An MIT staff member writes, "The largest program of its kind in the country, the Student Loan Art Program at MIT loans out 400 artworks each year, including pieces by renowned artists such as Andy Warhol and Berenice Abbott. Administered by the List Visual Arts Center, this collection of framed original prints and works on paper by leading contemporary artists are made available to students for loan, through a lottery, each September, following a preview exhibition at the List Center's galleries.

"The collection is comprised of the Catherine N. Stratton Collection of Graphic Arts, established in 1966, the List Student Loan Collection, established in 1977, and the Ronald A. Kurtz Student Loan Collection, established in 1985.

As an article in Spectrum (2002) wrote, "Engagement with the art -- perhaps not precisely this sort --was the program’s motivating philosophy, says List Registrar John Rexine. 'The idea was to make art available to the broadest possible constituency and engage students, particularly at a technical institute, in a way they wouldn’t otherwise engage with the art.' ""