With a $1 million gift, Gund endowed one of the most comprehensive intergroup dialogue programs in the country

Philanthropist, arts leader and social justice advocate Agnes Gund ’60 designated a gift of $1 million in 2019 to endow The Agnes Gund ’60 Dialogue Project at Connecticut College and build a generation of leaders capable of respecting and expressing a broad range of divergent ideas and opinions.

The Gund Dialogue Project combines critical theory and experiential learning to deepen intercultural awareness and understanding. Through workshops, interactive classes, cultural immersion experiences, community service projects, conferences and events on and off campus, students build the capacity to engage in courageous conversations that speak across political, social, racial and socioeconomic differences.

“It is wonderful to see Connecticut College taking the lead in educating students for a more just society,” Gund said. “I look forward to the flourishing of this project and to witnessing the changes brought by the capable young leaders who will emerge from it.”

Gund is the president emerita of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), chair of its International Council and board member of MoMA PS1. In 2017, she provided seed funding for the Art for Justice Fund, which supports criminal justice reform and combats racial inequality in America. She is also the founder of Studio in a School, a nonprofit organization that engages professional artists as art instructors in public schools and community organizations.

In 1997, Gund received the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the U.S. government, from President Bill Clinton. In 1984, she received the Connecticut College Medal, the highest honor awarded by the College.