Named for its founder, William Rutherford Mead (an 1867 graduate of Amherst College and a partner in the storied architectural firm of McKim, Mead &White), the Mead holds the art collection of Amherst College, celebrated for its American and European paintings, Mexican ceramics, Tibetan scroll paintings, English panelled room, ancient Assyrian carvings, Russian avant-garde art, West African sculpture, and Japanese prints. With an active program of free exhibitions and events, late-night open hours, and a gift shop-café, the Mead is a must-see attraction in Western Massachusetts.