THE POLLOCK JOURNAL: What We Learned; Issue 2

A showcase of the community, people and homes that inspire us.

ISSUE NO.2

what we learned WITHIN OURSELVES WITHIN OUR HOMES WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS WITHIN OUR ART WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY

CARE. SERVE. GIVE.

1 THE POLLOCK JOURNAL Brought to you by Pollock Properties Group of Keller Williams Premier Properties and Matt Keane of Guaranteed Rate.

Dear

neighbor, Happy Summer and thank you in advance for being a “lover of learning”. How do I know this about you? Well, you picked up this second issue of the Pollock Journal and you are reading it - the activity of reading alone is an indication that you are “learningbased” and seeking out new ideas and ways of thinking. So, I hope that this issue will fill your heart and mind with inspiration, as it reveals what each of our contributors has learned through the pandemic season from which we have just emerged.

“

Education without application is just entertainment.

- Tim Sanders

”

When I was thinking about this second issue, and asked Ellen Donker (owner and Editor of Matters Magazine) what her issue would be about, she said “Back to School” of course. So, as her issue looks ahead at the school year to come, I wanted our Journal to be the retrospective look back at what we have recently learned and implemented into our lives. In this issue, you are going to hear from the First Lady of Maplewood about what she learned about self care and wellness, a small business owner about what she learned about our community through the lens of our children who shop there, a teacher at South Orange

Most of all, I hope that you will read this issue and feel inspired to

Middle School about what students should be focusing on in

keep learning.

today’s world, art curators who share what they learned about our public art, and you will read what a local family learned about what “home” really is for them.

And of course, I am going to contribute what we learned at Pollock Properties Group about career pivots, design changes in our homes, how to best care for our clients in an ever-changing market and where we thought it best to give back. And with all of these articles, my hope is that you will take this knowledge

“Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will.” - Vernon Howard

With love gratitude,

&

and implement one new idea into your life. Because education without implementation really is just entertainment, my hope is that with one idea implemented by each reader, we will all see and feel changes within our lives and community.

VANESSA POLLOCK

REALTOR/Sales Associate CEO/Founder of Pollock Properties Group Keller Williams Premier Properties 973.544.8484 direct | 973.376.003 office

2 THE POLLOCK JOURNAL

|

Design by 7 Layer Studio

An excerpt from

Living by the

word — ALICE WALKER

“

Some periods of our growth are so confusing that we don’t even recognize that growth is happening.

We may feel hostile or angry or weepy and hysterical, or we may feel depressed. It would never occur to us, unless we stumbled on a book or a person who explained to us, that we were in fact in the process of change, of actually becoming larger, spiritually, than we were before.

Whenever we grow, we tend to feel it, as a young seed must feel the weight and inertia of the earth as it seeks to break out of its shell on its way to becoming a plant.

Often the feeling is anything but pleasant. But what is most unpleasant is the not knowing what is happening.

Those long periods when something inside ourselves seems to be waiting, holding its breath, unsure about what the next step should be, eventually become the periods we wait for, for it is in those periods that we realize that we are being prepared for the next phase of our life and that, in all probability, a new level of the personality is about to be revealed.

”

Each office independently owned & operated

@vanessaspollock @pollockpropertiesgroup Meet the Team

Follow us on instagram and on our YouTube channel!

Special thanks to Ellen and the team at Matters Magazine | All Photography by Pollock Properties Group In-House Photographer Thomas Leonczik

ISSUE NO. 2 3

What we learned about

self care

BY MARIE MCGEHEE

Nine years ago our family went through a devastating miscarriage

immediately replaced with pouring most of my energy into my new job, making sure that Madison was feeling acclimated and thriving at her new school, volunteering in our new community of Maplewood and South Orange and discovering all that living

in close proximity to the greatest city in the world had to offer.

that rocked our world. It happened during my second trimester

I was so caught up with work, family and other responsibilities

while I was alone and on the tail end of an extended business

that I slept through the fact that by the time I got to that doctor’s

trip in Hong Kong preparing to fly home to Boston. The entire

visit in 2019 that my weight had ballooned to essentially the

experience was such a profound and excruciating loss, it’s painful

same weight as when I was nine months pregnant with Madison.

to think about it even now after all of these years. After being

I was in total denial about the fact that when I walked up a flight

hospitalized for 3 days in Hong Kong where I literally had to rely

of stairs at work to an introductory meeting with one of our most

on the kindness of strangers as my family sat completely helpless

senior and influential executives that he had to get me a bottle of

on the other side of the world, upon my return back to the U.S. to Frank and Madison (who was seven years old at the time) a very dear friend gave me a magnet with a quote from John Lennon that says “Everything will be ok in the end, if it’s not ok, it’s not the end.” The magnet still hangs on our refrigerator to this day. For

water because I was so out of breath by the time I had arrived in his office that I could barely speak. I was in denial about the fact that trips to the city with my husband as we waited for Madison to finish rehearsals left me completely exhausted because I could barely keep up. I was in denial about the fact that when I woke up

me, the magnet has become a constant touchstone.

each morning my body was so stiff that it took me a few minutes

Fast forward to May 2019. I was at my doctor’s office in New

forties. I was in denial about the fact that my definition of my own

Jersey for an annual checkup. After reading my bloodwork report, my doctor looked at me flatly and said, you have diabetes. Wait… what? I had always been relatively healthy with the exception of high blood pressure which runs in my family and for me started when I was pregnant with Madison. With medication, I had it under control and had been monitoring it for years, but the thought of having blood pressure AND diabetes was too much to bear. My main question: how did I get here?

to be able to walk across our bedroom and I was only in my self-worth had become synonymous with how I was perceived at work and whether or not I was advancing in my career. I was even in denial about my own privilege to having access to the best healthcare and overall knowledge to make better lifestyle choices.

And despite the fierce person I once was – e.g. the super mom who used to run 10 miles every Saturday morning in Boston and the bad ass career woman who had led her company through the financial crisis so boldly and so fearlessly in 2008 only to leave

As I reflected back on the last few years, the answer became

that same company unapologetically in 2012 when it became

crystal clear. We moved to New Jersey from Boston in 2013 after

clear that her team did not value her or other Black women – the

I had accepted a new job on the PR team at a major technology

person who I had become in 2019 was a mere shell of her former

company. Despite the fact that in Boston my weekly routine

self. As a serial PR professional, I was so busy crafting other

involved working out 6 days a week which included running

people’s stories and images that I completely lost sight of owning

10 miles every Saturday morning - once we moved to New

the pen to my story. To the outside world, I had it all, a thriving

Jersey everything changed. My new normal in New Jersey was

career at one of the most influential companies in the world, an

4 THE POLLOCK JOURNAL

amazing family and circle of friends, opportunity and access - but

is worth so much more – which is a deeper understanding and

something was fundamentally broken.

perspective through the lessons learned along the way.

As I sat with my doctor in May 2019 and she reviewed all of my numbers, I knew that I had to do something instantaneously, but I honestly didn’t know how or where to start – so I went back to of Maplewood and South Orange. I walked until I couldn’t walk anymore. I walked with music and through laughter and tears.

Occasionally, I walked with family and friends but mostly I walked alone. Those walks became so much more than just about exercise, or lowering my blood sugar. The walks were how I started to reclaim and protect my peace.

By the fall of 2019 I gained the confidence to try new things like BRWL which stands for “Be Relentless with Life.” It was a new boxing and yoga studio in Orange, New Jersey co-founded by Maplewood resident Michelle Swittenberg and martial artist, yogi and founding trainer Martesse Gilliam. The classes were so much fun, engaging, and community-oriented. They were also very challenging, but something that Martesse said repeatedly

1. Reclaim and protect your peace

S E L F CA R E L E S S O N S

the basics. I walked. I walked all over our beautiful community

2. If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you 3. We can do hard things 4. How do you build endurance? You endure 5. Validate your own greatness 6. It doesn’t get any easier, but you do get stronger 7. Keep showing up for yourself & setting new standards 8. Movement is medicine

really resonated with me – “If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.”

Shortly after discovering BRWL, my husband introduced me to Kevin Chandler and Max Gladstone, both Maplewood and South Orange residents respectively – and trainers at JD Fitness in Short Hills. They introduced me to the art of strength training and taught me that strength training is not just about lifting heavy weights in the literal sense, but more importantly about attitude and tapping

These lessons are the foundation for self-care that no trainer or fitness program or other symbol of access and privilege could have taught me if I didn’t dig deep enough and tap into them from within myself.

into strength from within. As Kevin likes to say – “we can do hard

Like the John Lennon magnet that hangs on our refrigerator, these

things.” As soon as I heard him say it, I immediately adopted this

lessons are hiding in plain sight if only we have the courage to see

mantra as my own. And Max showed me how to form a new

them. Doing the hard work every single day to give them space to

mindset and apply it to super challenging tasks like doing a pull

breathe and grow has completely transformed my entire paradigm

up, which was much harder than it sounds.

in every aspect. These lessons represent the spiritual awakening

Simultaneously, I started to use our Peloton Bike which had been sitting in our basement for about a year more regularly. Like BRWL and JD Fitness, the Peloton workouts were challenging, but more than that it felt like each of the Peloton trainers was speaking directly to me – like when head Peloton trainer Robin Arzon looked

that literally carried me through the COVID pandemic where we all endured unimaginable and unspeakable loss. These lessons have taught me that there’s no alternative route to pain and suffering – that the only sure way is to go through it – as daunting as that sounds. James Baldwin said “not everything that is faced can be

straight to camera and said – “how do you build endurance? You

changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” And the

endure.” Or when trainer Alex Toussaint said “validate your own

lessons are never done, they will continue to evolve in size, scale and

greatness” as opposed to defining it by what others think or say.

scope as we evolve. As I get ready to turn 50 later this year, these

For me, this was a total game changer.

are the teachable moments that I am now passing on not only to our daughter, but frankly to anyone who may find them helpful.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the brilliant Michelle Swittenberg’s other business the Triple Threat Challenge, an

As we begin to emerge into our new normal post-pandemic life

inspiring and highly accomplished group of women (and now

– whatever that ends up looking like – my hope for the future is

men) between the ages of 40 and 60, who challenge each other

that we will move forward with a shared vision and unwavering

to “out grind, out hustle and out last” themselves through their passion for intense fitness.

compassion and gratitude than when we started pre-Covid.

While it’s absolutely true that the combination of BRWL, JD Fitness, Peloton and Triple Threat were all instrumental to my weight loss which is 80 pounds since May 2019, what I’ve gained

commitment to the need for even greater love, empathy, And what I now know with complete certainty – whatever the future may hold

“

Everything will be ok in the end, if it's not ok, it's not the end.

- John Lennon

and no matter how

”

steep the obstacles – “everything will be ok in the end, if it’s not ok, it’s not the end.”

ISSUE NO. 2 5

JUSTIN BOHON

3

DON DARRYL RIVERA

MARK EVANS-MORTELLITI

W H AT W E L EA R N E D AS N E W R EA LT O R S A highlight of 3 career pivots to real estate during the pandemic...

Justin It all began with a Broadway shutdown, for my family, all least. Honestly, as real as the pandemic was, it didn’t truly sink in until that moment. Even then, my husband and I agreed that it would only be a few months, and that it would be nice to have a break from all the chaos of New York City. We packed the car and headed to our house in Greenwood Lake to wait it out. As we all know, the weeks turned into months, and then a year, with no real end in sight.

As we begin to find some sense of normalcy again in the world, I have reflected upon what I have learned and what perspective I have gained from this time. I think the central, collective idea has to do with our need as human beings to help others for our own personal survival and mental health.

Half way through the pandemic

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my family and I had found a certain groove to our daily routine. It was monotonous, but none-the-less, we were settled and moving through life in a pattern that seemed steady and healthy. Everything was almost normal, or at least a “new normal” that we found to be livable. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I began to put a pause on reaching out to family and friends. I pitied myself for the loss of career, the loss of income, for the endless distanced learning for our daughter, the fear of illness and the loss of loved ones to this virus. As I became hyperfocused on how unfair it all was, I became more and more depressed.

About eight months in, a friend who had threatened to cut me off for good if I didn’t return their call said to me, “I gotta say, for all that you’re experiencing, you do

realize that you are incredibly fortunate, right? It’s time to stop wallowing.” How DARE she!

She said, “Find something you like and do it! Go outside. Do something for someone else!”

I realize that being of service to others is not a new idea, of course, but it is what brought me out of my funk and led me to a new career that I love. The moment I shifted my focus to the needs of others, even in the smallest of ways, I started to feel more alive and vital again.

The motto of Pollock Properties Group is “Care. Serve. Give.” I still remember the way those words sounded as our CEO, Vanessa Pollock, spoke them to me in our initial zoom meeting.

Prior to that moment in my life, I would have laughed at such a statement or written it off as a sound bite, but in this instance it affected me greatly. There was a shift in my mindset. This

newly considered endeavor was no longer about making some extra cash, or filling up my days in order to say that I was being productive, it was actually a way to be of service to people and to a community.

Service to others was the best medicine for me. While on the surface this is not a new or profound discovery, I do believe that saying and knowing a thing are very different from actually implementing that belief into one’s daily life.

Approaching all aspects of family, career and community from a perspective of caring, serving and giving absolutely altered every aspect of my life and saved me from myself.

Oddly enough, I learned that the most selfless acts are often the ones that introduce the highest level of personal growth and self care to us.

Don Darryl March 12, 2020. My wife and I pulled out our phones as a barrage of texts and news alerts about Broadway being shutdown made our pockets vibrate (we’re theatre people, our phones are always on silent). As we lowered our phones, we just stared at each other. The only thing we knew at that moment was that our Broadway shows would be shut down for 30 days. My wife texted the babysitter and told her not to come and for the first time in a long time - we tucked our daughter into bed on a Thursday night. Then we made our way downstairs and watched the twilight pour through our windows for the first time ever in our new home.

I originated the role of Iago in Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway and at the time of the shutdown I had performed the role 2503 times. That meant the same schedule: 8 shows a week, 52 weeks a year for 6 years. I moved to NYC to open the show, so my life on the East Coast had always revolved

around it. And with Broadway closed, for the first time in a long time - I honestly had no clue what to do.

We (the proverbial every single person on earth “we”) have experienced the undeniable hardships as well as the odd silver linings this pandemic has presented to us. Through my daughter’s eyes one thing was abundantly clear: mom and dad were home all day, everyday and that was awesome!

Looking back on 2020, finding the balance of telling our daughter that everything will be ok, virtually knowing nothing about the virus and also finding a way to pivot in this pandemic seemed like an insurmountable task. But luckily, here we are slowly and steadily cresting the hill on the other side. My daughter is now a couple of inches taller (and finished with preschool!) and I’ve found my place among a group of servant-hearted people who serve the families in our communities by helping them

realize their real estate dreams and who give back in every way possible and I am so grateful.

hopefully have Hamilton, or an approximation of something like that.

If you’re reading this, most likely you’re very familiar with Pollock Properties Group and may even have been one of the families we’ve served. Having been one of those families ourselves and now being part of this incredible team, what Vanessa and the people she’s surrounded herself with accomplish on a daily basis is beautiful and astonishing. If I had to distill the many things I’ve learned during the last 18 months into one thing, it’s the tremendous power of the word “yes.”

When I joined Pollock Properties Group, it didn’t take me long to realize I had found a new cast, who worked hard to help everyone succeed in telling their part of the story. And that the stories we were telling were not our own, but the stories of the families we were serving. I was able to help families close and raise the curtains on new chapters in their stories and every time I said “Yes, and…” it was always met with a resounding “yes, and…”

There’s a golden rule in theatre (besides don’t take pictures and PLEASE unwrap your hard candies before the show) and that golden rule is: “Yes, and…” meaning, accept the scenario that’s presented to you and then be open to what’s to come.

When theatre practitioners say “yes, and…” over and over again, the result is a story being told. And by the end you

“

With Broadway opening up this fall, my real estate story doesn’t end here… in fact - it gets more rich and fascinating as Vanessa, with her sunshine eyes and gentle smile, said “Yes, and…” with which I blurted out “yes, and…” without even thinking twice. I’m so lucky to have found this amazing group and am forever grateful that they will always be a part of my story.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

- Maya Angelou

”

Mark Okay. Bear with me as I write this and don’t roll your eyes.

I’ve learned enough this past 18 months that I could fill every issue of the Pollock Journal for the next ten years! With that in mind, I’ve decided to focus on one thing. I have really learned the value of….breathing. You rolled your eyes, I knew it! Take a breath while I explain what I mean.

As a professional actor of 20 years I’m definitely accustomed to change, but having now been a professional realtor for over a year too, I’ve learned to embrace change more than ever. It truly is the only thing we

can fully rely on - Change. But it’s not always easy.

At the end of each work day I write out my “success list” (schedule) for the next day.

Meetings, appointments, clients to check in with, new client consultations, offers to submit etc and when to do it.

It’s always a lot of work and it’s always a struggle to fit it all in.

Without a doubt, every single day there’s a curve ball and something will happen, very often high stakes and high stress given this wild real estate market we’re living through and that nice little list I wrote may as well be jumbled up like socks

in a tumble dryer. Since I find it a little challenging to not feel in control, especially when I’m navigating transactions that deeply affect people’s lives; this is where breathing helps. I once heard this saying: “You can’t take a breath in the past, you can’t breathe in the future, you can only breath right now.”

It’s an active way of being able to come back to the present moment and relieve stress.

Take a conscious breath. I am devoted to each of my clients and their families and it gets stressful when things don’t go as planned and in order for ME

to be the calm one, I remind myself of that phrase as often as I need to. Try it. I bet you like it.

I’ve learned that I am a good Realtor, because there is no better education than when you’re a member of Pollock Properties Group absorbing the wisdom, experience and care that exudes from Vanessa and everyone on the team. Our wonderful PPG family, each of whom I adore, are themselves a huge breath of oxygen for which I’m grateful beyond words. Thanks for reading.

Now take a breath & turn the page.

ISSUE NO. 2 7

What we learned about

staging

BY ELISABETH HIPP WATSON

In-House Designer and Stager for Pollock Properties Group Realtor/Sales Associate

What a wild and crazy ride the COVID season has been for all of us. We had to pivot every which way and create a new type of life where six feet apart and covering our faces were the norm. 2020 required a lot from us and asked us to rethink how we live in more ways than just social distancing and mask wearing. Our homes were transformed into offices, schoolhouses, playgrounds, and often safe havens from the uncertainty found beyond our front doors.

Taking all of this in, we at Pollock Properties Group found that this pandemic season caused us to shift our design and staging strategy away from the norms of pre-pandemic life (which seemed lightyears away now) to what families really needed now. The fourth bedroom no longer needed to be staged as the guest space, but as a fully functioning home office. The Maplewood rooms were transformed from playrooms to school-room. The basement became an alternative family gathering or the new separate play space. Every nook and cranny needed to be designed with the entire family working, schooling, eating, playing in mind – living at home around the clock.

Our homes may no longer need to be everything to everyone as the world continues to open, but we have learned that we can withstand a global crisis by getting creative and thoughtful about the place we call home; it was our privilege at Pollock Properties Group to design and stage all of our listings in-house, with this taken to heart and we will continue to do so with our finger always on the pulse of the future homeowners’ realities.

8 THE POLLOCK JOURNAL

“

The key to pursuing excellence is to embrace an organic, long-term learning process, and not to live in a shell of static, safe mediocrity. Usually, growth comes at the expense of previous comfort or safety.

- Josh Waitzkin

”

Love our style?

Vanessa Pollock is proud to announce her new design & staging company We provide smart, long-term design consultation for a "someday" home sale, as well as home staging. Reach out today for more information.

CURATIONstaging@gmail.com Scan the QR code to find out what your home value is!

ISSUE NO. 2 9

HEROES REFINED MY PURPOSE

What we learned about

people

In this last season, I learned to redefine what it means to be a "hero". It also helped refine my perspective on where I fit in this complex society, giving me time to assess my actions, values and goals. In January of 2020, our family home was plagued with around the clock news outlets from every television and phone calls from family around the world. Why? Well, my younger brother was pursuing his master’s degree at the University of Shanghai in China, right in the heart of a new spreading pandemic that would soon change my world forever. Overwhelmed by uncertainty, I took a step back and watched my parents do what they always do best: put on their invisible cape of heroism. Despite the soaring prices of plane tickets and advice to wait out the potential pandemic, Batman and Wonder Woman were at it again. I felt like Robin as I observed and waited for the inevitable assignment of picking up my brother from JFK airport. Their actions resonated differently for me than before. I observed how courageous, self-assured, and yet calculated their actions were. Most importantly, I realized they had the same demeanor when aiding other people too, not just their children. It was truly an altruistic, and inspiring act.

As the pandemic peaked, I noticed this behavior in many other men and women. Traditionally, society defines a hero as a

“

Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

”

- Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh

physically adept person fighting for justice. For me however, a hero

I was especially thankful for my older sister, a State Trooper, who

is someone who possesses great bravery, who is Heuristic, and

spent the entire pandemic transporting prisoners to hospitals while

selflessness, like my parents - they most certainly did not fit the

living with her elderly mother. As people selfishly stocked up on

mold of a stereotypical hero. They do, however, embody the core

necessities, these heroes remained impactful and effective. They had

characteristics of bravery, selflessness and tactfulness as a way of

the courage to do what’s right and remain grounded, regardless of

life and expected nothing in return.

the temptation to "SOS". Heroes are brave and don’t cower under

I reflected on this as I picked up my brother from the airport. We hugged briefly, followed by a lighthearted trash talking session then proceeded to go home. As soon as we left the airport I heard, "let’s get me some McDonald’s." I looked at him puzzled. "They don’t have McDonald’s in China?" "Yes, but the cheese ain’t the same," he replied. I laughed in excitement, knowing that just this arriving home moment was all the reward my parents needed for their actions.

As the Coronavirus pandemic hit the US, I thought of my friends Vanessa, Marie and others who are nurses, and how honored I was to have been invited to their pinning ceremonies. I remembered them placing their hands on their hearts and reciting the Oath, "I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standards of my profession... and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care." I thought about their commitment as healthcare professionals to all people. I was proud to know these heroes as friends. I was thankful for the countless individuals, such as retired doctors and nurses, who put on their heroic cape of bravery, selflessness and tact to get back into the field while placing their lives at risk for those who were desperately in need. Furthermore,

10 THE POLLOCK JOURNAL

pressure, they have a forward-thinking mindset and feel rewarded through servicing others. Heroes are instinctively selfless. Everything they do keeps the best interest of society in mind. Some people may think of heroes as leaders, but many heroes are simply observers, allowing others to take the lead while they fill in the details. After all, "small holes sink big ships", and without these unconventional heroes, most of our ships would be sinking.

This is dedicated to all heroes: people like my parents, friends, and so many others who embody bravery and selflessness, who have helped refine my core values, and goals. To those who have inspired me to serve others from the heart, without seeking validation or recognition for my actions, you have taught me to make heroism a lifestyle and I thank you. Because of you, I am now committed to living a life of servitude.

Thank you.

JULIENNE CHARLES

REALTOR/Sales Associate with Pollock Properties Group

A FEW POLLOCK PROPERTIES GROUP

Success Stories

437 WALTON RD., MAPLEWOOD

10 FLORIDA ST., MAPLEWOOD

1130 BROAD ST., BLOOMFIELD

23 YALE ST., MAPLEWOOD

42 CRESTWOOD DR., MAPLEWOOD

$975,000 list price $1,240,000 sale price

$499,000 list price $601,000 sale price

$469,000 list price $545,000 sale price

$709,000 list price $825,000 sale price

$1,675,000 list price $1,675,000 sale price

11 days

8 days

12 days

7 days

15 days

52 LINCOLN AVE., ORANGE

10 MAPLE TER., MAPLEWOOD

86 MIDLAND BLVD, MAPLEWOOD

108 OAKLAND RD., MAPLEWOOD

29 GREENWOOD AVE., WEST ORANGE

$260,000 list price $268,000 sale price

$979,000 list price $1,125,000 sale price

$599,000 list price $751,000 sale price

$689,000 list price $795,000 sale price

$599,000 list price $737,500 sale price

11 days

12 days

7 days

10 days

14 days

2021

•1 25+ families arrived home with us by publication •1 00+ Buyer families currently working with our Agents to find their next home

•D ozens of families currently preparing their homes for sale with us

•O ver 200 offers submitted on our listings this year

•1 300+ safe private showings in 2021 with 0 Covid cases traced to our services

• 90% of our listings sell in the first weekend with multiple offers

Closing for a Cause “In 2021 we have made a closing gift donation to over 40 local and global charities, collected over 1000 pounds of food donations during our “Crafting for a Cause” event to benefit MEND (Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity), and were able to extend music lessons through the Summer months to all the scholarship recipients of the Vanessa Pollock Music Initiative (a fund managed by the Achieve Foundation). We are deeply committed to making a difference in our community and thank you for your support of our real estate team and generosity initiatives!”

ISSUE NO. 2 11

WE ARE ALL CONNECTED

What we learned about

community

BY MIKA BRAAKMAN

Owner + Chief Hat Maker A PAPER HAT | art + design supply

It is often said that children make the best teachers. Even before I became a mother, I’ve always believed that to be true. Children have remarkably playful minds, and their creativity inspires me. As a lifelong student of design (and a creative maker in my own right), I am certain that no matter what our age, those playful minds still exist within us. Keeping that connection has kept me inspired, curious and vibrant throughout my design career in fashion and industrial design. And that endless well of inspiration we call creativity continues to resonate into every part of my day at the little art and design supply shop I own and run on Baker Street in

telling stories through drawing, or expressing ourselves with color.

A Paper Hat is a place where often we can discuss our hopes and dreams, share memories and celebrations, express love, gratitude and sometimes, even our fears. It’s a place to be joyful, inspired and to inspire each other. It’s a space for being honest, open and remaining connected. (And I’m happy to say, it’s also a safe space for kids if they are lost or need to call home!) A Paper Hat is a multifaceted little community hub that welcomes everyone who comes through its doors. In fact, I try to greet everyone acknowledging our

Maplewood called, A Paper Hat.

shared humanity: “Welcome!” And I mean it sincerely.

To me, the shop is so many things — my happy place, my

During COVID, honoring that welcome was tested. Like just about

obsession, my heart space. It also has so many functions: It

every other local business, we had to shut everyone out and it

supplies our families with activities that don’t involve screens. It’s

was heartbreaking. The pandemic sucked much of the joy out of

where you can get back-to-school items, office supplies or a last-

our space because the people who love it as much as I do weren’t

minute card for someone you love. It’s the place to geek-out over

there. With their absence went much of my will to keep pushing

pens (black ink or blue? fine point or bold?). Everywhere you look,

this little business forward. I needed to find my resolve and show

the shelves are filled with creative materials for making models,

my daughter and my family that I was resilient. I had to keep

12 THE POLLOCK JOURNAL

showing up and just get on with it. We all did.

they could during those dark months — and that will never be

Remembering why I built this shop in the first place was the only way forward, but that was easier said than done. As I juggled between the shop and first-time homeschooling, there was no time to feel sorry for myself. I had to pivot to get an online store up and

lost on me. We live and work in a truly wonderful place. We kept a promise to each other by shopping locally. And by regularly checking in with each other, we really shared this unforgettable time of challenges and changes together.

running as quickly as possible. I was overwhelmed with the solo,

If you asked me what I was most surprised by this past year, it

daunting task of setting up a functioning e-commerce site that

would be by the absolute and glorious resilience of the children. Our

could represent a mere sample of the over 4,000 products we have

wonderful children. Children of all ages, really. The youngest ones

in store. Three website iterations later, the establishment of our

studied our faces, freshly flexing their eyes and learning to read

online store carried the business forward (the Payroll Protection

our expressions. They looked into my strangers’ eyes, eyes wearing

Program didn’t help us as we were not eligible). But without any

funny round glasses, and tried to figure me out. I was always

doubt, it was the community’s unwavering support that saved us

smiling right back at them.

from closing our doors.

Our middle school kids, who often frequent the shop, were also

The gratitude I felt before COVID was surely there but A Paper

showing plenty of resilience. When you asked how school was,

Hat’s survival after the pandemic was never a given. But it did

many said they were doing fine. They were holding up their heads

survive, and for that I am forever humbled. I’m immensely grateful

and making the most of it. And they had found ways to be okay

for the many people who supported all the SOMa shops as best

with things and to cherish their connections with each other.

“

A plant needs roots in order to grow.

With man it is the other way around: only when he grows does he have roots and feels at home in the world.

”

- Eric Hoffer

Persistence was seen in the high school and college students, too, young adults who buckled down and focused to get through the year. They remained active participants in their futures, honing their talents and pursuing their interests even if it was all online.

With everything familiar turned upside down, I imagine that for the very first time, many of them had to evaluate and process so much about their young lives. That is some grounding stuff.

What will this strange year have taught our kids? What has it taught each of us? Perhaps it’s that we are all much more resilient than we ever dared believe. That we’ve all had to find ways to live by example and to embody strength in the face of hardship. Our survival and very sanity depended on it. And what resonates with me still is how our children, even the youngest ones, helped us to remember one of the most important lessons: We need to take care of one another.

What I really, really want as we move rapidly back to “normal” is for us all to never forget that we absolutely, and without question, are all connected. Let’s find solace in that and honor it together.

Small Business Bingo Please see our BINGO game at the end of this issue and get out shopping at A Paper Hat & other local small businesses.

ISSUE NO. 2 13

“

TAU

Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.

- Edgar Degas

South Orange’s artistic roots are deep and varied. They connect us to our past, present and future. It is through this generational transfer of memory and appreciation that three friends, Judy Wukitsch, Sherry Beth Sacks, and Sally Unsworth, gathered with a similar mission - to pay tribute a renowned local artist, the late Tony Smith, his iconic sculpture TAU, and to revel in the beloved arts community that brought them together.

14 THE POLLOCK JOURNAL

”

SMALL TOWN/BIG SCULPTURE

W H AT W E L EA R N E D A B O U T O U R A RT Sally Unsworth: So, I know that my first entrée into the artist

enrichment programs, the position of a Cultural Affairs person was

community in South Orange was through Jo Jochnowitz, who sold

originated where I developed a full arts program for the Village and

us his house on Summit Avenue in 2014. My husband and I bought

surrounding areas. It was during a visit to the Museum of Modern

that house largely because of Jo and his wife Carol whose quirky

Art in NYC to see the Tony Smith retrospective in 1998, that Lennie

and creative joie de vivre was baked into every inch of the house.

and I saw on the labels “born: South Orange NJ.” and Wow! It hit

Jo’s closing words to me as he handed me the keys were “Find

us that we had no idea this world-renowned sculptor was a native

Judy.” It wasn’t until I connected with Sherry who was bringing people together to draw attention to the Pierro Gallery that we

son of our town! How could that be? The instant feelings of pride and connection were palpable. My husband passionately felt we

finally met. Sherry, how was it that you first connected to Judy?

needed to acknowledge Smith to share this significant framework

Sherry Beth Sacks: I was curating a show at the Pierro Gallery

death that I, and a group of dedicated arts and community people,

when I discovered the historical treasure trove of exhibition catalogues in the closet. I leafed through and was amazed to see the depth and breadth of these exhibitions. It was then that I

for our community and talked to everyone he met. It wasn’t until his made this dream come true through the Lennie Pierro Memorial Arts Foundation.

sought out Judy.

Sally: Judy, as you were founding the Pierro Gallery and building the arts programming in town, how did your efforts lead to the Tony Smith Sculpture Project?

Judy Wukitsch: It is hard to imagine today, but when we moved to South Orange in 1987 there wasn’t much happening in town nor the arts in the area. My husband, Lennie Pierro, and I were both artists, had 3 young children, and wanted a rich environment for them to grow up in. We also strongly believed in community and felt a partnership with artists working together would achieve this dream. We founded the Gallery of South Orange in 1994, (the Village later changed the name to the Pierro Gallery,) in an unused space in the Baird that initiated a wave of events. After working as a volunteer gallery director for a few years and teaching children’s

ISSUE NO. 2 15

Sally: Over the years, I’ve come to view TAU as the unofficial

visual experience and that it is so accessible.

mascot for South Orange, but also a signpost for Essex County.

The history of the art is braided into their time

I must pass it ten times a day in my comings and goings, and

there whether they are aware of it or not.

each time, it is cast in a different light depending on the angle and weather and mood I’m in. My kids have developed a game over who can call out “TAU!” first. This makes me smile as it was the same game I played with my brothers whenever we saw the St. Louis Arch during my childhood there.

Sherry: I know one of my biggest concerns when we moved from Brooklyn and began looking for homes in South Orange was a feeling that we were leaving so much art and culture behind in the city. When I drove past TAU, it was a relief to see a great piece of modern art right away. For that reason, I think it serves as a symbol of transition for me. It was only later that I became familiar with Tony Smith’s body of work and his connection to town.

Judy: The Tony Smith Project and TAU is a wonderful partnering of government, private foundation, and the community-at-large for South Orange. The substantial impact in defining our personal identity is found in Tony Smith, along with his daughters, Kiki Smith and Seton Smith, third generation South Orange and significant artists in their own right, who exemplify the influence of ‘place’ on oneself. Tony built his massive sculptures in their backyard; Kiki references her home and neighborhood as her earliest encounters with

Judy: I love to hear this! The personal encounters... and

making art; Seton’s photographs often relate

interpretations, of people with TAU are so interesting and

to her childhood home - a large, Victorian,

individual. That’s what public sculpture is about. The passing-by

extremely sparse house. The catalogue

every day on your way to work and seeing the changes from the

produced by LPMAF for Kiki and Seton’s

light reflecting on the surfaces. That’s when many folks finally “get it!” To enhance this experience a number of excellent projects in art, math, and writing, are on tonysmithsouthorange.org that are there for the taking for anyone, particularly educators. I’m hopeful that a new generation of students will also take advantage of these resources and deepen their understanding of the sculpture, particularly SOMS that sits steps away from TAU. It’s also why it’s so important we continue to take care of TAU and tell its story.

exhibition at Seton Hall University’s Walsh Gallery in 2016, A Sense of Place, showed that in “sharing their background, thoughts, and ideas as imparting a tremendous realization of possibilities, especially to young people. Having a connection to someone or someplace that has given rise to prominence often broadens the horizon for others.” (Jeanne Brasile, Director,

Sherry: Both my boys will be attending SOMS together this Fall,

Walsh Gallery) Yes, TAU is very much a part of

and its warming to know that TAU will be a part of their everyday

our collective home.

JUDY WUKITSCH

SALLY UNSWORTH

Judy Wukitsch is an independent arts consultant, curator, jeweler and artist, now living in Hoboken, NJ, having retired as co-founder and Director of the Pierro Gallery and Cultural Arts Director in South Orange for 16 years. She is founder/President of the Lennie Pierro memorial Arts Foundation, whose inaugural project was bringing a Tony Smith sculpture to the Village. Judy was an Adjunct Professor at Kean University for 14 years and continues to serve on numerous non-profit arts boards.

Sally Unsworth is a CASA advocate and peer coordinator for CASA Essex County and an active volunteer for many causes in town.

16 THE POLLOCK JOURNAL

SHERRY SACKS Sherry Sacks is a South Orange based artist and educator.

“

In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine.

”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

ABOUT TONY SMITH AND TAU Tony Smith was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. A sculptor, painter, and architect who apprenticed with Frank Lloyd Wright, he reached international fame in the 1960s and 1970s with his large-scale, geometric sculpture.

Anthony Peter Smith was born on September 23, 1912, in South Orange, New Jersey. His grandfather and namesake A.P. Smith founded a municipal waterworks factory in nearby East Orange. The young Smith would visit the factory often, fascinated by the machinery and the fabrication process. In his early twenties, while helping with the family business, Smith attended the Art Students League of New York, studying painting, drawing, and anatomy.

In 1932, Smith visited the International Style architecture exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art and was deeply impressed by it. A few years later, he moved to Chicago to work in the offices of Frank Lloyd Wright before striking out on his own as an architectural designer. Though he received several prominent commissions, Smith

became disillusioned with the business and returned to New York to focus on his art.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Smith continued to paint, befriending the Abstract Expressionist artists Barnett Newmann, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Clyfford Still. He also began to experiment with simple, three-dimensional geometric shapes, combining and then enlarging them to create drama through scale. While the mock-ups were often made of cardboard or wood, the final work was envisioned in steel.

Tony Smith created many of his famous sculptures in his original childhood home in South Orange, where he lived with his wife Jane and their daughters Kiki, Seton, and Beatrice. Often he created plywood mock-ups of these works in his backyard. Smith’s artist friends, who included Newman, Pollock, and Rothko, along with the playwright Tennessee Williams, visited him there regularly. His children attended the town’s public schools.

The Lennie Pierro Memorial Arts Foundation (LPMAF) was created in 2002 in honor of the

passing of longtime Village resident Lennie Pierro, co-founder of the Pierro Gallery of South Orange.

After visiting the Tony Smith retrospective at MoMA in 1998, it became Pierro's dream to bring a Smith sculpture to his hometown.

LPMAF proposed a community partnership to the South Orange Board of Trustees to achieve this goal. Smith’s widow Jane generously gifted the right to fabricate the sculpture TAU in honor of her husband. With financial support from The Village and donations from hundreds of private individuals through the LPMAF, TAU was sited, fabricated, and installed in Meadowland Park in 2008. Related arts education programs in district schools continue to be funded by LPMAF. In addition to that funding, a group of volunteers from the community worked together to realize the details of siting, installation, promotion, maintenance, and education about the sculpture.

Members of The Tony Smith Sculpture Project (TSSP) continue their work today to enhance viewing, enjoyment, and learning from TAU.

Community Challenge

1

Follow @TAU_southorange on Instagram and spread the word.

2

Help bring awareness to the sculpture by tagging yourself in a photo with the hashtag #TaggedatTAU

3

Stay tuned for more ways to help celebrate and participate in the conservation of TAU in 2021.

ISSUE NO. 2 17

“

Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends and family belong and laughter never ends.

- Unknown

18 THE POLLOCK JOURNAL

”

A B E F O R E / A F T E R F E AT U R E O F T H E AY E R S H O M E

W H AT W E L EA R N E D A B O U T O U R H OM E S

BY MIKE AYERS Designed by Elana Nanscawen

How often do you think about walls? Of course you likely think about them in the sense of “my house needs walls” or “wow, these walls are really thin, I can hear my kids way too much and they’re being gross.” But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about what to do with a wall. I never really gave walls too much thought, and when we moved into our new South Orange house at the end of last summer, I still wasn’t thinking too hard about walls. They seemed like they were doing what they were supposed to do:

Hold the house up.

But as we started to settle in, there was a wall we’d always have to

that up we got together a vision for this wall, one that would

pass to get from the main part of the room to the “bedroom wing.”

represent a past and present sorta thing.

(I wouldn’t say it’s a proper wing; I’m not sure I really know what a proper wing is, because this is just more of an offshoot. Still, it feels great to call a part of a house a “wing” so I’m going with it.) The hallway feels a bit narrow, which gives a sensation of having the walls up on you a bit; you can feel the walls watching you, so to speak — a reminder that they’re there, and not going anywhere.

After living in our new space for a few months, those two walls must’ve started to seep into our subconscious in some form or another. Houses will do that, especially during the pandemic. You couldn’t escape them and they couldn’t escape you. So perhaps faster than normal, the house became a part of us. And we wanted to give it something back.

A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for any wall, so after dialing

It became something of an homage, a collective portrait of where our family once was, with the hopes that every time we walked by it, it wouldn't necessarily evoke memories (but that would be fine if so) but instead, be like a wall of life. At some points in time, life we were never a part of but like to look at fondly with that thought of “what if,” and life that we were once a part of and no longer are.

Perhaps you’re thinking about your own walls now and how you could give life to your walls. If that’s the case, it comes highly recommended. Now, these walls to the wing have purpose, more so than they may ever have. It became one of the most important walls of our house, just like that. Our houses are filled with blank canvases that require us to think about them and use them. They’re best, we learned, when we’re telling our own stories.

ISSUE NO. 2 19

Before After

After

Before

Mike Ayers Mike Ayers is the executive editor of Money.com and the author of One Last Song: Conversations on Life, Death, and Music. He and his wife Diedre, son Liam (12), daughter Emma (8) and cat JJ have lived in SoMa for 10 years. They'd like to express their deep appreciation to Vanessa Pollock for helping them find their forever walls and to Elana Nanscawen for bringing their walls to life!

20 THE POLLOCK JOURNAL

Elana Nanscawen Elana Nanscawen of SCF LLC is a Maplewood based Interior Designer and Stylist with projects sprinkled throughout the New Jersey and New York City area.

Elana is a creative with a BA in Fashion Design and Merchandising that with a move to the 'burbs and a major renovation of her own, catapulted her like many other designers into interiors where she has worked and learned alongside colleagues in the industry for the past several years. She brings knowledge of style, comfort, and function to each client based on their individual needs, wish lists, and budgets, while introducing them to other professionals, vendors, and artisans in the industry and surrounding communities. Projects she has in her portfolio range from interior furnishing and styling, gut renovations, outdoor kitchen and living areas, and creative consults.

She thrives on getting to know her clients personally and professionally and nothing makes her happier than a client's excitement after an installation of her collective work. @supercolorfashionistic @stylecomfortfunction

Elana can be reached at: enanscawen@gmail.com | 917-748-7022

Her interior website is under construction and her fashion blog is www.supercolorfashionistic.com

ISSUE NO. 2 21

FLIPPED CLASSROOM

What we learned about

learning

BY MR. BRANDON HILLMAN

I have always been a teacher that had a reputation for being able to easily create positive relationships with my students.

I often found myself using the last few minutes of class to listen to music and have casual conversations with my students

Teacher at South Orange Middle School

about whatever was on their minds. This year, I decided that I

SOMA (or MAPSO if that’s your cup of tea) really cares about its

would flip the way my classroom was run and start off with the

students. That much was apparent on social media during the

conversations, instead of ending with it. This seemed like such a

school's “off-season”. The pandemic saw schools close their doors

small thing, but I can honestly say it has made a huge difference.

early in March of 2020, and no one knew what the following school

Instead of the students coming into class and getting right into the

year would look like. Many people had a lot of different ideas for

thick of the lesson they would be eased in.

how the district should best move forward and navigate these

I found that giving the students that transition time not only helped

unprecedented times, but at the heart of each argument was the well being of the students.

them be prepared to learn when it was time to start the lesson, but it also helped create an amazing classroom community. We would

As a teacher in the district, I too had my own ideas about what the year should look like for the district, and often found myself engrossed in the online debates that were raging. However, at some point I took a step back and realized, it didn’t matter what the district did. Come September, I needed to be ready to welcome new students to my “classroom”. There was so much focus on

often have“fights” with each other over the right way to make hot chocolate, favorite tv shows, or our inner Powerpuff Girl, which would sometimes take up a majority of the period. It was hard, at first, not teaching “bell to bell”, but after seeing how much the students needed and appreciated the social outlet they were given, it got much easier for me to relinquish “my” time for them.

where the classrooms would be, but not as much focus on what

This is not to say that I stopped teaching all together in exchange

would happen/be taught in those classrooms. As a teacher I had

for a free-for-all. In fact, we were able to make through the entire

a decision to make. Do I focus solely on academics to make up for

curriculum this year, and I saw marked improvement among my

the “lost year”? A term that I was seeing thrown around more and

students, in regards to their reading and writing. This pandemic,

more. Or do I focus on the students mental well being, and give

however, has shown me that it is ok to not hyper focus on

them the opportunity to adjust to and thrive in their new reality.

academics. By focusing instead on students' socio-emotional

These questions led me to what I learned through the pandemic,

needs, even just for the first few minutes of class, a positive

which is that academics does not need to be the driving force

environment is created that allows for the students to be successful

of education!

and more importantly themselves.

“

A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.

- Thomas Carruthers

22 THE POLLOCK JOURNAL

”

We absolutely love learning and our local small businesses that promote learning, so we want to highlight some of our favorite shops that sell learning-based products. Please visit each of these locations, take a selfie at each and tag the shop as well as @pollockpropertiesgroup on Instagram and Facebook and you will be entered into a giveaway, to possibly win $100 Gift Cards to ALL FIVE shops!

That's a $500 shopping spree! Everyone who completes this “tagging BINGO” will be entered into a random drawing to win. We look forward to seeing your smiling faces!

Once you have posted all 9 images, please email us to be entered to WIN! PPGgiveaway@gmail.com @pollockpropertiesgroup

A Paper Hat

Words Bookstore

Sparkhouse

94 Baker Street, Maplewood www.apaperhat.com

179 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood www.wordsbookstore.com

9 Village Plaza, South Orange www.sparkhouse.net

@apaperhat @apaperhatart

@wordsmaplewood 973-762-0230

@wordsbookstore

@sparkhouse 973-763-9500

@sparkhousetoys

973-821-5227

South Orange Public Library

Tau

The Yarn Store

65 Scotland Road, South Orange www.sopl.org

5 Mead Street, South Orange www.tonysmithsouthorange.org

15 Village Plaza, South Orange www.thelocalyarnstore.com

@southorangepubliclibrary @so_library

973-762-0230

@tonysmithsculptureprojectsouthorange

@thelocalyarnstore

@TAU_southorange

@thelocalyarnstore

973-821-5005

Reading Selfie

Maplewood Public Library

Toy Division

Take a selfie with the book that you're currently reading!

5 Baker Street, Maplewood www.maplewoodlibrary.org

101 Baker Street, Maplewood www.toydivisionshop.com

@pollockpropertiesgroup

@maplewoodmemoriallibrary

@toydivisionshop

@pollockpropertiesgroup

@maplewoodlibrary

@toydivisionshop

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973-762-4932

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A special thank you to Matt Keane of Guaranteed Rate Mortgage for his support of this publication. Please reach out to Matt direct for all your financing needs: 973-464-7571 cell

ISSUE NO. 2 23

Is life not full of opportunities for learning love? Every man and woman every day has a

thousand

of

them.

The

world is not a playground; it is a schoolroom. Life is not a holiday, but an education. And the one eternal lesson for us all is how better we can love.

- HENRY DRUMMOND