Located at the nexus of art and culture in New York City the galleries provide a space for critical engagement with art and pedagogy, bringing together historical scholarship, contemporary artistic practice, and experimental methodology. The galleries serve as an integral extension of the Department of Art and Art History's academic programs. This unique gallery component, led by Joachim Pissarro, the Bershad Professor of Art History and Director of the Hunter College Art Galleries, provides a distinctive learning environment in which students studying art history and art criticism work on curated exhibitions alongside students who are pursuing degrees in studio art. Located on the upper east side of Manhattan, the Bertha and Karl Leubsdorf Art Gallery is part of the cultural landscape that includes some of the world's most significant museums, cultural institutions and galleries. At the nexus of this intellectual community, the Hunter College Art Galleries attract top art critics, scholars, and collectors, and are regularly reviewed in major art and popular press outlets. Since their inauguration in 1981, the Hunter College Art Galleries have presented more than 200 exhibitions.