Real Team at Real Art Ways

“I have always aspired to create an environment where people feel challenged, yet supported.”

“I love making the cinema experience a community experience. We provide something special here you can’t get on your laptop watching Netflix.”

“What I also love about this place is how quickly everything can change.. the artwork – the decorations for events. I remember once we had a grass floor in one of our galleries!”

“It’s a great place. RAW takes chances. Always pushing the envelope. You are not going to see anything here that you can see anywhere else in this area.”

“Through my work here I get the opportunity to connect the artist with the community. This gives the audience a deeper understanding of the work, through knowing the artist.”

“I love the sense of community here at Real Art Ways.”

“Real Art Ways feeds the curious soul.”

“The spirit of innovation, collaboration, and creativity has always been a part of who we are. Now we are just more. We do more events, more films, and more concerts. It is more true now than ever that there is always something going on here.”

“This is such a non-judgmental, welcoming place – where all people can express their true self. And, what we do here – our art, films, education programs, Creative Cocktail Hour – is something you can’t get anywhere else, especially under one roof.”

“A great change is seeing the increase in membership and support. It’s amazing to see how much we have grown and how much we get done with such a small staff.”

“Real Art Ways is a welcoming and inclusive space for diverse people and I love it.”

Olu Oguibe is a local artist based in Rockville, Connecticut. He’s been a member of Real Art Ways since 2003, and has exhibited his work at the space on a number of occasions.

Marc is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ironwood Capital, a private equity firm in Avon. He’s been an enthusiastic member of RAW for over 25 years and a board member the last four.

Gregg has spent his whole professional career at Travelers. Originally hailing from Wisconsin, he has worked in the Minnesota, London, UK and Hartford offices. He and his wife have a deep passion for all forms of art and is prior board member of the Minnesota Museum for American Art.

Yedalis Ruíz was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Hartford. She has been involved with Real Art Ways since she was 13 years old! 

Yedalis is a first-generation, bilingual college graduate. She is a graduate of Hartford High, Mt. Holyoke College, and has a Master’s and Ph.D. from UMass-Amherst. She teaches at UMass, working to increase access and equity in higher education.

Jon is the principal of Jon L Schoenhorn & Associates, a Hartford law firm specializing in criminal defense and plaintiffs’ civil rights cases, including employee discrimination, police misconduct and freedom of speech and expression. He lives in Farmington and has been a an active member of RAW since the early 1990s.

Tara is a partner at Locke Lord LLP, where she represents clients in complex disputes throughout the country with a specific focus on privacy and cybersecurity issues and financial services litigation. Originally from New York City, Tara moved to the Hartford area in 2006 for law school and has never left! Tara has served on the RAW Board of Trustees since 2016 and serves as its Chair since 2019.