A Brief History of Colby’s Art Department

A Brief History of Colby’s Art Department

The Colby College Museum of Art, founded in 1959, began as a small set of galleries inside the Bixler Art and Music Center with 2,800 square feet of space. James M. Carpenter, an art history professor in the College’s Art Department, served as the Museum’s first director.  Early gifts from Maine collectors and artists built a collection focused on American art. Since then, the Museum has expanded across the College’s campus and into downtown Wat…