum provides opportunities for visual, experiential and object-based learning, fostering skills in observation, analysis, communication and interpretation.
Our staff would be delighted to learn more about your teaching goals and explore how the Museum’s collections, exhibitions and resources can support student learning. We encourage faculty to connect with us to discuss possibilities and develop a class visit or customized session tailored to their course objectives.
Interested in bringing your class to visit? Opportunities include:
Special Exhibitions: Explore one of our special exhibitions through a guided tour. Visit Exhibitions to learn about current and upcoming special exhibitions.
Gallery Visit: Our galleries offer a rotating display of art from the Permanent Collection, providing opportunities for close-looking and writing exercises, sketching sessions, object-based discussions and other forms of active engagement with works of art.
Object Research Session: The Muscarelle Permanent Collection offers more than 7,000 objects that span time, geography and medium. Explore the collection online to begin discovering what’s available. Our curatorial staff is also happy to collaborate with faculty to identify objects for focused study.
Our facility offers several classroom spaces which can be reserved in conjunction with your visit.
The Museum is expanding opportunities for faculty across disciplines to integrate exhibitions, collections and museum spaces into teaching and learning.
Whether you are interested in a single class visit, a course assignment, a new course module or a larger curricular partnership through course development, we welcome creative ideas that connect students with works of art, archives and material culture.
For 2027, faculty may apply for one of three opportunities:
1. Connecting with an Upcoming Exhibition
Are you teaching a course that may intersect with a current or upcoming exhibition?
We invite faculty to develop assignments, class sessions, research projects or other learning experiences that take advantage of the unique opportunities presented by a special exhibition.
Depending on the nature of the project, the Museum may provide:
• Curatorial and educational consultation
• Advance exhibition information and planning support
• Object-based teaching assistance
• Facilitated class visits and discussions
• Research support
• Assistance in developing assignments and instructional materials
This opportunity is particularly well suited to faculty seeking to incorporate a temporary exhibition into an existing or future course.
2. Faculty Liaison for a Special Exhibition
Serve as a faculty partner for an upcoming special exhibition and help strengthen connections between the exhibition and teaching across the curriculum.
Faculty liaisons may:
• Identify connections between the exhibition and academic disciplines or courses
• Encourage colleagues to engage with the exhibition as a teaching resource
• Advise on faculty- and student-facing resources
• Collaborate with Museum staff on class visits, discussions or public programs
• Explore new ways the exhibition can support teaching, learning and research
This opportunity is ideal for faculty who enjoy interdisciplinary collaboration and wish to serve as a bridge between the Museum and the broader campus community.
3. Course Development with Museum Collections or Special Exhibitions
Do you have an idea for a course, course module or significant curricular project that could be developed through direct engagement with the Museum’s collections or special exhibitions?
We invite proposals that use works of art, archival materials or thematic exhibitions as primary resources for teaching and learning.
Funding may support projects such as:
• Creating object-based assignments, projects or learning experiences
• Incorporating collection-based research into existing coursework
• Building interdisciplinary approaches to teaching
• Creating sustained opportunities for students to engage directly with objects and archival materials
• Developing teaching materials or resources that can be shared with students and colleagues
Projects are welcomed from all disciplines.
Who Should Apply?
We encourage applications from instructional faculty across disciplines and at all levels of experience with the Museum. Meaningful collaborations can emerge from the arts and humanities, as well as the sciences, social sciences, professional schools and other fields.
You do not need to have a fully developed proposal. If you have an idea you would like to explore, we would be happy to discuss possibilities with you.
Interested?
Tell us about your course, your students, or the idea you would like to develop, and we will help you explore what might be possible. Contact Jayne Barnard, Academic Outreach Liaison, at jwbarn@wm.edu.