Welcome to the cornerstone for the visual arts in New Hampshire's Monadnock Region, the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery. The Thorne showcases art and ideas from around the world as well as traditional New England art.

The gallery, originally located in the Mason Library, was a gift to the college and the community in 1964 by artist beaTrix Sagendorph in memory of her mother Louise E. Thorne. In 1976, the Thorne became the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, when a new wing was dedicated to beaTrix's husband, Robb Sagendorph, founder and publisher of Yankee magazine. The current gallery on Wyman Way opened November 1993 and continues to fulfill its original mission to encourage a broader and deeper appreciation of the visual arts.

The gallery maintains a year-round schedule of exhibitions of national and international quality and distinction, while affirming a strong commitment to the historic artistic tradition of southwestern New Hampshire. The Thorne also shows local artists as well as Keene State College faculty and student work.

The gallery in conjunction with the Art Department offers an internship program each year to a Keene State art student.

Artwork by prominent 19th-century artists who took their inspiration from Mount Monadnock and formed the Dublin Art Colony is at the heart of the Thorne's collection. The gallery seeks to preserve and collect this artwork as a visual legacy for the people of the Monadnock region and welcomes donations and support for this effort. The collection also includes many works by modern artists such as Jules Olitski, Fritz Scholder, Robert Mapplethrope, and George Rickey.

The Thorne has two skylit exhibit halls and meeting space for programs. All exhibits, receptions and programs are free and open to the public. Opening receptions are hosted by the Friends of the Thorne, a volunteer organization essential to the success of the galllery.

For more information about the gallery, contact us at thorne@keene.edu.

Exhibiting at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery

The Thorne reviews proposals for exhibitions with special consideration for exhibitions of high quality that have an educational value.

The Thorne generally does not do one-person exhibits and the open window for exhibit opportunity is in the fall semester and the summer. Exhibits are usually booked three years ahead.

The Thorne has a regional competition for artists living within a 30-mile radius of Keene every other spring and a Keene State College art faculty exhibition during the alternate spring. There is a KSC art student exhibition each spring.