At the Museum

Admission Is Free of Charge

At the Mead, we are committed to fostering an environment that ensures access for all of our visitors. This website page is designed to provide information on getting to the museum, visitor guidelines, and accessibility factors during your visit, as well as additional resources that are available at the museum. Our commitment to making our programs, exhibitions, and collections accessible is ongoing. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Museum Security Supervisor, Nicholas Taupier. 

If you experience any access barriers with your visit to the Mead, please share it / or your thoughts and expectations with us:

Amherst College Campus: Accessibility Barrier Reporting Form

Facilities and Amenities

This is an icon of a side profile of a toilet

Restrooms

There is a single-occupancy, gender-inclusive restroom located between the Fairchild Gallery and the Arms Gallery.  There are larger restrooms, one with urinals and one without, that are situated past the glass door on the right side of the Fairchild Gallery; these restrooms are equipped with baby-changing facilities. All three restrooms are wheelchair-accessible.

This is an icon of a person leaning over a water fountain, to drink water.

Drinking Fountains

There is a drinking fountain located between the multi-occupancy restrooms, outside of the Fairchild Gallery.

This is an icon of a service dog in a working harness with a plus sign above it.

Service Animals

The Mead Art Museum welcomes service animals according to the Massachusetts State Law and the ADA Regulations. For more information on these regulations, consult the Electronic Code of Federal Regulation 35.104 and the ADA definition of a service animal, as well as Massachusetts   Laws about Service Animals.

An icon of a side profile of a baby stroller.

Strollers

Strollers are allowed inside the museum. Strollers can also be parked in the Mead’s coat room when not in use.
 

An icon of a satchel bag with handles.

Bags

Backpacks, Tote bags, diaper bags
  • If the size of the bag is larger than the standard carry-on bag (22”x 14” x 9”), then it must be checked into the coat room. If it’s a smaller bag (12” x 12”), then you may carry it on your side or front.
Medical bags
  • All Medical bags are allowed inside the museum. If the medical bag is larger than what we allow (12’’ x 12’’ inches), please ask the lobby attendant at the front desk for an access clip to put on it, which will signal to security inside the museum that the bag doesn’t need to be checked.

Visitors with Limited Mobility

All of the public spaces in the museum are wheelchair-accessible and on one floor. 

If you are visiting our collection storage for research or a class, the lower levels can be accessed through an elevator that a staff member must operate; please notify the staff arranging your visit that you will need access to the elevator, so we can ensure you access to the elevator for your visit or place the objects you are researching in the teaching gallery upstairs.

This is an icon of a parking symbol to the left of a person in a wheelchair to indicate accessible parking.

Accessible Parking

Accessible parking spaces are located at 41 Quadrangle Drive, right across the entrance to the museum. An accessibility ramp is available for visitors as they make their way from the main quadrangle to the path that leads up to the museum entrance. For more information on directions and parking, view our visit page. 

  • The Mead’s GPS-friendly address is: 
    41 Quadrangle Drive in Amherst, MA, 01002       

Per Amherst College's parking policy, vehicles with state-issued handicapped placards are permitted to park in any marked handicapped spot on campus without obtaining additional permits from Amherst College.        

This is an icon of power assisted doors that are activated by pressing a button

Automatic Door Assist 

Power-assisted door openers are located at the museum's main entrance and exit doors. A call button is also installed at the main entrance -- when the call button is pressed, a staff member will meet the visitor outside to offer additional assistance.  

An icon of the side profile of a person using a wheelchair.

Wheelchairs

Visitors are encouraged to bring their wheelchairs. We also have a wheelchair on site, which can be checked out free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis at the front desk. 

This is an icon of the front view of an armchair.

Seating

Armchairs and benches are located throughout the galleries.

Visitors who are D/deaf or Hard of Hearing

This is an image of the universal symbol for ASL interpretation, which is the mirroring of two hands signing “ok”

ASL Interpretation

Sign-language interpretation is available free of charge for all tours and museum programs. If you would like an ASL interpreter, please contact us with at least three weeks advance notice to ensure we can accommodate the request.

Visitors Who are Blind or Have Low Vision

This is an icon of a bright lightbulb, to indicate the gallery lighting

Gallery Lighting

Please be aware that gallery lighting may be dimmed to protect the art. 
 

his is the universal icon for audio description that shows capital letters AD and three parenthesis’ after.

Audio Description

Verbal Descriptions use precise, non-interpretive language to convey the visual experience of artworks. Developed for those who are blind or have low vision, these guides are valuable for all visitors who seek an in-depth exploration of individual works of art. Currently, we are in the process of developing both Audio Descriptions and Visual Descriptions for works in our collection.
 

It is an icon that says Large Print, in bold black text.

Large Print

The museum is creating large-print brochures of our exhibition text, and we hope to have them available at the front desk for visitors soon.

Visitors with Sensory Processing Disorders and/or on the Autism Spectrum:

This is the logo for Social Stories that shows two adults with a child in the middle of them with raised arms.

Social Narrative

This social narrative is a step-by-step guide with images and descriptions of what to expect upon visiting the Mead Art Museum. It is intended to help you familiarize yourself with the museum guidelines and what to expect so that you can plan for a fun museum visit.

This is an icon of a thermometer with a snowflake behind it.

Museum Climate

The temperature inside the museum is generally around 70 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. Visitors are encouraged to carry a lightweight jacket inside the museum.

This is the universal icon that indicates volume levels.

Noise Levels

The video gallery and Fairchild Gallery (the largest gallery when you enter) are the loudest and most prone to echo. If you would like noise-canceling headphones, the museum has three pairs you can ask for at the front desk. 

Visitors with Memory Loss

We don’t have a long-standing program for visitors with memory loss. We hope to develop programs in small group settings where art serves as a medium to create meaningful experiences for adults with dementia and/or memory loss and their caregivers. If you are interested in visiting the museum for a tour or would like to partner with us for a memory loss program, please be in touch with our education team.

Website Accessibility

This is the universal icon for Website Accessibility, it depicts a person with their arms outstretched inside a black circle.

Amherst College currently hosts the Mead Art Museum’s website. Amherst College is committed to making its website accessible. We follow the Web Content Accessibility 2.0 (WCAG) standards. 

For more information, head to the Amherst Accessibility Website.