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Maine native Tim Rollins, a visionary artist and educator in New York City, founded an after-school group in the South Bronx called the Art & Knowledge Workshop with the self-dubbed K.O.S. (Kids of Survival) in 1982. Rollins invited teenagers, who were largely Puerto Rican, from poor families, and labeled as “learning disabled” and/or “emotionally handicapped,” to create art inspired by classic literature. Not just teaching, but teaming up with these young artists, Rollins explored complex narratives, producing paintings, sculpture, prints, and photographs that integrated art, literature, history, and music within a present-day context. Rollins' dedication to teaching extended beyond art-making, serving as a mentor to many students who later pursued careers in the arts. Today collaborative compositions by Rollins and members of K.O.S. are included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Tate Gallery in London, and elsewhere.

To engage his pupils fully, despite the challenges they faced, Rollins devised a program of intensive study that required a robust interpretation of literary texts, distilling narratives into singular motifs portrayed across large canvases collaged with book pages, which were usually applied with an obscuring acrylic wash shaded from white to black. Rollins wanted the K.O.S. artists, almost all students of color, to question the idea that whiteness was innately pure or good. The collaborative works of Rollins and K.O.S., inspired by authors like William Shakespeare, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Lewis Carroll, Franz Kafka, and Malcolm X., featured intricate compositions exploring themes of identity and society. Despite initial skepticism, Rollins and K.O.S. gained recognition in the art world, exhibiting globally and participating in prestigious events like the Venice Biennale and Documenta. The success of K.O.S. challenged traditional notions of authorship and elevated collaborative art-making as a powerful force in contemporary art. While Rollins faced some criticism that he was exploiting his students as well as internal group dissension at times, his commitment to art education and social justice remained steadfast, while continuing to produce engaging works with new classes.