Stitching Venues

The Muscarelle Museum of Art opened to the public on October 22, 1983, though William & Mary's art collection dates back to 1732 with its first gift of a portrait of physicist Robert Boyle. Named after its major benefactors Joseph L. Muscarelle Sr. (W&M '27) and his wife Margaret, the museum was established with a foundational $1 million gift from the couple. Located at the Martha Wren Briggs Center for the Visual Arts on William & Mary's campus, the museum houses nearly 8,000 objects in its permanent collection spanning many cultures and artistic movements.

The Muscarelle serves as both a dynamic cultural resource for the community and a working laboratory for the university, featuring world-class exhibitions and robust academic programs. The museum has recently undergone significant expansion as part of a multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art center for the visual arts, named in honor of Martha Wren Briggs '55, one of its greatest benefactors.