Kent Place Gallery Opens 2026–2027 School Year with “Make Your Mark”

This fall, all members of the Kent Place community will have an opportunity to make their mark on the Kent Place Gallery — in the truest sense of the phrase. Make Your Mark, an evolving installation featuring contributions from students, faculty, and staff, will be on view from September 9 through October 15. A reception celebrating the completed work will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, October 23.

Unlike a traditional exhibition, Make Your Mark will be in a state of becoming throughout its run. Members of the Kent Place campus community are invited to create individual drawings on five-inch circles of paper, which will be added to the gallery over the course of the installation. As more pieces accumulate, the space will gradually transform into a collective work shaped by their creativity and perspectives.

“There is no limitation in the imagery beyond the creative energy of our students, faculty, and staff,” says Upper School Visual Arts Chair Carey Gates. “Each person will bring something different to the installation, and that’s what will make the finished work so interesting. As more people participate, we’ll get to watch it grow and change into something that could only have been created by the Kent Place community.”

The installation also marks a new chapter for the Kent Place Gallery as Upper School Visual Arts teacher Lauren Corwin is its new Director. Ms. Corwin joined Kent Place in 2026 with more than 17 years of experience as an educator and practicing artist, most recently as a member of the visual arts faculty at Ranney School. She earned a BFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA in painting from the University of Delaware. Her teaching is grounded in the belief, she says, that art education should give students both the skills and confidence to experiment, explore, and take creative risks.

“Beginning my time as Gallery Director with an installation centered on community feels especially meaningful,” says Ms. Corwin. “As someone who is also new to Kent Place, I love the idea that Make Your Mark asks each person to contribute something of themselves to a larger, evolving work. I’m excited to see the Gallery take shape through the creativity of our students, faculty, and staff — and, in many ways, to be finding my own place within this community alongside them.”

The Kent Place Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information, please call (908) 273-0900.