SPECIAL ADVISORY: All Gallery teaching sessions and public programs have moved online until further notice. Learn More
Colleges and Universities
Teaching from original works of art is central to the mission of the Gallery. Students and faculty from colleges and universities here in New Haven and around the world are welcome and encouraged to make use of our encyclopedic collection.
Course Visits
Planning Your Visit
The Yale University Art Gallery is free and open to the public, and we encourage visits from college and university groups. Plan your course visit by first searching our collection online to find out what is on view or available by appointment at the Gallery.
Schedule a Visit
College and university classes may hold sessions at the Gallery free of charge. Instructors may schedule a maximum of two groups of 15 students per hour (30 students total per hour) for a self-guided visit. The Gallery also offers guided course visits led by the Education Department’s teaching staff. All groups must register at least three weeks in advance, and acceptance of your reservation request is based on gallery availability.
Resources for Faculty and Students
Nolen Center Library
The Nolen Center Library is the heart of the Gallery’s Nolen Center for Art and Education. The library houses a focused collection of books, exhibition catalogues, articles, documents, and databases related to the highlights of our museum, and it is open to all visitors. These holdings will be of interest to instructors planning to teach with our collections, as well as to students completing assignments at the Gallery. The library is open to all, with staff available to guide research and answer questions.
Study Rooms
In addition to permanent-collection installations and special exhibitions currently on view, the Gallery also provides numerous spaces dedicated to teaching with original works of art. The James E. Duffy Study Room for Prints, Drawings, and Photographs contains over 35,000 works of art on paper. The Furniture Study is a working library of over 1,000 examples of American furniture and wooden objects. The Bela Lyon Pratt Study Room for Numismatics holds over 100,000 coins, medals, and examples of paper money. All three collections are available for individual study or class sessions by appointment.
Study Gallery
The Jane and Richard Levin Study Gallery on the fourth floor displays art in connection with Yale courses, but classes from all colleges and universities are encouraged to make use of these resources. Each semester, the Levin Study Gallery exhibits works of art from the Gallery’s collection not normally on view. College and university classes may take place in the study gallery by reservation whenever the museum is open.
