• New York, New York

I am thrilled to support GivingPoint’s mission to help teenagers find their passion and develop deep social connections to their community. As an art advisor, I am dedicated to introducing people to exciting and compelling work and I am committed to helping them become actively involved in the art community. I share GivingPoint’s vision of a more compassionate, humane and connected world, where people are engaged, inspired and challenged.

I grew up immersed in the world of art. Growing up on Long Island, I watched my mother in her studio stretching canvas, preparing her palette, and painting with watercolors and oils. I enjoyed helping her select bottles and colorful fabrics for still lifes, and loved sitting with her on the pier, as we painted the boats sailing in and out of Manhasset Bay.

Our family made frequent trips to New York City art museums. I vividly recall visiting the Guggenheim Museum, thrilled by the curling, ribbon-shaped building. I found it exciting to ascend the ramp and look down at the people on the floors below. At the Museum of Modern Art, I loved Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night, Pablo Picasso’s Three Musicians, and was mystified by Salvador Dali’s Persistence of Memory, with its landscape of melting clocks.

At gallery openings in my community, I could meet artists and listen to them discuss their work. I also attended art exhibitions at local colleges, libraries and banks, where I felt the sense of connection and camaraderie of people who meet as a community to appreciate art.

There was no question that I would go on to study art. After Oberlin College and New York University, I moved to New York City’s West Village, where I felt surrounded by the rich arts culture of Manhattan. Chelsea, New York City’s thriving arts district, was just blocks away, and I attended many openings there and saw art constantly.

I also began visiting important art shows and art fairs around the world, such as Art Basel in Switzerland and the Venice Biennale. Through friendships with art professionals, I learned how the art world functions. All of these experiences prepared me for my work today.

Now, as an art advisor and educator, I am committed to sharing my passion with others and to helping clients find dynamic and meaningful artwork that they love. I also give art tours to people from around the country, taking them to the vibrant New York City neighborhoods of Chelsea, the Lower East Side and Chinatown, where we see exciting and innovative contemporary works from established and emerging artists. Tour groups become engaged by my energy and enthusiasm, and love the group experience of visiting galleries.

I encourage people that I work with to feel comfortable as they learn about contemporary art. When people express their feelings about the work, I tell them that their responses are always meaningful, and serve as entry points to an authentic experience of art. It is gratifying when individuals tell me that by looking at art, they not only learn about the world, but also discover more about themselves.

I am delighted to team up with GivingPoint to help teenagers make art a part of their lives. Through GivingPoint, I can educate teens about contemporary art, inspire them to visit museums and galleries, and tell them about the many arts programs, workshops and events available to them. I also encourage them to create their own art as a powerful means of self-discovery, self-expression and communication. I want to provide teens with a foundation in art that my upbringing gave me, a deep appreciation of its value, relevance and importance, and the experience that art builds strong ties between people.

Jennifer Weissbach (www.jenniferweissbach.com)