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Lilian Tyrrell (1944 – 2007) witnessed a fire that changed her life, leading her to become a fiber artist who created some 70 tapestries in her breathtaking career. The lush landscapes of her home in Ohio formed the subject matter of her early work, but Tyrrell was best known for her Disaster Blankets that followed. […]

Eugene “Gene” Spatz (1943-2003) was a pioneer of the paparazzi movement in America. Coined by the film director, Federico Fellini, in his seminal work La Dolce Vita, the term “paparazzo” is often believed to be a corruption of the Italian word for a large and bothersome mosquito, but Spatz was decidedly more engaging and less […]

POBA was born of tragedy but inspired by creativity. Seven years ago today, on a day remembered for being bitterly cold and unimaginably tragic, Jamie Bernard, a talented and promising young writer and artist, died.  Jamie’s death at the young age of 22 led first to an outpouring of grief from his family, friends, and  […]

Undiscovered masters of art can be found anywhere – in our families, in our communities, and even in our own creations. Art is a highly personal and subjective experience, and our pleasure is entirely dependent on our direct experience, not on what experts tell us has greatness, value, uniqueness or other special qualities. Experts are […]

Jamie Bernard’s creative spirit lives on as the inspiration behind POBA. Jamie’s family wanted to recognize his talents, celebrate his life and passions, and use his creative legacy to inspire, recognize and support the contributions of other deceased artists of all stripes and talents. This has happened, with more than 50 artists, hundreds of portfolios […]

William J. Higginson (1938-2008), was an American master of a Japanese art form – the haiku. POBA is fortunate to display 35 of the remarkable haiku that span the full range of his active life as a poet.  Born in New York City, he grew up in Bergenfield, NJ.  After attending MIT, he joined the […]

POBA is making available for the first time several informative videos of POBA presentations at the New Jersey State Council on the Arts‘ Professional Development Roundtable for working artists on Preserving Your Art. Led by POBA Co-Managing Directors and POBA Board Member, Kenneth Schlesinger, expert practitioners Greg Cram, Glenn Wharton, and Renee Vara gave their best advice and […]

Renowned folk artist and wood carver, Elijah Pierce (1892-1984), the youngest son of a former slave, was born on a cotton farm in Baldwyn, Mississippi. He would die an acclaimed artist in Ohio 92 years later. He learned to carve wood at the young age of 7 using a pocketknife that his father gave him, […]

George Tooker (1920-2011), the first artist nominated by the Vermont Arts Council,  was a man and artist of great contrasts. While energetically engaged in dramatic, real world social causes such as the Civil Rights Movement, his artistic works stress form over emotion to serve as a political and social statements about the anonymity, social alienation, […]

PBS station WOSU in Ohio featured POBA in its award winning cultural affairs program, Broad & High. In this brief, beautiful segment, Donna Collins, Executive Director of the Ohio Arts Council and Jennifer Cohen, Co-Managing Director of POBA, discuss this unique partnership that keeps the creative legacies of some of Ohio’s greatest artists alive and […]