Making Art That Makes Cents

It started, like many things at Morristown High School probably do, with social media. Ceramics and fine arts teacher Liz Ostendorp and industrial arts teacher Jim Boothby (both in photo, above) had started to notice that makerspaces—communal workshops, typically outfitted with shared 3D printers and other tools, where creators and artists can work on projects—were popping up all over their feeds, and they had an idea. Wouldn’t it be great to have a makerspace at MHS?

But the more they thought about it, the more they realized that they wanted more than a place where students could create. 

“We wanted to do something different with arts education. We wanted students to think about designing something that people want to buy. It’s a very different process to the theoretical way art is usually taught,” Boothby says. “We wanted them to think about the development of the product and everything that goes into selling the product—taxes, packaging, photos, marketing, marketing supplies, materials, shipping.”

They designed a curriculum to teach creative-minded students how to sell their products. “The goal is to teach kids how to start a business in a creative field, and hopefully graduate with a functioning business that is already making money,” Ostendorp says. 

While MHS has a very successful art program, with high AP test scores and students attending art schools like The Cooper Union and Rhode Island School of Design, this program is geared more towards kids who don’t plan on higher education.

Principal Mark Manning was all in. “We serve such a diverse audience here,” Manning says. “It’s incumbent on me to always be mindful that we are developing pathways that meet the needs and goals of every student here, and not every student wants to follow a traditional path and go to college.”

Honoring Lauren and Emily  

Around this same time, Frank and Kay Failla were working with the Morristown Education Foundation (MEF) to find a way to honor their daughters, Lauren and Emily Failla. The young women, both MHS graduates, passed away in separate, tragic accidents. The Lauren and Emily Failla Foundation (LEFF) honors their memory by supporting programs in the Morristown area related to their interests and talents. Lauren, in particular, was an artist who loved painting and ceramics.

“It all came together at the right moment,” Frank says. “We were so impressed by the enthusiasm of the teachers, who were so excited to offer new pathways for these talented and capable kids.”

In honor of Emily and Lauren, the LEFF donated the money to fully fund the new MHS Artisan Academy. “They are truly our partners in this,” Manning says. “It was rewarding working hand-in-hand with them to bring a program like this to fruition.”

“It came together like magic,” says Debble Sontupe, the MEF board chair. “There has been a wonderful partnership between the MEF, the school district, and the amazing generosity of the Faillas and the LEFF.”

Launching this fall!

When the Artisan Academy officially launches in Fall 2026, students will follow a structured curriculum of art and business courses but also will work with mentors to develop and sell their products and have internship opportunities. Students interested in any art—from graphic design to creative writing to culinary arts—and in any grade at MHS are welcome at the Artisan Academy.

“Both sides of this course, the artistic training and the business and marketing skills, are equally important,” Manning says. 

It will work like this: Let’s say there is a student who loves ceramics. Their coursework in the Artisan Academy would start by taking two levels of ceramics skills classes and some marketing classes. Then, they’ll take their ceramic skills and start thinking about what they’d like to sell. They’ll work to develop a logo, design product labels, and will even have the opportunity to sell their work at local markets and craft fairs. To fund startup costs, students will be able to borrow against what Ostendorp calls an enterprise fund. “It will be like seed money, and we will teach them to do bookkeeping and to pay that money back,” she says. 

“A big piece of this is mentorship and apprenticeship,” Ostendorp says. “We will match the talents and interests of our students with the talents and interests of faculty, so students can learn side-by-side with an expert.”

For example, Ostendorp recently introduced a student interested in 3D printing to a computer-aided design (CAD) teacher at MHS and helped set up an internship opportunity. Or, she explains, a business teacher with a background in fashion could be matched with a student looking to start a fashion line.

Eventually, the hope is to match students with local business owners and other working artists as mentors. “Morristown is so rich with people who are already successful in these fields,” she says. 

The Artisan Academy “is part of our district ethos to keep the arts alive,” Manning says. “One of the slogans of Morristown High School is ‘World of Opportunities,’ and we want all students to see themselves on a pathway to success here.”

Boothby agrees. “The Artisan Academy will help students to hit the ground running after graduation.”