Sat on the board of a small nonprofit in New Jersey five years ago. We ran youth programs, had maybe 15 volunteers, and operated on a shoestring budget. Insurance felt like a luxury we couldn’t afford. Then a kid broke his arm at one of our events. Parents sued. Our basic liability coverage barely covered the legal fees, and the settlement wiped out two years of fundraising. Almost shut us down completely. That’s when I…
Three years ago, a water pipe burst in the ceiling of my gallery in Chelsea. It was 2am on a Sunday. By the time the building super got there and shut off the water, we had four inches standing in the main exhibition space. We had eleven pieces on display. Total value around $850,000. I stood there in my pajamas and rain boots at 3am, watching water drip off a $120,000 painting, genuinely thinking my…