 Kent is also home to the Kent State University Museum , located in Rockwell Hall on the KSU campus . The museum focuses on the history of fashion design and decorative arts in the United States and around the world from the 18th century to the present . Each year in early May , the university hosts an annual commemoration of the Kent State shootings , which typically features several speakers , forums , artwork , and other related events . On campus , Kent State operates the May 4 Visitors ' Center , which covers the shootings and the events surrounding them . It is housed in Taylor Hall on the site added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 and includes three galleries covering art and media from the era of the 1960s leading up to the shootings , images from the actual event , and the local and national impact after the shootings . The center opened to the public October 20 , 2012 , during the Kent State Homecoming weekend . 
