Thinking Outside the White Box: How College Art Museums Strike a Balance Between the College and the Community

Museums are in the unique position to create synergy between colleges and communities. The rancor between these groups has been characterized by the phrase "town and gown" since the founding of Cambridge and Oxford Universities. College art museums are extensions of the private institutions to which they owe their foundation. James Mundy, Director of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College, acknowledges that the museum is one of the only areas within the private college grounds that welcomes the community.