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The Benefit of Artmaking for Mental Health

By Matt Ross

As we approach this new year, we all have the opportunity to determine how we will allocate our time to the most compelling ways to improve our health and wellness. And, based on continued new research, spending time making artwork can provide a direct boost in these areas for people…

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Artist Profile: Eric Hibit

By Matt Ross

As I continue to study contemporary art, I have refined my personal perspective around what artwork I am most attracted to.  And, it is abundantly clear that I am a sucker for color and Eric Hibit wrote the book on it.  Literally.   Eric is currently our featured artist in…

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The Tree

By Matt Ross

I love this photo for so many reasons.   As a lifelong New Yorker, the beginning of winter and the holiday season almost always coincides with the installation of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. From the time I was a child and right through today, I still get a…

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Positive Energy

By Matt Ross

I spend so much time thinking about how to avoid the pitfalls that mess with my psyche, impact my productivity, harm my confidence and put me in a negative place. While I’m naturally wired to be positive, that wiring largely goes first towards helping others… I don’t always practice what…

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Two River Has Come a Long Way Too

By Matt Ross

Don’t be confused by the title above because in September 2013, we presented an exhibition entitled “Two River” that featured five female artists from Brooklyn. At the time, we wanted to share with our community some of the most compelling female emerging artists from Brooklyn (located two rivers away from our first location…

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Painting in a Pandemic

By Matt Ross

This past weekend, we opened a new exhibition at our Allendale location with artwork by Jared Deery. Jared is one of my favorite people in the art world… he is self-aware, thoughtful, hard-working and talented.   When I was talking with Jared about the exhibition, he told me that so much of…

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Dillon and Agnes

By Matt Ross

Art making is a journey that allows you to reflect on what went into making an object long after it was completed. The same goes for building an art school or any business. There’s some synergy in this photo that is worth describing as we reflect on the 10th anniversary…

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The Joy of Doing vs. The Joy of Sharing

By Matt Ross

For the last 10 years I have loved sneaking into the studios to see our students engrossed in making artwork. I have become fascinated with the process of making art and the deep concentration that’s required. Without a doubt, you can see the wheels turning, the problem-solving skills at work…

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Defend the Imagination

By Matt Ross

Ten years ago I was trying to figure out how to connect Contemporary Art to a compelling and fun classroom experience. And, in order to do so, I needed to truly understand what drove artists to do what they do. While this was going on, I was also uncovering so…

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The Best Art Project? Starting a New Art School!!!

By Matt Ross

A couple weeks ago, I wrote “Monday Thoughts” with the promise of sharing some learnings that you may find both interesting and personally helpful as we approached our 10th anniversary. The photograph above captures our “window sign” during the construction phase leading up to the opening of our first school…

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