In a landscape where arts education is often dependent on shrinking public budgets, Colette Thiebaud and Leon Barhoum have created their own streamlined route to equitable access. The young founders recognized a pressing need in public schools and determined that meeting it with innovative distribution could spark meaningful change. Today, the Artmosphere is a fast-growing force in rethinking arts education. As the next school year approaches, their ARTicles program will land in underserved schools across five states, delivering not just supplies, but insights into the worlds of great American artists.
Launched with a start-up mentality and grassroots ambition, the Artmosphere began as a heartfelt tribute to Thiebaud’s grandfather, the late artist Wayne Thiebaud: “He encouraged us to start this organization, and this moment is a reflection of that legacy–a continuation of the work he believed in and a reminder of why we began,” says Thiebaud. Celebrating their two year anniversary this summer, the organization has blossomed into an entity that blends legacy-building with tangible, forward-looking impact.
Thiebaud and Barhoum were first introduced in 2021, and quickly began shaping what would become an organizational flagship, ARTicles: a box-delivery model which repackages how art is taught in underfunded schools. Each curated box arrives packed with lesson plans, activity guides, and materials that draw from the work of influential American artists, especially figures of the Bay Area canon including Ruth Asawa and Mildred Howard.
“Each of these artists urges us to see the world a little differently,” says Barhoum. “When a student sees their identity or neighborhood reflected in a lesson, it shifts something. It says: your perspective matters here.”
What began as a formidable plan to shape young students’s arts education has grown into a nationally recognized effort, bolstered by a network of supporters including philanthropist and arts patron Maria Manetti Shrem, whose foundation recently made the largest donation in the Artmosphere’s history. The gift represents a confident co-sign in the founders’s vision, as well as setting the stage for their next round of advocacy, programming, and hosting from New York to San Francisco. “We focused on building something undeniable rather than trying to convince people through words alone,” says Barhoum, recalling early skepticism from institutions. “Once Maria became our first major champion, the perception shifted, and suddenly, the same voices that had been hesitant were seeking out our perspective.”
Earlier this year, the nonprofit partnered with FOG Design+Art, hosting a two-day, immersive popup experience to debut FOG Family Days, a special program designed to reimagine how art fairs interact with their youngest audiences.
Looking ahead, Thiebaud and Barhoum have Art Basel Miami on the horizon as their next major cultural touchpoint. The duo will be hosting Confections & Connections, an intimate dinner party for emerging collectors, patrons, and influential figures under 40, meant to spark meaningful dialogue and engage guests with the Artmosphere’s vision. The evening will be set against the backdrop of Wayne Thiebaud’s iconic paintings of desserts, as well as African art and mid-century furniture from the Artmosphere’s archives.
As they prepare to bring their mission to one of the art world’s biggest stages, the Artmosphere’s founders are doubling down on their original mandate: reimagining access, rethinking legacy, and proving that the next generation doesn’t just deserve a seat at the table, they’re already sitting at it.
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