Kitao Art Gallery

Kitao is Swarthmore’s only student-run art gallery. We provide the campus with a space to experience, collaborate, and appreciate the arts. Each semester, we exhibit student art, organize art-oriented events (craft nights, open mics, talks), work with other student groups, and host weekly open studio hours. Located next to Olde Club and the GSC, Kitao Gallery is open year-round to all students and student groups who want to utilize the space.

In 1999, through the joint efforts of the Student Art Association and the Photography Club, students acquired The Kitao Gallery space. The Student Art Association won the referendum against SCCS, and Kitao became the only public student art space. Before 1999, the college used the building for storage and small events. Renovation of the space was completed in 2000. In May 2001, the gallery was dedicated to beloved retired art history professor T. Kaori Kitao.

Kaori Kitao was born in Japan in 1933 and came to the U.S. to study in 1952. According to many, she is warm, supportive, and witty. Among her many accomplishments, Kitao taught Renaissance art history and launched Swarthmore’s film and media studies department. Her knowledge ranges from architecture to baroque decoration, and not only is she multilingual, but she also plays the cello. During her impressive 35-year-long career at Swarthmore, Kaori Kitao was a true force on campus. Kitao Gallery aims to maintain the legacy of this truly pioneering queer woman of color.

Want to set up your own studio hours to use our supplies and create wonderful art?  Wonder when our next gallery opening is? Or craft workshop? Follow us on Instagram @kitao.gallery, or contact co-coordinators Ezana Demissie  (edemiss1@swarthmore.edu) and Corinne Lafont  (clafont1@swarthmore.edu).