“The Gund Gallery” began in 2011 as a place to teach, learn, and experience modern and contemporary art at Kenyon College. Over the last 13 years, our vision for connecting people to art, artists, new ideas, and each other has expanded exponentially. The decision to drop “Gallery” from our name is both practical and conceptual: we offer far more programming than a traditional gallery space and nurture a porous relationship to our campus, our community, and the world beyond our walls.

While our building is an architectural destination itself, we are far more than a place to view art. Today, we are a teaching museum—open to all; a creative hub for collective experiences and academic inquiry. Through new and evolving initiatives like the Gund Associates program and The Annex in the heart of Mount Vernon, we champion art as a catalyst for self-discovery and crucial community dialogue.

In fact, we are an American Alliance of Museums (AAM) accredited institution, which means that The Gund meets the highest national standards of museum practice across collections care, governance, education, and operations. Concretely, it allows us to borrow artwork from major institutions, as we’ve demonstrated we can provide the same professional-grade conditions for climate control, security, object handling, and display. It affirms that our exhibitions are developed with curatorial rigor and institutional integrity, making us a stronger partner for collaborative projects. For Kenyon, this means expanded access to loaned works and scholarly resources that directly support teaching and research across disciplines. It ensures that students can engage with museum-quality works of art in the classroom and in the gallery, learning from original objects and participating in high-level curatorial and interpretive processes. Accreditation affirms The Gund’s role as a vital academic resource, integrated into the intellectual life of the campus and committed to modeling best practices in museum-based learning.

We believe in expanding the museum's role as a nexus of connection, critical learning, and collective imagination. Our growing collection of more than 450 modern and contemporary works spans a range of mediums, narratives, and voices. Through high-quality exhibitions and programming within and beyond our campus, we invite a deeper understanding of ourselves and our society among Kenyon students and the broader community. Along with the Kenyon Review and Kenyon’s Philander Chase Conservancy land trust, The Gund champions the power of art as an agent of change and the college’s vital role in stewarding our local environment as a place to learn, live and grow together.

The Gund is a member of the Ohio Arts Council and W.A.G.E. (Working Artists in the Greater Economy). The Gund is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).

Discover how The Gund at Kenyon College is shaping the future of art and culture through a strategic vision that champions curatorial excellence, shared learning, collection stewardship, civic engagement, and organizational effectiveness.