The Gund plans to reduce space allocated to senior art capstone exhibitions in the gallery after this spring, Provost Jeff Bowman informed studio art faculty on Sept. 18. The Gund administration maintains that changes to the exhibition structure will benefit student artists by exposing them to professional museum practices as the gallery transitions into an accredited museum. However, studio art students and faculty have voiced concerns regarding the updated exhibition format, saying that the changes were made without feedback from the department and do not align with student interests.

The studio art major at Kenyon is presently marked by a distinctive feature: a 15-day senior capstone exhibition where students can display a cohesive, original body of work in The Gund’s gallery. The newly announced changes would instead provide the studio art department with a reduced space in the gallery, which may limit students to a single object each, as a Sept. 20 email to the studio art majors explained. According to Gund Director and Chief Curator Daisy Desrosiers, the changes may also entail displaying exhibitions in spaces beyond The Gund. “It is expected that the options will include a senior art show that remains at The Gund, but could also include another space on campus that would meet the needs of the student art show,” she wrote in an email to the Collegian.

This is not the first time the art studio exhibitions have been a point of controversy on the Hill. In 2015, the gallery proposed changes including displaying student works in satellite locations such as Horvitz Hall and a curatorial classroom inside of the Gund Gallery, according to the March 26, 2015, issue of the Collegian. However, the decision was promptly reversed following outcry from alumni. “At the time, the department continued to meet with the administration, but it was really the thoughtful student, parent and alumni emails and petitions that were sent to President [Sean] Decatur that reconfirmed the importance of the Capstone exhibition,” Professor of Art Marcella Hackbardt wrote in an email to the Collegian.

In July 2017, Decatur sent a follow-up email to Professors Emeriti of Art Gregory Spaid and Claudia Esslinger stating that, because of the capstone’s role as a critical experience for studio art majors, any substantial changes to the senior project must be approved by The Gund, the Provost and the studio art department itself. “Because this exhibition and its scheduling are critical for the faculty and students of the department, significant deviation from this template must be mutually approved by the department, the Gallery, and the Provost,” the email, which was provided to the Collegian by Hackbardt, stated.

For faculty, one source of contention regarding the current updates was that studio art faculty were excluded from offering feedback in the decision-making process. According to Hackbardt, studio art faculty were not informed of the decision until after it was made. “​​We are greatly saddened to learn of this change to our pedagogy and high-impact professional practice education that is being carried out without our input or consideration for our exhibition needs,” she said.

Desrosiers stated that the parameters of future senior exhibitions are still developing, and that moving forward, the Provost’s and President’s Offices will collaborate with The Gund administration and studio art faculty to identify and share options with the community throughout the fall semester. “The process to identify options will include input from both studio art faculty and students, as well as The Gund,” she said. “The plan is to find a sustainable solution for the senior art exhibitions for the coming years so as to avoid future disruption and confusion.”

According to Desrosiers, the developments to the traditional senior capstone exhibitions are representative of The Gund’s shift from an exhibition gallery to an accredited academic museum — a development she hopes will benefit student artists: “Accreditation enhances our educational mission by ensuring high standards in all we do, benefiting student artists who benefit from professional best practices while showcasing their work in a high-quality environment.”

She also reiterated that the senior exhibition has been modified, rather than terminated. “We haven’t ended the traditional senior exhibition; instead, we recommended re-imagining it in a way that keeps students at the forefront while expanding their access to a broader network of museum professionals,” she said.

Hackbardt described a conversation with President Julie Kornfeld regarding the changes and expressed discontent with the administration’s justification of the decision. “She [Kornfeld] explained that The Gund would like to have some six-month-long shows. We observed that they have 11 months at their disposal,” Hackbardt said.

One studio art major, Ari Rustad ’26, expressed similar frustration with the decision to allocate more space to outside artists by reducing the space dedicated to senior exhibitions. “The way that the studio art department does not fit into that museum plan is because they’re trying to have more six-month-long exhibitions, which I think is also crazy because people are gonna stop going after two weeks,” she said in an interview with the Collegian. “And so we don’t fit into that, which is honestly just hilarious, because our senior exhibition is a 15-day show.”

According to Rustad, the opportunity to display a full body of work in The Gund is a cornerstone of the major. “I know someone who declared [a studio art major] last year after going to the senior art exhibition…after seeing all of the beautiful work that people do. We walked through and we said to each other, like, ‘this is going to be us soon,’” she said.

Student protest of the change has been widespread, with a Sept. 26 Change.org petition having amassed over 1,900 signatures as of Oct. 2. The petition, which is addressed to the Kenyon administration from the studio art majors, outlines the students’ areas of frustration, including a perceived lack of communication and explanation from the administration regarding their concerns. “The Gund’s administration has offered little reasoning to the art department about this decision,” the petition read. “In making this decision, Kenyon is effectively turning its back on all of its current students and their wishes in an attempt to gain the respect of outsiders and outside institutions.”

Signers of the petition include current students, alumni, faculty and parents — many of whom expressed disappointment with the decision and reaffirmed their love for the traditional exhibitions in the comments. Some suggested that the changes be delayed until current studio arts majors graduate. “This experience is an important part of why my daughter chose to be an art major at Kenyon. If changes are to be made, they should not affect current students!” one comment read.

Posters protesting the decision have been plastered throughout campus, from the Peirce Dining Hall coffee station to the walls of Samuel Mather and Hayes Halls. The posters criticize The Gund, displaying phrases such as “The Gund is betraying its community” and “over it,” with QR codes linking to the petition.

When asked whether the changes regarding the exhibitions were final, Bowman echoed Desrosier’s sentiments. According to Bowman, determining the format of future senior exhibitions moving forward will be a collaborative process. “President Kornfeld and I are eager to work with Studio Art and The Gund to identify a way forward that meets the needs of both the Gund and Studio Art,” he wrote in an email to the Collegian. “We welcome any thoughts about what an achievable alternative plan might be.”

Although collaboration and communication regarding the changes are on the horizon, to members of the studio art department, the prospect of not displaying a full body of work in The Gund during senior year remains a somber thought. “It’s devastating. There’s no really other word,” Rustad said.