New York City is one of the best places for young, talented artists to learn about the art world. Recently, a group of Storm King students taking AP Art and Advanced Studio Art were invited to visit the Brooklyn studio of a well-known artist and tour a renowned contemporary art gallery on the city’s Upper East Side.

Their visit was made possible by alumnus and Storm King School Trustee Richard Grossman ’79, a real estate executive, collector, and art enthusiast living in Manhattan. Mr. Grossman is inspired by the quality of the art produced by Storm King students and the School’s outstanding record in placing them in prestigious art colleges each year: “I am a big believer in the arts and arts education. I feel that exposing students to professionals in this field may help them form a better idea about how they want to spend their lives.  They get to meet real art professionals:  artists, advisors, and gallerists, which will hopefully help them understand the different roles and opportunities in the field.”

Students who participated in the trip: Dantia S. ’24, Hongwei C. ’26, Matrena M.’25, Milo M. ’25, Rebecca B. ’24, Aitana G.’24, Bijou S. ’24, Seven C. ’25, Ah-Jhih C. ’24, and Sid W. ’24

First, the group traveled to the Michael Werner Gallery known for modern and contemporary European and American art.  There, they viewed the exhibit of Aaron Curry whose work fuses a variety of motifs and sources from Surrealism to Pre-Columbian art, and graffiti art to digital imagery. The students also met with the gallery’s director and a curator, and witnessed a discussion about the inner workings of the art gallery industry.

After lunch, the group ventured to the studio of Bo Joseph and his wife, Simone, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Bo is a working artist who told the students about his background, themes he works with, his techniques, and how he navigates the business of the art world. Simone, who works as an art advisor, explained how she got into that field and what it entails. During the visit, a studio critique that the AP and Advanced Art classes do at Storm King was recreated, giving the students the chance to critique one of Joseph’s paintings. “It was very rewarding to see Bo and the students discuss his art as fellow artists,” commented Visual Arts Chair John Carruthers, who accompanied the students on the trip. “They got a lot of amazing information about the art world and the ins and outs of the art industry, as well as descriptions of many of the available careers in the arts. The students thought that it was a very productive trip!”

Many thanks go out the Michael Werner Gallery, Bo Joseph, and his wife, Simone. A special thank you also goes to Richard Grossman ’79 for arranging this special glimpse of the New York City art world for our students. “The art world is an amazing place to work in, and it is diverse and multi faceted,” he explained.  “If we can inspire one student to think about a career in the arts, I think it is worth the effort.”