Kim Gassett-Schiller P 14 Receives President’s Medal of Honor

On May 5, 2023, President Crystal Williams presented Kim Gassett-Schiller P 14 with the President's Medal of Honor Award at a private ceremony at the Woods-Gerry House in Providence, Rhode Island. Gassett-Schiller and her husband, Philip Schiller P 14, have supported scholarships and professorships, including the creation of the Schiller Family Professorships in Race in Art & Design in 2020.

Williams stated that the ceremony was a moment to “honor Kim for the quiet and transformative action she and Philip took in 2020 that has helped RISD better embody its commitment to social equity and inclusion,” adding that her “commitment to social equity and inclusion in the arts allowed RISD to harness the potential of the moment through direct action.” She thanked Gassett-Schiller “for supporting RISD in its growth and helping to ensure that it continues to educate and nurture the most talented artists, designers and thinkers for generations to come.”

In accepting the award, Gassett-Schiller called it, “more than an honor.” Reflecting on her attendance at the RISD Race Forum in 2020, she highlighted “the courage and hope of all students who hoped they would be seen and heard.” She concluded her remarks by invoking Friedrich Schiller, an 18th-century German poet, and his comment that “Art is the daughter of freedom.”

Gassett-Schiller served on the Board of Trustees from 2016 to 2022. In addition to the Schiller Family Professorships in Race in Art & Design, she and her husband have supported the RISD Fund and established the Schiller Family Endowed Scholarship and Schiller Family Endowed Chair in Furniture Design, RISD’s first named professorship.