President Sean Decatur sent the following email to Kenyon students and employees on March 27, 2015:
Dear members of the Kenyon College community,
The Gund Gallery is a beautiful asset for the Kenyon community and plays a pivotal role in the learning experience of our students through dynamic exhibitions integrated into our curriculum. The gallery has also become, in a short time, a treasured venue for the annual senior art exhibition. I have read and heard the concerns voiced since the Thursday article in the Collegian, and I want to be very clear: I have come to value this young tradition, and I believe firmly that exhibition of senior work has a place in the gallery’s programming.
The senior art exhibition for the Class of 2016 will take place in full in the gallery in April of next year. This capstone exhibition provides invaluable experience for our senior art majors in the display of their work, and it is in keeping with the core mission of the Gallery: to serve the teaching and learning of all students, faculty, and academic departments of the College. I am very proud that the Gallery and its exhibitions have become learning resources for faculty and students across campus. I am also proud that it serves as a venue to showcase the work of our seniors each year.
I hope the entire community can appreciate the creative energy and hard work of our students working in concert with the studio art faculty. The first part of this year’s senior exhibition concludes today, and I invite you to visit the gallery on April 1 for the opening of the second part of the exhibition that continues through April 10. To enjoy other exhibitions and events at the gallery, I encourage you to visit http://www.thegundgallery.org/event-listing/.
Best,
Sean Decatur, President