Christiane Felsmann and Betty Isermann Fine Arts Buildings & Galleries

OVERVIEW OF FACILITIES

The studios and galleries of the Christiane Felsmann and Betty Isermann Fine Arts Buildings are flooded with natural light every day – a visual artist’s dream come true!  The Christiane Felsmann Building and Studios feature space for painting, design and drawing, and print-making, as well as dedicated studio space for visual arts majors. The Betty Isermann Building and Gallery (pictured above and to the right) serves as a teaching facility and gallery, where student exhibitions are ongoing and where evaluations and critiques can be given outside of the busy classroom environment.

Painting and drawing are part of  visual arts' study at New College. Drawing courses and tutorials cover life drawing, creative drawing in pen and ink and multi/mixed media, portrait drawing, and two-dimensional design.  Painting offerings include color theory and a variety of thematic courses.  

Click here for samples of artwork by New College students

A HISTORY OF TWO BENEFACTORS

The late actress Christiane Felsmann (left) helped her family escape the clutches of communism in her native Germany in the 1940’s and came to America.  During the 1950’s, she appeared in many Broadway plays, but was best known for her seven-year stint as “Jenny,” the lead character in Carmen Capalbo’s production of Threepenny Opera.  She also starred in several early episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

Felsmann relocated to Sarasota in 1970, giving up acting to become a mother and devote time to philanthropic endeavors.  Her son, Gregory Dubois-Felsmann, was considered a child prodigy when he was admitted to New College at the age of 13. He became the College's youngest ever graduate when he completed his degree in 1981, at the age of 17, and remains the only New College alumnus ever to be named a Rhodes Scholar.  His currently works at California Institute of Technology as a research scientist.

The watercolors and acrylics of accomplished artist Betty Isermann (portrait at right) are displayed in art galleries, corporations, and private collections. She is a member of the National Association of Women Artists, New Jersey Center for Visual Arts,  Longboat Key Art Association, and Friends of the Arts and Sciences in Sarasota, Florida.

While on a vacation to Longboat Key in 1981, Isermann and her husband, Howard, who now serves on the New College Foundation Board of Trustees, fell in love with Sarasota and bought property here. The couple now splits their time between Sarasota and New Jersey.  The couple's commitment to New College is part of a lifelong interest in supporting education and the arts.