One of the things Ethan Vallarino appreciates about his Millbrook education is that his teachers never expected him to simply accept what they presented on the surface. He graduated from Millbrook in 2007, nd went on to St. Lawrence University, majoring in financial economics and minoring in fine arts. At St. Lawrence, he focused on drawing, painting, and sculpture and studied art history as well.

Recognizing an opportunity to connect his love of art to his interest in economics, he identified a problem: how could art owners quickly and easily determine the value of their tradable art from a reliable source? Ethan assembled a team and came to a definitive conclusion: create a system to make the valuation of art a scientific, data-driven process. ARTBnk is the result of this exploration. ARTBnk calls on Ethan's abilities to think creatively and to seek solutions that may not be obvious. While building the business model was complicated, the founding of ARTBnk was a natural for Ethan. ARTBnk brings a level of transparency and efficiency to industries like insurance, foundations, asset managers, museums, and even the IRS. As CEO, Ethan is working on new partnerships and expanding platform adoption every day. 

While this venture keeps Vallarino busy enough, he has started to make art again just for the fun of it. When time allows, he moves from his office space into his studio space, adding layers, colors, and textures to his own paintings and taking advantage of the intrinsic and relaxing effects of simply creating something beautiful.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE ABOUT ETHAN PUBLISHED IN THE SUMMER 2020 MILLBROOK MAGAZINE.