MCAM - Mills College Art Museum

The Mills College Art Museum (MCAM), founded in 1925 and now a part of Northeastern University’s global network, serves as a dynamic hub for interdisciplinary engagement and contemporary artistic exploration. Located on the historic Mills College campus in Oakland, California, the museum continues a legacy of academic and cultural enrichment through exhibitions, programs, and a robust permanent collection.

MCAM houses more than 12,000 objects, with particular strengths in works on paper, photography, California and Asian ceramics, and key pieces by notable women artists. The collection supports a wide range of educational and scholarly initiatives and is actively loaned to institutions around the world. From its inception, the museum has functioned as a vital teaching resource, enhancing student learning and offering professional development opportunities through curatorial practice and collections management.

The museum’s architectural home, designed by Walter Ratcliff Jr., blends Beaux-Arts Classical and Spanish Colonial Revival styles and features a striking glass ceiling that bathes the galleries in natural light. Inside and out, MCAM pays tribute to artistic legacy—with carved names of masters from Cellini to Rodin—and a commitment to the future of art.

Exhibitions at MCAM often showcase newly commissioned works and innovative contemporary practices, many of which are tied to broader cultural and academic discourses. Over the decades, the museum has featured iconic figures like Ansel Adams, Diego Rivera, and Faith Ringgold, and mounted significant group shows that highlight women artists and global perspectives.

A pioneer in promoting women’s contributions to art, MCAM continues to foster inclusive and critical dialogue. Through exhibitions, public programs, and digital experiences, the museum remains deeply rooted in its mission to encourage creativity, spark inquiry, and contribute meaningfully to contemporary art and culture in the Bay Area and beyond.