History

Former Department of Art faculty member Katherine Nash created the Katherine E. Nash Gallery in 1979. “Katy,” as everyone at the University called her, intensively lobbied with the University of Minnesota Student Unions to provide space and staffing for the gallery that bears her name. Originally located on the lower concourse of Willey Hall, the Minnesota Student Unions supervised the gallery until 1992 when the Department of Art assumed administration of the space. In the fall of 2003, the gallery moved to its current location in the Regis Center for Art.

A gallery of 4,900 square feet and 560 linear feet, the Katherine E. Nash Gallery is one of the finest exhibition spaces in the region. Designed by nationally acclaimed architects Meyer, Scherer, and Rockcastle, the gallery is located on the corner of 21st Avenue South and Fourth Street, the heart of the University of Minnesota’s West Bank Arts Quarter.

The Nash’s outstanding exhibitions program has received much attention from local and regional news media. Exhibitions are often complemented by gallery talks as well as lectures by visiting artists.