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Berea College’s Doris Ulmann Galleries Wins National Award

Berea College’s Doris Ulmann Galleries Wins National Award

April 17, 2026

BEREA, Ky. – Berea College’s Doris Ulmann Galleries has been awarded a highly competitive Collections Grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art, a significant national recognition that will support a robust series of exhibitions and programs during the 2026–27 academic year, aligned with the America250 initiative and the U.S. Semiquincentennial.

Under the leadership of Dr. Kelsey Frady Malone, director of the Doris Ulmann Galleries and curator of the Berea College Art Collection, this work will bring together three deeply connected exhibitions that explore how art, images and material culture shape and challenge the story of the United States.

The three areas are: 

“What makes this especially meaningful is how fully this work reflects the Berea model,” said Berea College President Cheryl L. Nixon. “Our students are not only learning about art—they are actively shaping exhibitions, engaging in research, contributing through the Labor Program and internships and helping interpret our collection for the public. This is head–hand–heart learning in action, grounded in real responsibility and creative collaboration.”

The work of the Doris Ulmann Galleries continues to gain national attention, including a recent feature in The New York Times and an ongoing partnership with Art Bridges. 

“This new grant further affirms Berea’s role in expanding the stories we tell about American art and who gets to tell them,” Nixon said. “I’m incredibly proud of this work and grateful to Dr. Malone, Dante Stewart, our art collection and gallery associate and our students, for bringing it to life in such meaningful ways.”

The Terra Foundation for American Art, established in 1978 and having offices in Chicago and Paris, supports organizations and individuals locally and globally with the aim of fostering intercultural dialogues and encouraging transformative practices that expand narratives of American art, through the foundation’s grant program, collection and initiatives.

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