Swarthmore has been collecting art for over 100 years and the College Art Collection has grown into a rich repository of more than 2,000 paintings, sculptures, ceramics, drawings, prints, photographs, textiles, and other objects spanning centuries and continents. Collection highlights include works that are related to the history of Swarthmore and the surrounding Philadelphia region, including works by American painters Edward Hicks and Benjamin West, who was born in a house that is now part of the college’s campus.

The College launched a major professionalization initiative following a 2022 assessment, transforming how these treasures are stored and safeguarded. Under the expert leadership of Art Collection Manager Sara Hesdon Buehler, works of art are being inventoried, catalogued and receiving condition assessments and conservation treatments.  In 2026, the College Art Collection officially became part of Swarthmore College Libraries, a perfect complement to Special Collections.

Buehler is prioritizing improved access to the Collection in ways that inform the curriculum and facilitate collaboration between faculty, staff and students. While much of the Collection is currently stored offsite, interim forms of academic engagement are being implemented while staff advocate for dedicated storage and study space on campus. The Rare Book Room can temporarily house  a small amount of material for individual and small group close study organized in a nearby McCabe classroom. Faculty and students may also arrange field trips to fine art storage where works can be staged for small groups.  Buehler has also facilitated visits to a conservation lab for faculty and students when works from the Collection were in the process of treatment.

Efforts are also underway to provide digital access to the Collection. A project to migrate data into a professional collections management system was completed in 2025. The shared resource is also used by Tri-Co colleagues Bryn Mawr and Haverford to manage their art and object collections. Buehler is also working on a project to add records to the searchable online database, Tri-Arte, which allows users to search all three college collections and view images and information for works of art and objects.

In the past year, the List Gallery has become a critical resource for the display of the College Art Collection.  Exhibitions and installations of works from the Collection are being incorporated into List programming and have provided opportunities for faculty curatorial collaborations and student research. Beneath the Elm Tree’s Shade, one such project, is on view in the List Gallery now through December 13, and is the first exhibition dedicated solely to work from the College Art Collection.