Renaissance Man and Woman

From KCpedia

In 1973, an anonymous Kenyon graduate donated a sculpture on behalf of all graduates from Kenyon.

The sculptor was Charles Eugene Gagnon, a Minneapolis native. Gagnon, who had previously had no experience with Kenyon, visited the school four times to acquaint himself with the feeling of the campus, and to gain insight into the ideals that the college stood for. Gagnon talked to students, attended classes, ate in the Great Hall, and went to a student party. He spent two years working on the sculpture, which is made of bronze.

According to Gagnon, the sculpture symbolizes “the excellence in intellectual enrichment and compliment the aesthetic beauty found at Kenyon.” The statue stands approximately 9 feet high, with the figures themselves measuring just less than 6 feet high, and stands between Chalmers Memorial Library and Cromwell Cottage. Unfortunately, students were not pleased with the title of the piece, and protested by putting empty beer cans, gum, and paper on the statue. Gagnon heard that students were not happy, and wrote a letter explaining his ideas behind the sculpture.

It is a common opinion among students that the Man was sculpted to look like John F. Kennedy. The facial features and likeness are uncanny.

Resources in the Kenyon College Archives

• Renaissance Man and Woman -- collected materials