David and Francie Family Foundation Director | The Gund at Kenyon College

Gambier, Ohio • Accepting applications

Salary range

$185,000–$215,000

location

Gambier, Ohio

Annual budget

$11 Million

reports to

President of Kenyon College

the opportunity

The Gund at Kenyon College (The Gund), a contemporary and modern art museum for shared learning and connection, seeks a leader with expansive vision and a deep understanding of modern and contemporary art to serve as David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation Director (Director). The Director will shape The Gund’s continuing dynamic growth and will have full management responsibility for the museum, its team, and its operations. The Director will build compelling and inspiring programming that is both connected to Kenyon’s academic community and which will expand the museum’s significance within the greater contemporary and modern art world. The Director will develop new ways to execute The Gund’s strong curatorial programming, prepare the museum for the anticipated major expansion to its already strong collection, and create messaging and execute plans for new and transformative funding sources. Reporting directly to the President of the College and working closely with The Gund’s independent Board of Directors, the Director will ensure that The Gund’s profile continues to grow as an important place for contemporary and modern art fully integrated into the academic experience at Kenyon College.

ABOUT GUND Gallery

Named for the late architect and philanthropist Graham Gund, The Gund has grown remarkably since it was established on the Kenyon College campus in 2011. The Gund is itself an architectural destination and far more than a place to view art. The Gund is an energized teaching museum—open to all and a creative hub for collective experiences and academic inquiry.

About Graham Gund. Graham Gund (1940–2025) spent his life proving that art is essential to how we understand ourselves and one another. Born in Cleveland to a family with deep Kenyon roots and a love of the arts, he discovered his creative instincts in Saturday classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art. After graduating from Kenyon in 1963 with a degree in psychology, he studied architecture at RISD and Harvard, then helped shape Boston's modernist era while championing historic preservation. He rescued Charles Bulfinch's 1814 Middlesex County Courthouse, making it the home of his firm, GUND Partnership, which has earned more than 130 awards, including two Harleston Parker Medals. His buildings are regarded as practical and joyful, places where people of different backgrounds meet and where the past and new ideas live side by side. That same spirit drove his quiet generosity to Kenyon: with his wife, Ann, he gave 80 works of contemporary art to found The Gund's permanent collection, which now consists of over 500 modern and contemporary works. Mr. Gund’s hope was for the museum to be the place he wished he'd had as a student, where art sparks learning across every discipline.

The Gund’s Mission. The Gund creates new ways to experience and learn from modern and contemporary art in an academic setting, inviting inquiry, connecting students, artists, and lifelong learners, and inspiring collaborative action toward a better future.

The Gund’s Vision. To serve as a beacon of arts learning by reimagining how a teaching museum advances creativity, illuminates our shared humanity, and responds to the vital issues of our time.

The Building. The Gund is a dynamic, 31,000-square-foot space dedicated to expanding ways of seeing and learning. Its spaces enhance the College’s liberal arts curriculum through provocative exhibitions and the collaborative educational opportunities and cultural conversations they enable. The Gund houses a 6,100-square-foot flexible main exhibition space—the Buchwald-Wright Gallery—lit by north-facing skylights with controllable louvers; the 136-seat Community Foundation Theater; the Edric seminar classroom and the Kresge traditional classroom; and the Meier/Draudt Curatorial Classroom for the close study of artwork. It also provides museum-dedicated preparation and storage spaces, offices for The Gund’s staff, and offices and a visual resource center for Kenyon’s Department of Art History.

Leadership. Daisy Desrosiers served as David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation Director and Chief Curator from 2021 until recently as she takes her next professional step as Britton Family Curator-at-Large, North America at the Tate Modern. While new leadership is identified, Ms. Desrosiers will continue to provide transitional curatorial support to The Gund with Dr. Jodi Kovach, The Gund’s Pamela and Christopher Hoehn-Saric Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs and Education, serving as Interim Director.

Under Ms. Desrosiers’ successful leadership, The Gund has become further integrated into the full Kenyon College academic experience while its reach has extended well beyond the Kenyon College campus within the greater modern and contemporary art world. Highlights of the past five years include:

Impressive growth of the museum’s permanent collection of international 20th and 21st-century paintings, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and public art, featuring seminal works by artists such as Faith Ringgold, Richard Serra, Kiki Smith, Romare Bearden, Gerhard Richter, Nancy Spero, and Ragnar Kjartansson.
Annual visitation of 10,000 students, alumni, community members and patrons
Full accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums
Evolution of The Gund Associates program, a paid work opportunity for Kenyon students exposing them to the in-and-outs of modern museum practices
The creation of The Annex learning and workshop in the heart of Mount Vernon
Partnership with major national and international museums such as the recent joint acquisition with the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden for two important early works of Joan Jonas, and exhibitions developed in conjunction with museums such as the High Museum of Art and the Museum of Art of Sao Paulo (MASP)
Building relationships with important foundations for growth in philanthropic support

Operations. The Gund is incorporated as an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, governed by a Board of approximately 20 members approved by Kenyon College who have connections to the Kenyon College community and the modern and contemporary art world. The organization has a current annual budget of approximately $2 million (not including in-kind operating support from Kenyon College), the majority of which is funded by dedicated endowments, board and other individual giving, and foundation support. The Gund currently has a staff of 10, a combination of full-time and part-time administrative, curatorial and operations professionals. To learn more about The Gund and Kenyon College, please visit https://www.thegund.org/ and https://www.kenyon.edu/.

KENYON COLLEGE AND GAMBIER, OH

Founded in 1824, Kenyon College is home to approximately 1,600 students who study across 50 undergraduate majors, minors and concentrations. Located in the village of Gambier in Central Ohio’s Knox County, Kenyon’s idyllic campus includes 700 acres of green spaces and over 10 miles of trails and is one of the few exclusively residential colleges in the United States, with 25 residence halls. The beautiful setting for the College is located between major Ohio cities such as Columbus and Cleveland, offering the campus community access opportunities to connect with those important metropolitan settings. The faculty comprises over 200 individuals, all of whom hold a PhD or other terminal degree in their field. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1, the College is known for producing well-rounded and highly articulate thinkers, 90% of whom are employed or continuing their education within 6 months of graduation. Kenyon meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for all four years of their students’ college experience. The College has a famous literary tradition and is home to the highly regarded The Kenyon Review.

Click here for more information: https://www.visitsarasota.com/ https://www.edcsarasotacounty.com/arts-culture/

the future

The future vision of The Gund includes readying the organization and the Kenyon College community for further expansion of its collection. Through a committed gift, The Gund will be receiving a significant addition to its collection and endowment resources in the coming years. These will require The Gund to increase its storage and teaching spaces, which will require collaborative planning with Kenyon College and a development initiative to fund these new resources. Wrapped into these new collections commitments will be the opportunity to strengthen The Gund’s collections operations, increase curatorial and operational staffing, and further The Gund’s brand reputation as an innovative learning institution.

responsibilities

The Director leads all operations and management, including planning and executing compelling programming, fiscal and personnel oversight, and fundraising stewardship in collaboration with the college’s Office of Advancement to secure operating and endowment support for The Gund. The Director will set the curatorial vision and collections oversight and implementation, help review operations, formulate policies, and advance fundraising strategies and program initiatives aligned with The Gund’s strategic priorities. The primary qualifications and responsibilities for the role are:

Passion for Modern and Contemporary Art and Depth of Understanding of Collections Management

The Director will be a true lover of modern and contemporary art, ideally possessing experience managing the operations of a collecting institution. The Director will advance the strategic direction of The Gund with ambition to spur momentum across exhibitions, collections stewardship, campus partnerships, collaborative fundraising for shared acquisitions, and public programs. The Director will build upon The Gund’s curatorial reach and collections operations and expand staffing capacity as the organization continues to grow.

Team Management

As a campus-wide leader, the Director will promote a culture of enthusiastic collaboration, mutual respect, teamwork, and empowerment. By setting clear expectations, the Director will motivate and guide The Gund’s staff team while also holding all members accountable to mutually agreed-upon goals. The Director will motivate a diverse and talented staff and form sustainable plans to bring on additional staff as growing needs emerge. This leader will prioritize clear communication, collegiality, and a commitment to high standards of excellence, while supporting staff development, wellbeing, and collaborative problem-solving.

Resource Development and Stewardship

The Director will fully own financial oversight of The Gund and transparently collaborate with the Kenyon College administration, reporting to the President on operations and budgetary performance. The Director will drive plans to bring in new philanthropic support while maintaining and strengthening current relationships with granting organizations, foundations, donors, and institutional partners that support The Gund’s exhibitions, programs, collections stewardship, and public engagement initiatives. The Director will work collaboratively with the Board of Directors and Kenyon College’s Office of Advancement to steward existing funding relationships (alumni, individual donors, foundations, etc.), pursue new opportunities for support, and ensure responsible oversight and administration of grants and restricted funds.

Communicating, Influencing, and Building Relationships

The Director will broaden the visibility of The Gund both on and off campus with alumni, students, community members, and the greater world of modern and contemporary art. As an inspirational, charismatic, and passionate communicator, the Director will have a talent to excite varying constituents about The Gund’s initiatives within the College community and beyond. The Director will be able to build productive relationships with existing Board members, Kenyon College Alumni, and other loyal and potential supporters of The Gund. The Director will engage their professional network in the United States and beyond to further The Gund’s endeavors and continue to enhance its reputation in the broader art community.

Academic Values Alignment

The Director will ensure that The Gund’s programming and active learning experiences are fully integrated into Kenyon College’s academic life and the overall goals and values of Kenyon College. Belief in liberal arts education will be central to the Director’s identity, and they will demonstrate a deep investment in the role of academic museums and contemporary arts organizations as spaces for teaching, research, public engagement, and cultural dialogue. In collaboration with academic and administrative departments on campus, the Director will proactively engage students through teaching, exhibitions, and related programming. The Director will also represent The Gund to diverse constituencies, including faculty and students, alumni and friends of the College, public audiences throughout the region, and the museum profession at large to extend The Gund’s established role as a dynamic academic and cultural resource.

qualifications

While no single candidate will likely possess all these qualifications, The Gund has identified these skills and traits as compelling characteristics for the Director:

Deep knowledge of modern and contemporary art and current trends in the art world.
Authentic dedication to students and learning.
Credibility as a thought leader through publication or public speaking.
Demonstrated talent for managing and motivating a diverse community and team of staff, faculty, students, and other partners.
Gifted skills as a compelling fundraiser and public ambassador.
Understanding of non-profit governance and collegiate operations.
Respect for tradition with an ability to frame new opportunities grounded in values-based decision making.
Financial literacy and ability to communicate budgetary and economic information in meaningful ways.
Commitment to living within the Kenyon community and an embrace of the bucolic region.
Expansive network of significant connections within the contemporary art world that can be activated for The Gund’s benefit.
Personal demonstrated commitments to the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.
Unimpeachable character, someone who models best practices in all their work and interactions with others.

Compensation, benefits, and Equal opportunity

The Gund hopes to make a hiring decision by the First Quarter of 2027, with the selected candidate transitioning into the position sometime shortly after that. The salary range starts at $175,000 annually and includes a full benefit package. In addition to an attractive salary, Kenyon offers benefits for employees and their family members. Children of employees are eligible for 100% tuition waivers at Kenyon, and through the Great Lakes Colleges Association, children of employees are eligible for 90% tuition waivers at twenty-three other of the nation's finest liberal arts colleges.

Kenyon College also offers health, dental and vision insurance, TIAA retirement, and many other benefits, including provisions for a spouse, families, and domestic partners. Details about benefits as well as conditions of employment are described more fully in Kenyon College’s Staff Handbook.

Kenyon College is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all qualified individuals. It is the College's policy to evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, physical and/or mental disability, age, religion, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by institutional policy or state, local, or federal law. Kenyon College has a strong commitment to an inclusive environment that welcomes all voices and perspectives.

HOW TO APPLY

Jonathan West and Christopher Mossey are the consultants from MCA facilitating this search. Interested and qualified candidates should submit the following items for consideration: