The Institution Builders

The Institution Builders

What accounts for an institution’s longevity? In New York City, real estate is key. Most histories of the Art Students League credit disaffected art students with the school’s founding, its democratic government, and communal character. This is fitting. Less recognized, however, is the role non-artists played in buying prime lots along Fifty-seventh Street and erecting a building…

Seeing New York

Seeing New York

How to paint the city: Wander around a lot. The more aimless, the better. Buy a good camera and always carry it with you. Take many, many photos. When wandering look for the common, the unexciting, the ordinary. Take note of these scenes knowing that you will make them extraordinary. Look for the contrasts: bright…