OUR STORY

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Mount of Angels was founded on a simple belief: no young person should have to abandon their creativity because they cannot see a future in it. Every day, talented young artists are told, directly or indirectly, that art should remain a hobby rather than become a career. 

Without mentors, professional guidance, or real opportunities, many set aside the passions that once inspired them in favor of paths they believe are safer or more practical. Our founder, Jesse Cohen, knows that feeling personally.

Growing up, Jesse was passionate about art, constantly painting, sculpting, and creating. Like many aspiring artists, however, he struggled to see a realistic path that would allow him to build a meaningful career doing what he loved. Believing that creativity alone could not provide a stable future, he pursued a legal career instead.

Although he achieved professional success, Jesse found himself increasingly disconnected from the passion and purpose that had once defined him. During that period of his life, he made some financial decisions that violated both the law and the values he believed in. Consequently, Jesse faced federal criminal charges, for which he pled guilty, accepted full responsibility for his actions, and completed his sentence without incident. He does not excuse what happened. Instead, he views that chapter of his life as the moment that forced him to stop and honestly examine how he wanted to impact the world around him. 

That reflection led him back to art. Jesse began asking a simple but powerful question: What if someone had shown me that creativity could become a career? What if young artists had free access to mentors, business education, and real opportunities? Those questions became the foundation of Mount of Angels.

Mount of Angels exists to ensure that young people never feel they must choose between their passion and their future. We believe creativity is more than self-expression. It builds confidence, develops leadership, strengthens communities, and creates pathways to employment, entrepreneurship, and lifelong opportunity.

Today, Mount of Angels provides youth with mentorship, education, portfolio development, exhibitions, entrepreneurship training, and meaningful connections with working artists and creative professionals, all for free. The work of Mount of Angels is ultimately about the next generation, not the last one.