Barbara Mettler, dancer, dance educator, author, and film and video producer, developed her own style of modern dance, which emphasized improvisation. Her core principles were beauty, freedom, and democracy. Dance was conceived as a fundamental human activity, of which all people are capable, as opposed to an elite, choreographed, performance art. She taught widely, to diverse lay people, including adults, children, and the handicapped, primarily from her own Mettler Studios. Her students later formed the International Association for Creative Dance to carry the principles of her work forward.

In their final year at Hampshire, students undertake a major independent study project with the guidance of a faculty committee. The project might be a body of writing, art, or performance; or scholarly or scientific research. The final product is referred to as the Division III project, or “Div III.” The Division III Archive, maintained by the Harold F. Johnson Library at Hampshire, preserves and provides access to these works in perpetuity. Works are submitted by their creators. The Division III Archive online contains works from 2006 to the present. Print copies of text-based Division III projects submitted to the Library by students from 1971-2014 are available on the second floor of the Library, or in the Div III Showcase on the Library's main floor.