Catherine Gund papers (MS.2011.037)

Biographical/Historical Note

Catherine Saalfield Gund was born in Geelong, Australia and grew up in Ohio. She is the daughter of philanthropist Agnes Gund and Albrecht "Brec" Saalfield, an educator. She attended Brown University and received a dual degree in Art/Semiotics and Women's Studies in 1988. During her time at Brown, Gund was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Upon graduation, Gund moved to New York City for the Whitney Independent Study Program and joined ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), an international, grassroots political group that works to improve the lives of people with AIDS through direct action, medical research, treatment and advocacy. During that time, Gund co-founded DIVA TV (Damned Interfering Video Activist Television), the AIDS activist video collective affiliated with ACT-UP/NY. DIVA TV productions included DIVA TV, Target City Hall, Pride, "'69-89", "Like a Prayer", and "Stop the Church." She also became involved with Paper Tiger Television, a collectively produced weekly public access show. Gund contributed to Paper Tiger Television programs from 1987-1989. Much of Gund's early video work from this time is held at the New York Public Library as a part of their AIDS Activist Videotape Collection.

Gund's video work focuses on AIDS activism and the LGBTQIA+ community. Her work in the early '90s included "Keep Your Laws Off My Body" (1990, co-produced with Zoe Leonard) about censorship and legislation against privacy and lesbian bodies, and "I'm You, You're Me: Women Surviving Prison Living with AIDS" (1992, co-produced with Debbie Levine).

In 1996, Gund founded Aubin Pictures, a nonprofit documentary film company. She produced her first film, "When Democracy Works," that same year. It is a three-part series documenting multi-issue organizing against the radical right. Three years later she produced "Hallelujah! Ron Athey: A Story of Deliverance" about the performance artist Ron Athey; and co-directed "Object Lessons" along with Catherine Lord about lesbian visibility and identity. In 2000, Gund produced "On Hostile Ground," a documentary about three abortion providers working in areas of the United States where providers are scarce and abortion is avoided by most medical schools, hospitals and doctors. In 2004, Gund produced "Making Grace," a documentary about a lesbian couple trying to have a baby.

Recent productions from Aubin Pictures include "Dispatches from Cleveland" about how communities in Cleveland united to fight for justice in the face of police violence after the death of Tamir Rice; "Chavela" (2017) follows the life and legend of lesbian Mexican ranchera chanteuse Chavela Vargas; the Emmy-award nominated, "Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity" (2014), which follows the life and work of choreographer Elizabeth Streb; "What's On Your Plate?," a documentary directed by Gund and two eleven-year-old girls about healthy, sustainable eating from a child's perspective. Gund's documentary, "A Touch of Greatness," examines the revolutionary teaching practices of elementary school teacher Albert Cullum. This film was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy and won Best Documentary award at Hamptons International Film Festival in 2004. "Aggie" (2020) is a feature-length documentary that explores the nexus of art, race, and justice through the story of her mother, art collector Agnes "Aggie" Gund. The film chronicles Agnes Gund's journey to sell a Roy Lichteinstein painting to invest in the Art for Justice Fund, dedicated to artists and activists working at the forefront of the anti-carceral movement. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020 and was released theatrically in October 2020.

Gund has produced many films including "America," a short film directed by Garrett Bradley, and "A Peculiar Silence," a short film directed by Cinque Northern starring Liza Jessie Peterson, an artivist whose groundbreaking play, "A Peculiar Patriot" radically altered the lives of incarcerated men at Louisiana State Penitentiary.

Her documents and videos have been featured in numerous TV Shows and films, including "VICE Special Report: Countdown to Zero," "How to Survive a Plague," "United in Anger," and "Koch."

Gund currently serves on boards of several organizations including Art for Justice, Art Matters, Bard Early Colleges, Osa Conservation, and The George Gund Foundation. She is also a founding member of the Third Wave Foundation, an organization focused on supporting the activities of young women and transgender youth. She was the founding director of BENT TV, the video workshop for LGBTQIA+ youth, and was on the founding boards of Iris House, Working Films, Reality Dance Company, and The Sister Fund. Previously, Gund has served on the boards for MediaRights.org, The Robeson Fund of the Funding Exchange, The Vera List Center for Art and Politics at the New School, and the Astraea Foundation.