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.
See also: the ACT-UP Rhode Island records, MS.2011.028, Brown University.
moderated by Gund and Jennifer Terry
moderated by Gund and Jennifer Terry
also includes "Booklet #8" and "Condom Educator's Guide version 2"
also includes On Our Backs May/June 1993
Note that Gund consulted on this film
also includes Stonewall 25th anniversary materials
This collection contains the professional and activist files of Catherine Gund, film and television producer, director, writer, and activist whose work focuses on AIDS and the LGBTQIA+ community. Gund is the founder of Aubin Pictures, a nonprofit documentary film company, and a member of the Brown University class of 1988. Materials include correspondence, clippings, and handwritten notes from Gund's consultancy and board work; research, production, and post-production materials for various films and television shows by Gund; and magazines, newspapers, journals and zines. Materials date from 1971 to 2020.
Series 1, EDUCATION FILES, 1983 – 1988, contains readings and handwritten notes from Gund's undergraduate education at Brown University. Classes include "Representation" and "Technologies of Gender." Of note are handwritten notes from Gund's participation in the "Melodrama Round Table" at the Pembroke Seminar in 1987. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by course title.
Series 2, ACT-UP, 1987 – 1991, includes clippings, correspondence, event planning materials and press releases from Gund's time as an activist with the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP). ACT UP is an international, grassroots political group working to end the AIDS pandemic. Of note in this series are conference materials from the 1989 International Conference on AIDS. This series is arranged chronologically by date of the materials then by record type.
Series 3, NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, 1989 – 1997, includes catalogs on HIV/AIDS resources, database materials regarding AIDS media, and video guides. Gund served as a consultant for the New York City Department of Health. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type.
Series 4, HETRICK-MARTIN INSTITUTE, 1988 – 1996, includes budget materials, clippings, and correspondence. The Hetrick-Martin Institute provides community, basic needs, health, education, and career services to LGBTQIA+ youth and their families. Gund was the founding director of BENT TV, a video workshop at the Hetrick-Martin Institute. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type.
Series 5, BOARD WORK, 1988 – 2011, includes booklets, clippings, correspondence, and fundraising handbooks for various organizations for which Gund sat on the board. Of note are materials from the World Conference on Women, Sister Fund, and Iris House, the latter two of which Gund served as a founding board member. Note that Cornell University holds the records of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (collection number: 7301), another organization on whose board Gund served. This series is arranged alphabetically by organization then by record type.
Series 6, EVENT MATERIALS, 1986 – 2002, is arranged into 2 subseries.
Series 6, subseries 1, CONFERENCES, 1988 – 2002, includes booklets, clippings, and planning materials for various conferences. Conferences include "L.U.S.T. [Lesbians Undoing Sexual Taboos] Conference" and "Woodstock Forum: The Intellectual and Social legacies of the Sixties." This subseries is arranged alphabetically by conference title.
Series 6, subseries 2, FILM FESTIVALS AND RELATED EVENTS, 1986 – 1997, includes correspondence, flyers, and programs for various film festivals, exhibitions, and award events. Events include "Art in the Age of AIDS," "Black Filmworks Festival of Film and Video," "New York International Festival of Lesbian and Gay Film," and "Women in the Director's Chair: Film and Video Festival." This subseries is arranged alphabetically by event title.
Series 7, FILM AND TELEVISION BY GUND, 1988 – 2020, includes clippings, correspondence, typed and handwritten notes, scripts, funding applications, and production and post-production materials for various films and television shows by Gund. Titles include "A Family Tradition," "I'm You, You're Me: Women Surviving Prison Living with AIDS," "Making it Positive," and "When Democracy Works." This series is arranged alphabetically by title then by record type.
Series 8, WRITINGS BY GUND, 1989 – 2019, includes handwritten notes, typed drafts, and published pieces for essays Gund wrote for "The Independent" and "Ms. Magazine." Titles include "Give Me My Dyke TV," "Pregnant with Dreams: Julia Barco's Feminist Visions from Latin America," and "Shocking Pink Politics: Race and Gender on the ACT-UP Frontlines." This series is arranged alphabetically by title.
Series 9, WRITINGS AND FILMS BY OTHERS, 1987 – 2013, includes transcripts, scripts, photocopied essays, and postcards for books, essays, and films by others. Authors and artists include Suketu Mehta, Jennifer Terry, Simon Watney, Ray Novarro, and Julie Dash. This series is arranged alphabetically by author or artist last name then title of work.
Series 10, SUBJECT FILES, 1981 – 1998, includes booklets, clippings, and readings that Gund used as research for her work. Topics include AIDS transmission, AIDS treatment, AIDS and reproductive rights, AIDS and prison, nutrition and HIV, religious right, and substance use and recovery. This series is arranged alphabetically by subject then by record type.
Series 11, PRINT MATERIALS, 1971 – 1997, includes booklets, catalogues, journals, newsletters, newspapers, pamphlets, and reviews. Titles include "ACT-UP New York: Reports," "Black Film Review," "The Body Positive," "Gay Community News," "Girl Jock," "The Independent," "The Nation," "POZ," "Radical America," and "Women Make Movies." This series is arranged alphabetically by title.
Series 12, EPHEMERA, n.d., contains condoms, lubricants, and pamphlets for "Safer Sex Kits" as well as one "For Rent" sign. This series is arranged alphabetically by product then by item type.
Series 13, RESTRICTED, 1998 - 1999, contains one folder of correspondence that is closed until January 1, 2099 after which date the materials will open without restriction.
All researchers seeking to publish materials from the collections of the John Hay Library are requested to complete a Notice of Intent to Publish, prior to reproducing, quoting, or otherwise publishing any portion or extract from this collection. Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Catherine Gund papers, MS.2011.037, Box [#], Folder [#], Pembroke Center Archives, John Hay Library, Brown University.
This collection is arranged into 13 series.
There are no restrictions on access, except for Series 13, RESTRICTED, which is closed until January 1, 2099, after which date this series will open without restriction. The collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested. Advance notice is required to view any audiovisual media or born-digital records that may exist in this collection. Audiovisual media and born-digital records in this collection may not have been reformatted yet. Researchers may request access to copies by contacting the John Hay Library with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. Access to original physical audiovisual or born-digital media is restricted.
Gift of Catherine Gund beginning in 1998.
This collection was part of the Pembroke Center's Christine Dunlap Farnham Archive until 2024 when collections were recataloged. All collections previously grouped under that title are now searchable under the subject headings "Women and Gender at Brown University" or "Feminist Activism in Rhode Island."
See also:
ACT-UP Rhode Island records, MS.2011.028, Brown University.
AIDS Activist Videotape Collection, MssCol 3622, New York Public Library.