History of the Visual Arts at Kingsborough

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The artist and art critic Gregory Battcock (1937-1980, left) is hired as one of two teachers of Art History during Kingsborough's first few years (the other was Fannie Chipman, an Adjunct Lecturer in Art). Only two courses in art were then offered, Art 21 (later Art 31): Introduction to the Visual Arts and Art 32: History of Art.  Each was a two-credit course.

A fringe member of Andy Warhol's Factory circle, Battcock introduced Kingsborough's first students to contemporary art, screening Warhol's films and bringing Gerald Malanga, Warhol's assistant, to campus to discuss the artist's work.

The first issue of Antheon, Kingsborough's art and literary journal, appears.  The first issue--with an all white cover, predating The Beatles' The White Album by two years--was designed by Walter Weissman, Class of 1966.  

Seeing the unmet demands for studio art classes, two evening "continuing ed" courses were offered at "The Art Studio" in the now-gone South Building (on the site of the current Arts & Sciences Building).  Introduction to Oil Painting and Introduction to Sculpture were taught, respectively, by Michael Sherker and Kingsborough's Artist-in-Residence, sculptor Nicholas Ikaris. 

The first exhibition of work by students in "The Art Studio" program were shown from December 11-16, 1966.  Three plaster sculptures and nineteen paintings (mostly still-life) were exhibited in the library at the Manhattan Beach campus and afterwards at the college's Mid-Brooklyn campus (in the Masonic Temple).

Instructor in Art Peter Hanssen creates an ad hoc art gallery in Building E (now demolished). The first exhibition was a group of oil paintings by Hanssen, Michael Sherker, Jack Bolen, Peter Green, Robert Hauge, and Jake Kertchot.

The Mermaid, a Modernist sculpture by Artist-in-Residence Nicholas Ikaris, was shown at the Manhattan Beach campus library.  It had recently been shown at the 1964 New York World's Fair in Queens.

Kingsborough announces the inauguration of official but no-credit studio art classes, to be offered on Thursdays (taught by Peter Hanssen) and Saturdays (taught by Michael Sherker).

Two Kingsborough students, Sam Nance and Peter Falotico, display their work at the Mid-Brooklyn campus library.

An exhibition of paintings, glass sculpture, and photography by KCC faculty is presented at the Manhattan Beach campus library.

The first for-credit studio art course, Drawing I, is offered at Kingsborough.  Student work from the course, taught by Peter Hanssen, was exhibited in the halls of T-1 during the month of May.

Abram Schlemowitz begins teaching sculpture at Kingsborough; several of his works, although unlabeled, remain on the Kingsborough campus.

The Art Club establishes a student gallery in T-4, opening a show of student work on April 25, 1972. 

An exhibition of sculpture by leading contemporary artists was organized by faculty members Michael Sherker and Anthony Martin and provided through the New York Cultural Center..  Presumably held in T-4, the show contained some $100,000 worth of art by Claes Oldenburg, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and Keith Sonnier.