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Hampden Gallery is a program of the Fine Arts Center located in the Southwest Residential Area at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Hampden Gallery has a reputation as a launching pad for emerging artists working in all disciplines. Its active programming schedule runs throughout the academic year and features solo, group, and thesis exhibitions which are enhanced through opening receptions, artist talks, and workshops.


Gallery Information:

Hampden Gallery, located in the heart of the Southwest Residential Area, has 14-foot high ceilings and a 32 foot running wall of glass that looks out to the pedestrian thoroughfare of the most populated residential area on campus. This unique architectural feature allows students and visitors a 24-hour view into an ongoing roster of intriguing new works by up and coming artists. The gallery recently installed window projections in a project titled Open-Air Projection to Initiate Conversation (OPTIC). Artists can use one or both of these screens to project video installations that can be seen from inside and outside of the building.

In addition to the main gallery, the lobby houses two unique venues that underscore the experimental mission of the gallery and that allow for the introduction of new works in the public arena.

The Incubator Project Space is a smalle-scale, intimate venue well suited for showing electronic media works and site specific installations.

Platform is a centrally-located, raised elliptical-shaped space that is ideal for showcasing large sculptural works.


Core Program

Hampden Gallery's mission is to facilitate understanding cultural dialogue through visual art exhibitions and in-depth adjunct programming, focused on new work by emerging artists in the fields of painting, sculpture, printmaking, mixed media, video and new media. Hampden Gallery continually attracts new viewers to its audience base through vibrant programming, artists in residence events, lectures, slide presentations, life drawing, workshops, gallery talks and receptions.

Located in the nexus of a residential area Hampden Gallery is often students' first point of contact with the visual arts on campus. With this in mind, an active roster of exhibitions is scheduled throughout the academic year. Exhibitions reflect current practices in contemporary art across all genres in order to engage students and other viewers from the university and surrounding communities.


Create & Connect

Each semester, Hampden Gallery welcomes visitors of all ages to participate in a self-guided hands-on art activity inspired by one of the gallery's current exhibitions. This engaging program is designed for all experience levels, providing a welcoming space for creativity and connection through art.

Solo and Group Thesis Exhibition for Undergraduate and Graduate Degree Candidates
Hampden Gallery also serves as an essential resource for MFA and BFA candidates who produce thesis exhibitions as part of their academic program requirements. Each spring semester, Hampden Gallery sets aside exhibition slots for MFA and BFA candidates’ exhibitions, providing an essential service to students and providing the campus community with unique opportunities to view fresh bodies of work in all disciplines.

Hampden Gallery's Critique Group Program
The group is comprised of Western Massachusetts artists who work in photography, painting, sculpture, and digital media. Group members include internationally recognized artists as well as self-taught artists. The variety of members’ experiences, processes, and materials used results in a rich and vital dynamic. 

Critique Leader's Bio: Anne LaPrade Seuthe holds an MFA from the University of Massachusetts. She was the director of Hampden Gallery from 1998-2020. Her public and collaborative projects include: X Marks the Spot, DUMBO Arts Festival, Brooklyn, NY; Intrude 366 at the Zendai MoMa in Shanghai, China; Physical Geography/Psychological Landscape at the Goethe Institute in Dresden, Germany and at the Distillery Gallery in Boston, MA; The 2008 London Biennale with TransCulturalExchange, The Coaster Project at the Fuller Museum; and SuperNatural at Art in the Orchard, Easthampton, MA. Anne is currently the interim associate director of Augusta Savage Gallery at UMass.