Study Centers

The new BAMPFA offers unparalleled opportunities for engagement with original works of art. Scholars from around the world, students from UC Berkeley and beyond, and members of the community will all have direct access to specialized study centers, staffed by trained facilitators and librarians.

Film Library & Study Center

The Film Library and Study Center is open free of charge to anyone interested in film and film culture. Come by and browse through a movie magazine from last week or last century; read books on film history, theory, and criticism; skim through a collection of rare ephemera, press kits, and reviews; access scholarly research databases; listen in on hundreds of recordings of Q&A’s with filmmakers and other guests at BAMPFA screenings; or screen something from BAMPFA’s collection of more than 17,000 films and videos. Viewing carrels allow immediate access to several hundred film and video titles that have been digitized, while 16mm or 35mm film or video can be requested for research viewing with several week’s advance notice. Learn more. 

Due to COVID protocols, the Film Library is currently open by appointment only from 1pm-5pm, Wed-Fri. All users must abide by BAMPFA entry procedures. For appointments and inquiries, please contact bampfafilmlibrary@berkeley.edu 

Florence Helzel Works on Paper Study Center

The Florence Helzel Works on Paper Study Center provides storage and study areas for drawings, prints, and photographs from the BAMPFA collection, with works dating from the fifteenth century to the present. Open to visitors by appointment; please note that a minimum of three weeks advance notice is required.

Appointments: (510) 643-0857

James Cahill Asian Art Study Center

Visitors will be able to view BAMPFA’s extensive collection of historical Asian artworks on paper, silk, and cotton, including paintings, drawings, and prints, in the James Cahill Asian Art Study Center. Custom-made storage cabinets with rolling shelves and a specially designed system to display hanging scrolls and thangkas facilitate viewing. This study center honors the legacy of UC Berkeley Professor Emeritus James Cahill (1926–2014), a hugely influential teacher and one of the foremost scholars of Chinese painting. Open to visitors by appointment; please note that a minimum of three weeks advance notice is required.

Appointments: (510) 643-0857

Steven Leiber Conceptual Art Study Center

BAMPFA’s significant holdings in Conceptual art and related materials—including the archives of the Museum of Conceptual Art, The Ant Farm collective, and Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, as well as significant Fluxus and mail art collections—were greatly expanded last year with the acquisition of the Steven Leiber collection of Conceptual art and ephemera, as well as Leiber’s library of Conceptual art reference and artists’ books. Steven Leiber, who died in 2012, was a world-renowned dealer, scholar, and collector with a special interest in Conceptual art. Open to visitors by appointment; please note that a minimum of three weeks advance notice is required.

Appointments: (510) 643-0857