When someone asks you this question, they generally don’t add the “today” and the answers that follow almost always include the likes of Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, Matisse and others. Once in awhile Warhol will slide in there. Truth be told, for most people it is a very hard question to answer because they simply do not get much exposure to the artists of today.

This is at the core of what we care about at One River and we are filling the gap by creating context for today’s artists. We celebrate art making in our classrooms and we connect students with contemporary artists so that they develop a sense of what is current and compelling in today’s art world. Lets be honest, there is not a painter alive that wasn’t influenced by Van Gogh and Picasso. At One River, we get to share what our generation of artists are doing and take a look at fresh ideas and new adaptations.

If you want to learn more about emerging art and artists, read our blog called Art Savvy. You can also learn more through websites like Contemporary Art Daily, Artsy, Art News and others. Let me know your thoughts and some artists that you admire.

While I am hard pressed to pick my favorites, here are three I’m going to share to get you started:

· Legendary: Anselm Kiefer

· Mid Career: Fred Tomaselli

· Emerging: Cameron Welch