The Hampshire College Art Gallery has been in operation since the college opened in 1970. The gallery functions primarily as an exhibition space concentrating on, but not limited to, the visual arts. First and foremost, the mission of the gallery is to support the teaching functions of the college.

The gallery's active program of exhibitions includes, in addition to the more traditional media, environmental installations; dance and performance pieces; and video presentations. The exhibits feature work by graduating students, fine arts faculty, and emerging regional artists, as well as by contemporary artists of national and international stature.

The gallery also seeks to support pedagogical investigations outside the visual arts by occasionally mounting shows in the fields of urban history, the natural sciences, communication studies, and ethnography. This exhibition program is supplemented by periodic gallery talks by visiting artists and scholars. Hampshire also maintains a small art collection that is displayed primarily in administrative office spaces.