Bates College Museum of Art

Bates College Museum of Art Bringing a world of ideas to Bates, surrounding communities, and beyond. Always free.

For more on what we are doing for your safety and what you are required to do safely, visit the link on the top of the museum's website: www.bates.edu/museum
The museum is open until 7:30 pm Mondays and Wednesdays during the academic year, by appointment, and for school groups and tours.

Tonight— 7:30pm in Schaeffer Theater! Join us for an artist talk with dancer and choreographer Annie-B Parson on the mak...
07/20/2026

Tonight— 7:30pm in Schaeffer Theater! Join us for an artist talk with dancer and choreographer Annie-B Parson on the making of her film, The Oath. After her talk, Parson will be joined in conversation by Dr. Margaret Tarampi, Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Hartford. The event is hosted in conjunction with the Bates Dance Festival.

Image Credits: Still from The Oath (2025), Annie-B Parson and Alla Kovgan, Courtesy of Big Dance Theater

07/14/2026

Everyone plays the Beautiful Game! Here at the museum, we even collect art related to it. Inspired by our colleagues at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, (and many more!) we joined in on celebrating the many intersections of Art and Sport. In the spirit of FIFA World Cup 2026, we’ve highlighted two works from the permanent collection that showcase the game of soccer.

  — from the perspective of the Bates College Museum of Art!Phyllis Graber Jensen’s photographs are often the first way ...
07/08/2026

— from the perspective of the Bates College Museum of Art!
Phyllis Graber Jensen’s photographs are often the first way that people interact with Bates, either through the website, printed material, or on social media. Over the years, it has become something of an inside joke to describe other photographs of Bates as “not quite Phyllis.” Whether centering an individual, highlights from an athletic match, or the landscape across the quad, Graber Jensen is always seeking new perspectives to tell a story.
Even the smallest moments can hold powerful narratives. What, or who, do you believe deserves a moment in the spotlight? We invite you to submit a photograph that tells a story about a person, place, or object on the Bates campus or in the wider community.
Upload it to our slideshow by using the QR code on the last slide, or the hashtag . We can’t wait to see your point of view!

We are one day away from the opening of our Summer Exhibitions! Curious what will be on view? Read below for more inform...
06/11/2026

We are one day away from the opening of our Summer Exhibitions! Curious what will be on view? Read below for more information.

From a career in photojournalism to her thirty years spent encapsulating life at Bates, “Phyllis Graber Jensen: Picture Stories” chronicles the accomplished photographic work of Phyllis Graber Jensen.

Screened in collaboration with the Bates Dance Festival, “The Oath” (2025) is a large-scale work of dance and cinema that interrogates the human impulse to move in unison.

Credit Lines:

“The Oath” exhibition is made possible with funding from the Alex Katz Foundation.

Curated by Dr. Carrie Cushman, Director of the Bates College Museum of Art, “Phyllis Graber Jensen: Picture Stories” is made possible with funding from the Jane Costello Wellehan Endowment Fund, the Dorothy Stiles Blankfort ‘31 Fund, and the Alex Katz Foundation.

Image Credit:

Phyllis Graber Jensen, “Ed Walker ‘02 and His Daughter Tiauna Walker ‘21”, 2021, Digital photograph, Courtesy of Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

Still from “The Oath” (2025), Annie-B Parson and Alla Kovgan, Courtesy of Big Dance Theater

We are very excited for the opening of our Summer Exhibitions, which is just four days away! Today, we will be diving in...
06/08/2026

We are very excited for the opening of our Summer Exhibitions, which is just four days away! Today, we will be diving into our lower gallery show. Created by Annie-B Parson and Alla Kovgan of Big Dance Theater, “The Oath” (2025) is a large-scale work of dance and cinema that interrogates the human impulse to move in unison. Screened at the Museum in collaboration with the Bates Dance Festival, the short film features seventeen dancers who move through a series of synchronized actions—from prayer to kick-lines to pop dance—within an environment saturated in bold colors that shift in tone with the performers’ movements. The result is a hypnotizing experience that explores what it means to embody one-ness. The exhibition is made possible with funding from the Alex Katz Foundation.

Image Credit: Still from “The Oath” (2025), Annie-B Parson and Alla Kovgan, Courtesy of Big Dance Theater

Get excited! We are 8 days away from the opening of our Summer 2026 shows. Today, we will be giving insight into “Phylli...
06/04/2026

Get excited! We are 8 days away from the opening of our Summer 2026 shows. Today, we will be giving insight into “Phyllis Graber Jensen: Picture Stories”. Tomorrow, we will be sharing more about “The Oath”. Stay tuned!

“Phyllis Graber Jensen: Picture Stories” chronicles the accomplished work of Director of Photography and Video for Bates Office of Communications and Marketing, Phyllis Graber Jensen. Beginning with her documentation of the women’s liberation movement in Denmark in the 1970s and spanning her time as a staff photographer at the Boston Herald to her time in Maine, the exhibition demonstrates Graber Jensen’s commitment to photography as a critical mode of communication and historical preservation. Newly printed and archival photographs will be presented alongside magazines, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera that explore the full life of a photograph and the nuances of visual storytelling in the hands of our very own Phyllis Graber Jensen.

Image Credit: Phyllis Graber Jensen, “Smoking is Glamorous”, 1988, Gelatin silver print, Courtesy of Phyllis Graber Jensen

(Further information about the show continued in comments)

Our Education Curator is here to remind you that the museum is closed for install! We will reopen on Friday, June 12th a...
06/01/2026

Our Education Curator is here to remind you that the museum is closed for install! We will reopen on Friday, June 12th at 7pm. We hope to see you there!

05/31/2026

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! We can’t wait to see all of the masterpieces you create with your lives.

Tell your friends, brothers, mothers, & others: Call Doug is playing a set on Thursday night at 7pm sharp. Join us for a...
05/18/2026

Tell your friends, brothers, mothers, & others: Call Doug is playing a set on Thursday night at 7pm sharp. Join us for a Night at the Museum Jam!

Senior thesis student, Grace Thomas, will be giving a series of gallery talks throughout this week and next. We are very...
05/13/2026

Senior thesis student, Grace Thomas, will be giving a series of gallery talks throughout this week and next. We are very excited to hear from Grace about her work, process, inspiration, and more! Join us during the following dates/times:
May 14th at 2pm
May 15th at 11am
May 21st at 2pm
May 22nd at 11am

Address

Olin Arts Center, 75 Russell Street
Lewiston, ME
04240

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 7:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 7:30pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+12077866158

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