Former Art Professor Peter Brown Makes Generous Donation to LaGuardia Community College to Establish Visual Arts Scholarship
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY— (December 10, 2024) – LaGuardia Community College/CUNY and the LaGuardia Community College Foundation recently celebrated the establishment of the Visual Arts Scholarship Fund made possible by a generous donation from Mr. Peter Brown, a former professor at LaGuardia .
Peter Brown was an art professor and served as director of the Fine of Arts Program at LaGuardia for nearly 30 years from 1973 to 2002. In 2017, he reconnected with the College via the LaGuardia Foundation to begin conversations about supporting LaGuardia’s visual art students.
To celebrate of the launch of the Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, a tour and reception were hosted on the LaGuardia campus on December 5th. Mr. Brown, and his wife, Denise Smith, toured the Fine Arts, Design and Photography Departments hosted by Humanities Chair, Professor Vera Albrecht. The tour concluded in the E-Building 5th floor gallery with a reception welcoming about 25 students, faculty, and staff along with some of the Visual Arts Scholars whose works are currently featured on the 5th floor gallery.
“As one of the founders of the Fine Arts Program at LaGuardia it is gratifying for me to now be able to give financial support to these talented students.” Peter Brown said, referring to the scholarship recipients. “I hope this well-deserved recognition provides encouragement as they complete their studies at LaGuardia and move on to future creative work and academic achievement.”
“We thank Peter for his continued support of LaGuardia and our students,” said Kenneth Adams, President of LaGuardia Community College. “We are grateful for his generous gift to establish the Visual Arts Scholarship at LaGuardia. We appreciate both his commitment and investment to help our students achieve their dreams.”
Made possible with generous support by our donors, the LaGuardia Foundation offers various financial assistance programs for eligible students of any citizenship status to help them achieve their goals. Executive Director Jay Golan says the Visual Arts Scholarship expands the Foundation’s ability to help more students in need.
“The LaGuardia Foundation is dedicated to enabling career success among all of the college’s almost 25,000 students,” said Golan. “We are delighted to work with Peter Brown to address the needs and reward the merits of a very special segment of students, whose creative output does so much to enliven and enrich our own environment.”
Led by Professor Albrecht, a committee of LaGuardia professors, selected eight students as the first Visual Arts Scholars. In addition to Professor Albrecht, the Visual Arts Scholarship Committee includes Professors Arianne Fernandez, Michael Rodriguez, Maureen Drennan, Jenna Graziano, and Dahlia Elsayed.
Each Visual Arts Scholar received an award totaling $1,250 for the 2024-25 Academic Year. The scholars are: Jose Rodriguez Arzuza, Industrial Design major; Ashley Romines, Fine Arts/Photography major; Athos Tarek Argue-Hassanein, Industrial Design major; Amelia Stepnowski, Fine Arts major; Alexandra Garcia, Fine Arts major; Yennesi Ramos, Photography major; Kai Wong, Fine Arts major; and Carmen Patricia Letona Alvarez, Photography major.
About Peter Brown
Peter Brown was an art professor and Director of Fine Arts at LaGuardia Community College for nearly 30 years. Since parting from LaGuardia Community College, Peter moved to Colorado but has made his way back to residing in New York City with his wife, Denise Smith. Peter received his MFA at Cranbrook Academy of Art and his BFA at Ohio Wesleyan University. Brown’s paintings and sculpture have been exhibited at the Queens Museum, Howard Scott Gallery, and Sculpture Center in New York as well as at the Aldrich Museum (CT), Heckscher Museum (NY), Cincinnati Art Museum, and the Detroit Institute of Art. His work can be found in permanent collections, including the Denver Art Museum, the Cranbrook Museum (Detroit), the Prudential, News Corp, and the Dannheiser Foundation, and in private collections nationwide. Brown’s work has been reviewed in The New York Times, Artforum, and Arts Magazine. He has received many fellowships and awards including the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the New York State Council on the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts and the City University of New York.
• • • •
LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.
####