Four years ago this month my father passed away from Parkinson’s Syndrome. Watching him decline was so painful; he was a super interesting guy who loved to be active, but also loved the arts. My dad got so much joy from painting, but unfortunately he stopped engaging in art-making a…

I’m not one for the gratuitous anniversary celebration. Having spent 20 years in advertising and media, it always seemed that the lo-brow way to promote was to default to an anniversary promotion. Having said that, I am really proud that we just hit our five-year anniversary at One River and…

A Conversation with Matt Ross and Mike Ragogna of the Huffington Post Mike Ragogna:  You have a new venture, One River School of Art + Design.  What gave you the idea and how did it come together? Matt Ross: Let’s face it. Art education is broken in America and has…

I recently asked a bunch of my employees to describe themselves in two words. And, I also asked them to do it quickly…the first two words that come to mind tend to be the ones that frame who you are. (try it…write it down). Curious and passionate where my two words and while I…

Why do they call it dog days of summer? The term has its roots in Greek and Roman astrology which connected summer with “heat, drought, and sudden thunderstorms”. Guess what, they also referred to “lethargy, fever, bad luck and mad dogs!” Because I am an old dog, I will take all…

It is a blessing that I get to surround myself with art teachers who are profoundly creative and care about helping others with such passion. It is really special when I can also give back to those people who do the heavy lifting at One River School. This week we…

Today I simply want to reflect on America…the amazing country that we live in. I am grateful for having access to so many things and I am deeply aware that being an American comes with great privilege. My motivation to promote the arts is rooted in the fact that I…

I love documentary films on so many levels. The simplicity to the story telling and the “everyman” subject matter often connects with me. I have sat and watched documentaries about artists, athletes, politicians and topics as diverse as our food supply and scaling Everest. Our first summer at One River…

It is that simple. Whenever I slow down a bit and reconnect with the outdoors, I am reminded of two things. How much better I feel and how much my brain responds to the visual stimuli of the outdoor. Given the technology available to us today, it is so easy…