Art and The Annex

Those who are familiar with The Gund’s beloved glass-and-panel façade and airy, bright exhibition rooms know that Kenyon’s contemporary art museum has provided the Knox County community and beyond with state-of-the-art exhibitions and programs for the past twelve years. The Gund, which is open to all and always free, features a dynamic rotation of exhibitions throughout the year and also owns a growing permanent collection that includes pieces from artists like Faith Ringgold, Julie Mehretu and Pablo Picasso. New to The Gund’s growing legacy, however, is The Annex, an art initiative nestled right in the heart of downtown Mount Vernon.

Located at 12 East Gambier Street in a historic, restored storefront just a short walk from the Happy Bean Café, The Annex is a welcome — and welcoming — addition to Mount Vernon’s vibrant downtown. Working with specific pieces and artists from The Gund’s permanent collection for inspiration, The Annex was created to explore “how multigenerational audiences can learn together through creating and responding to art” according to The Gund’s mission statement. In order to expand art-making outside of The Gund’s more traditional museum-going experience, The Annex hosts free programs for all ages and experience levels. The creative potential of the entire Knox County community is in mind at The Annex with programs for local residents like workshops, art lessons, poetry readings, creative activities and other events. The community aspect of the initiative also goes both ways, with many of the programming and workshops taught by local Mount Vernon artists, like painter Jim Leitz and photographer Leslie Norman. 

he warm invitation to create art and connect with others is perfectly embodied by The Annex’s leader, Coordinator of Engagement and Public Programs Wynne Morgan. A graduate of Denison University, Morgan has a studio-art background and experience with alternative education practices, education coordination and art history and research. She began working at the Annex this summer and has breathed life and energy into the space.

Whether you are a student or a parent, a professor or a retiree, a high schooler or in your forties, The Annex has fun and community waiting for you. Those interested in photography especially should head down to The Annex while its programming is centered around the breathtaking photography of Dawoud Bey, an artist from Queens whose honors include a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship and whose “name of piece” is a part of The Gund’s permanent collection. So far, Annex-goers have enjoyed taking tintype photographs of themselves, constructing their own cameras, and weekly workshops with Norman. I encourage you to visit — as Morgan says, “art, and The Annex, is for everyone.”

Opened in September, The Annex is full of natural light and stocked up with art supplies and cozy seating. Morgan says she feels invigorated by the creativity of the Mount Vernon art scene, and has relished forming relationships with different Knox County residents. As passersby wander past The Annex’s large window front, Morgan is sure to wave at all of them.