Founded by art teacher John Matthew in the 1930s, City College’s art gallery was once referred to as the Little Gallery when it was tucked into a small section of the Sacramento City Library. The Little Gallery was later renamed the Kondos Gallery after internationally known painter and City College art professor Gregory Kondos, who ran the Little Gallery beginning in the mid-1970s. 

The gallery was named for Kondos, who taught art for 29 years, when it moved from its small space in the library to the new art building, the Amalia Fischbacher Fine Arts Building. 

The Kondos Gallery has been home to many art shows over the years, welcoming students, staff, family and friends to its yearly Spring Student Art show, which opened March 5, featuring more than 30 pieces of art by City College students.

  Every year students submit various art forms, from two-dimensional works on paper and canvas, to three-dimensional works like ceramics. For this year’s show with over 100 entries submitted, not every artist had a piece selected. 

“Only students are allowed to submit work,” explained Jen Stract, the instructional assistant for art, “They don’t have to be art students. However, they have to have been in an art class within the past year, and the art piece must have been created within the past year as well. Then we take all of the art and have two outside jurors step in and pick which pieces are accepted.”

 This year’s jurors were two retired City College art professors: Chris Daubert, who served as the director of the Kondos Gallery, and Fred Dalkey, a highly regarded California artist. 

“Fred taught here for 40 years, and I taught here for 25 years, so we know most of these assignments. But then it’s really neat to see how [students] took their assignments and made it their own,” said Daubert. “That was the main thing we were looking at—how much did we get to feel like we got to know the artist a little bit just by looking at the work and technique?” 

The spring student art show presents pieces created by artists who have never had their work displayed outside of class or on social media. A painting by Kendall Wharry, a City College student majoring in sociology and art, depicts a woman draped in red cloth with two different colored eyes and blood running from her nose.  

  “It’s so cool to walk in here and see your art as an artist displayed—and having other people see it and appreciate what you see as well,” said Wharry.

Star Porras, an art major, said he was inspired to submit artwork. 

“I definitely want to submit work to the next opportunity that City has because I do make a lot of art on my own,” said Porras. “There’s so much art in Sacramento that is beyond just Wide Open Walls [the annual summer mural festival] and so many artists here,” 

 In addition to other regular art shows, the Kondos Gallery hosts three curated shows that take place during the fall and spring semester, and a holiday show in December to feature student artists. 

“Being able to express something to other people, like the connection that art brings to other people is super, super important, and I think that everybody—whether you are good [at] art or not—I think everybody can gain something from doing art,” said Wharry. 

The spring art show exhibit will be on display through April 2. The Kondos Gallery is open Monday through Friday 11 a.m.– 4 p.m.