Hampshire College, a liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, will close after 51 years in operation, becoming the latest school of its kind to shutter amid financial difficulties.
Though small in scale, the college has had an outsize effect on the art world, with its art department graduating a number of painters, sculptors, and photographers who went on to achieve fame in the years after their undergraduate education there.
The alumni list includes Christina Quarles, a painter who is now represented by Hauser & Wirth and has shown at the Venice Biennale; Math Bass, a painter who has had shows at the Hammer Museum and MoMA PS1; and Every Ocean Hughes, an artist who has staged exhibitions and performances at institutions ranging from the Whitney Museum to the MIT List Center for Visual Arts.
Non-artist alumni of the college include filmmaker Ken Burns, actress Lupita Nyong’o, and the writer Eula Biss.
The college, which will officially shutter after the fall 2026 semester, will allow students to complete their education at a range of other schools in the region, among them Smith College, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Bennington College.
In the past few years, Hampshire College had reportedly failed to meet enrollment goals and faced a debt that reached $20 million, according to a 2025 audit.
“This is an incredibly painful moment for the Hampshire community, and we are doing everything to support our students in completing their studies and assist our faculty and staff in navigating what comes next,” said president Jennifer Chrisler in a statement. “Since its founding in 1965, Hampshire College has been home to deeply curious, creative people who have radically reimagined what a liberal arts education can be. We have kept our commitment to one another — leaving no stone unturned, no solution unexplored, and making many sacrifices along the way.”
