^ some really great pics above
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Meet Massachusetts' only Certified Bob Ross Instructor
https://www.wgbh.org/culture/2023-07-05 ... instructor
While the American painter Bob Ross has been immortalized through his popular PBS show, "The Joy of Painting," his legacy also lives on in a CRI — that is, Certified Ross Instructor. The CRI is someone who has been trained and certified by the Ross estate to teach classes in Ross’ style.
Massachusetts has just one CRI, Stacey Sparrow, who owns and operates Art on the Rocks studios in Gardner and Leominster. Sparrow recently joined GBH's Edgar B. Herwick III to discuss her journey to becoming a CRI and how her education at MassArt has informed her teaching practice.
Becoming a CRI was, for Sparrow, something of a “happy accident,” as Ross was famous for calling them. Sparrow grew up on the artist’s programming, which inspired her to become an art instructor.
“I just enjoyed watching him, he just made it so easy and he was so calm to listen to," she said. "And it sounds so silly, but it really was the start of [thinking] ‘I know this is what I want to do.’”
After graduating from MassArt, Sparrow became an art instructor at her own studio and began hosting paint-along nights at her studio featuring some of Ross’ television specials. That was when the artist’s legal team informed Sparrow that she’d need to be certified before hosting more of them.
Getting certified required an intensive three-week commitment in Florida, which gave Sparrow pause.
“For me to leave my business was a crazy idea. I was kind of a one-woman show at the time,” she said. “I almost felt obligated to. Like, well, Bob’s not here anymore, so who is doing this? Who can make people feel like art isn’t only for certain folks and give everybody an opportunity to paint and experience the joy of painting, like [Ross] said.”
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It's amazing how this has all expanded and helped so many people in life.