The Frances Lehman   
Loeb Art Center
The interior of a gallery: gray walls, monochrome photos on the walls, and a table with more photos in the middle of the room.
The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
A person stands with their back to the viewer, looking at a grid of colored artworks on a gallery wall.
The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
A walkway enclosed in glass windows curves past a metal sculpture. Trees are visible in the background.
The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
A person with sunglasses and black curly hair poses in front of paintings in a gallery.
The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
An aerial view of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center

The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center is free and open to all. The Loeb Art Center enhances and supports the College’s goals of leadership, scholarship, and integrative learning.

The Loeb achieves this through the preservation, documentation, interpretation, presentation, and development of its collections; and through a dynamic program of temporary exhibitions and educational activities aimed at diverse audiences. Art should stand “boldly forth as an educational force,” declared founder Matthew Vassar. His college was the country’s first to be founded with a gallery and teaching collection.

News

A photo divided into three photos. Leftmost: A person with long brown hair and a floral-patterned scarf smiles at the viewer. Middle: A person with brown hair, short on the right side, and long on the left; purple-rimmed glasses; and a white shirt smiles at the viewer. Rightmost: A person with long black curly hair and a black formal dress smiles at the viewer.

New Loeb Staff Announcement

The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center announced the recent appointments of three exceptional individuals to key curatorial positions. These important hires reflect the Loeb’s ongoing commitment to sharing its outstanding art collection and exhibition program with our diverse campus and community audiences.

Lynn Straus ʼ46: A Life of Giving

Lynn Straus ’46 was a philanthropist, adventurer, tireless champion of early childhood education, and an avid art collector. Upon her passing, she bequeathed nearly 50 pieces of artwork to the Loeb for the benefit of Vassar’s students.

A room in the gallery with a blue wall on the left and yellow wall on the right. Two people are standing in front of a framed painting.

The Loeb Art Center Welcomes a Spelman College Exhibition Featuring Works by African American Artists

A collection of works by African American artists from the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art kicked off a national tour on September 30 with an opening at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center on the Vassar College campus. The exhibition, titled Silver Linings, highlights the works of masters, pioneers, and trailblazers who anchor the Spelman collection. The nearly 40 works represent a variety of media and techniques including painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed-media collage, prints, and photographs.

Exhibitions

View of Poughkeepsie by Thomas Weeks Barrett Jr., a panoramic painting of an industrial riverfront featuring factories, smokestacks, bridges, and waterfront buildings along the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie.

Common Ground: Art and Infrastructure in Poughkeepsie

September 5, 2026–January 31, 2027

An intricate composition features multiple geometric shapes intertwined with organic forms. A prominent ram's horn spirals outward, surrounded by angular structures and flowing lines that create a sense of movement. The monochromatic palette, primarily in shades of black and gray, is accented by textured patterns, enhancing the depth of the forms. Jagged lines radiate from the background, adding a dynamic quality to the overall visual action.

Atelier 17: Myths in Motion

June 5–January 17, 2027

A figure is seated at a wooden table, engaged in arranging pressed flowers. The individual holds a small branch while surrounded by scattered botanical specimens and open books featuring illustrations. Behind, a richly adorned bookshelf is filled with books, its texture contrasting with the smoothness of the table's surface. Warm lighting casts a soft glow over the scene, enhancing the earthy tones of the flowers and the reds of the chair.

The Botanist at Vassar

April 4–October 4, 2026

More Exhibitions

Events

There are currently no upcoming or ongoing events.
Past Items

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Off the Wall
Perspectives from Students

Vassar College

124 Raymond Ave
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
Main (845) 437-5237 | Info (845) 437-5632