RECENT POSTS
We have become enamored with entrepreneurship in America in a way in which I have not seen in my lifetime. Twenty-somethings and baby boomers are sharing the same spirit… the will and motivation to create something unique and to turn it into a profit generating entity. Last night, I was reading the Rhode Island School of Design magazine and…
What would it be like to make food and not eat it? To write music and not perform it? That’s what it would be like to make artwork and not share it. This past weekend our schools across the country opened student shows and I spent time at our two locations in New Jersey connecting…
One of the most special aspects of One River School is the fact that we really focus on teaching art AND making it fun to learn here. As part of that philosophy, we are just as excited about the students who want to come here once a week for a recreational opportunity as we are…
I always think of this time of year as the final rush to get some real accomplishments nailed down before the end of the year. Sometimes these accomplishments may mean simply preparing my plan for next year. Either way, the finality of a year that is winding down causes me stress, but it also allows…
Without a doubt, one of the key elements of our mission is to be the “best place to work in the arts”. Having said that, it goes without saying that the promise comes full circle when we find the best people. Today, I am happy to announce that we are promoting Agnes Zabawa, our second…
Every once in a while, I am moved by something that my team and our students are able to accomplish. During the month of October, we gave our teen students in New Jersey a really cool assignment and ten days ago we installed over 100 paintings in the Garden State Plaza! The artwork is a…
Two weeks ago I was visiting galleries in Chelsea when I turned onto 11th Ave. and ran into a group of 2,000 people waiting in line for something. Follow me- this is Chelsea…galleries, quiet, older folks…NEVER throngs of fans. Then it hit me- Kusama had an exhibition opening that night and these folks were there…
One of the driving themes of One River is to celebrate living artists. When we’re able to connect artists who we personally know with our curriculum, it brings everything full circle for me. This Friday we are mounting a two-school exhibition at the Garden State Plaza with work that is inspired by Shara Hughes. We showed Shara’s work…
When I was the CEO of School of Rock people used to say to me at times that it was a great place for boys to learn music. At which point I would jump in and lobby that there was no better place for girls to learn to play music. When I thought about it…
Four years ago I met with Jacob LaMendola and talked about his documentary film project called “Long Shot.” This weekend I watched it on Netflix and couldn’t help but find happiness in so many nuanced ways. Like all great documentaries, there is a real sense of emotional connection with the character and its narrative. But what…