The Bates College Museum of Art was founded in 1955 as the Treat Gallery with a magnificent bequest from Norma Berger, the niece of Marsden Hartley: The Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection. This unique collection of Maine's most renowned artist includes drawings, oil sketches, personal photographs, collected artwork including a valuable collection of Coptic textiles and works by Carl Sprinchorn, Mark Tobey as well as Hartley’s magnificent writings on art and life.

This unique and valuable collection has led to a continual flow of generous gifts of art to the collection from Bates College alumnae and Friends of the Bates College Art Museum. By the 1980’s the museum's ambitious exhibition schedule and growing collection led the way toward a renewed commitment and recognition of the museum's contributing role to the college’s curriculum, campus life and community relations.

Olin Arts Center transforms the Treat Gallery into the Bates College Museum of Art

The Treat Gallery was transformed into the Bates College Museum of Art in 1986 when the Olin Arts Center was opened. The beautiful new and greatly expanded museum space enabled the Museum of Art to organize major scholarly exhibitions of historical and contemporary artists.  At that time the museum chose to concentrate on collecting works on paper and increase its dedication to acquiring works by Maine artists and artists working in Maine of national and international significance. The mission was also expanded to create educational programming connected to the scholarly pursuits of Bates with the Lewiston-Auburn community and a much broader museum audience.

In 2005 the Museum renamed the Upper Gallery the Bates Gallery and redesigned the Lower Gallery creating three new dedicated spaces: the Collection Gallery, the Underground Synergy Seminar space and the 150 Art Reader Stairwell. The Bates Gallery is devoted to changing exhibitions, the Collection Gallery provides space for long-term exhibitions that highlight and expand our knowledge of a permanent collection of nearly 5000 works of art and the Bates Underground Synergy Seminar is a visual art project, viewing and study space. Currently the museum welcomes approximately 20,000 visitors annually, organizes three original exhibitions, prints three publications a year and hosts an annual senior exhibition by art majors and a student curated exhibition series called Students in the Vault.

Marsden Hartley