Friends of the Art Museum

The Friends of the Art Museum is an association of alumni, community members, faculty, staff, and students of the College who, through their annual dues, support the acquisition program and the educational mission of the Museum. You can join the Friends or renew your membership online anytime (link opens in a new window).

Four-fifths of the Friends’ dues are designated for the purchase of artworks for the Museum’s permanent collection, and at the annual Purchase Party in November the Friends have the opportunity to vote on which works to acquire with their funds. Over the past forty years the Friends have gifted more than seventy works to the Museum, including objects ranging from an ancient Chinese mirror and black figure lekythos (the Friends’ first ever acquisition) to works by modern masters such as Chuck Close and Jasper Johns. The remaining dues provide important funding for aspects of the Museum’s educational outreach including events, trips, family programs, and student initiatives.

The Friends sponsor regular day trips to places such as Montreal, Williamstown, and Boston, as well as overnight trips to popular regional destinations such as New York City and Philadelphia. In addition, the Friends coordinate special members-only gallery talks and behind-the-scenes events in the Museum.

The Friends also offer annual Arts Awards for distinction in the visual arts. The awards—bestowed on students, artists, teachers, and leaders in the visual arts living or working in Addison County—encourage appreciation of the visual arts in the community by recognizing individuals who have made outstanding contributions either through exceptional creative achievement or support of the visual arts.

This fall members of the Friends of the Art Museum traveled to Barre, VT to visit the Rock of Ages quarry in anticipation of next spring's exhibition Nature Transformed: Edward Burtynsky's Vermont Quarry Photographs in Context.

Student Memberships

The Museum welcomes student participation in the Friends of the Art Museum, and all current Middlebury College students can join the Museum for free. If you’re a student you can join the Friends simply by adding your email address to our student listserv. Once you’ve done that you can swing by the Museum to pick up your free gift (you can choose between a Museum t-shirt, poster, travel coffee mug, or Nalgene bottle) and begin to enjoy your other benefits, such as a 15% discount at the Museum bookstore; opportunities to participate in members’ trips at a reduced rate; advance announcement of exhibitions and events; invitations to receptions, special lecture-luncheons, and dinners; and a subscription to the bimonthly Mahaney Center for the Arts Artsletter.

Students mingle in the galleries at the annual First Year event

For more information about membership and benefits please visit the membership page.