About One River School
Founded in 2012 in Englewood, NJ, “one river” west of New York City, One River School has embarked on a mission to "transform art education"® in America. Today, our innovative program teaches thousands of students in fourteen locations across six states.
The company has developed a unique method for teaching art and digital design classes to people of all ages. Very simply, One River's students have more fun, learn faster and produce more compelling creative outcomes.
Our state-of-the-art facilities create an aspirational mindset that inspires our students to tap into their creative spirit. And, our proprietary / original lesson plans allow us to facilitate an educational experience that is differentiated from anyone else.
One River also produces exhibitions from world class contemporary artists, which allows us to be the voice of contemporary art in our communities and to enhance our ability to "teach through the lens of living artists."
Our team at One River is made up of passionate, mission-oriented art-centric professionals who are motivated to provide hospitality level service to our students. As we grow, One River is focused on becoming the "best place to work in the arts" and also providing business ownership opportunities in the arts via our franchise program
THE ONE RIVER STORY
In 2011, Founder Matt Ross began research into art programs across the United States and a pattern quickly emerged.
When Ross chose Englewood, NJ to open his first One River School, he felt convinced that the location would be the perfect one.
"New York seemed to be the art capital of the world, but people just across the river in New Jersey almost never accessed these services in the city. I thought Englewood, New Jersey would create a great proving ground, so we set in motion a process to create something that was truly inspiring and differentiated from everything in the marketplace".
To fulfill this mission, Matt developed a new method for teaching art that created the most compelling and fun art education experiences. Ross continues, “We designed an interactive experience that is focused on "the art of today". It celebrates the most important artists and themes of the last 50 years and we purpose-built a proprietary curriculum that has enabled us to deliver an experience that is changing people’s lives. 'Teaching through the lens of living artists' became a mantra for me and a way to make our program feel current and connected to the world we live in today."
Ross continues, "over the last ten years, One River has become a business that has massive potential ahead. Today, we employ hundreds of professionals, teach thousands of students and are helping to define a new movement in America where people invest in their creative growth as a pathway for maximizing their health, happiness and personal development".
THE ONE RIVER MISSION
Transform Art Education
Provide the Most Fun and Compelling Experience
Be the "Best Place to Work in the Arts"
Matt Ross, Founder & CEO
Music and art seem to run together for a lot of people, and this is clearly the case for One River Founder and CEO Matt Ross. After 20 years as an executive in the radio industry, Matt became an investor and founding CEO for the School of Rock. At that time in 2005, School of Rock was a fledgling startup with a handful of schools. When Ross left School in 2010, he had built School of Rock into the largest network of music schools in the world with 55 locations and 30 under development.
At that point, Ross compared the state of art education to the state of music education prior to the expansion of School of Rock. It appeared that the two were virtually the same: there were very few innovative art schools near his home in New Jersey and in suburbs across America. Thus began the start of a personal mission that has occupied Matt since the fall of 2011: “It seems to me that the most relevant and important thing I can do is to help people grow creatively. I love the challenge of inspiring people through compelling creative education while making it fun at the same time. This is my calling; it is my mission and it is the purpose of One River School.”
In addition, Matt has embarked on a personal creative project: developing an important collection of contemporary art that currently features over 350 pieces. “When I was getting started with One River, it dawned on me that if I was going to teach people contemporary art I needed to jump in and self-educate beyond the classroom. Committing to building an art collection turned out to be the best way for me to develop a personal point of view around what art I thought was well done and potentially important. Almost all of the art that I own is from emerging artists; most often I support them before they have had a solo show in New York or right around the time of the first exhibition. This project has required me to obsessively study, visit studios, galleries, museums and art fairs around the world in search of art that challenges my senses. Along the way, I have been blessed to help change some artist’s lives by providing measurable support, and I consider this to be one of the most important things I have done in my life.”
When it comes to enjoying art, Ross has a unique perspective. “I believe that we see art through our eyes but we feel it physically in a different way. It is hard to describe, but when I am engaged with something that moves me, it creates a physical response that is much more than purely visual. It’s like the feeling in your heart from a solid drum beat or guitar…those enter through your ears but the feeling you get is much deeper and more complex.”