August 2019
Summit Public Art Update
The mission of Summit Public Art (SPA) is bringing art to public spaces in Summit . We hope you'll find within these emails something that piques your interest, or helps you see the art around town with fresh eyes. If you find the information in this email of value, please forward to your Summit-area friends. Thank you for your support of public art in our community.
Get Your Tickets Now for the
2019 Art After Dark Gala
Celebrating Public Art in Summit
Art After Dark , the Summit Public Art gala, is taking place on Saturday, September 21, at the Rooftop Terrace of 1 DeForest Avenue in Summit. After the resounding success of last year's gala we are even more excited to create an equally wonderful evening for you this year.

Pat Tully will return as auctioneer to emcee and entertain. Delicious food and wine, beautiful city views, and the music of Jazz Tango Fusion saxophonist Julio Botti will combine to create a magical, art-filled night out. We hope to see you there! Tickets are on sale now.
Hellbent Transforms the Parking Deck
What was once a boring concrete structure is now full of life, with vibrant colors and patterns. Over only seven days this summer renowned street artist Hellbent transformed the Springfield Avenue parking deck, spending hours upon hours up on a lift painting the mural. The challenge unique to this type of public art, he says, is that "the 'canvas' is broken with the opening on each floor, so the composition has to be strong enough to connect through these gaps." He chose the chevron pattern specifically because it allows the eye to make that connection.
Hellbent's evolution as an artist began in high school with "tagging missions" which developed into a more art-based approach to street art during college. He further developed his viewpoint after moving to New York City in the late '90s, when he "began doing carving drawings on panel and putting them around town. They were 'drawings' of attacking dogs, hummingbirds, and then my jawbones, which would become my calling card for some time. On the background of these motifs was a delicate lace pattern which would eventually overtake the whole composition, becoming fully abstract." We see echoes of that even today with his work on the parking deck.

Another local opportunity to see his work is coming to Lower Manhattan, where he's working on a two-story mural at Spring and Varick Streets.

Summit Public Art, in collaboration with the City of Summit, is responsible for this installation.
Brickhead Love on the Village Green
We LOVE this installation, especially the sound feature.
Best experienced up close!
Brickhead Love by artist James Tyler is Summit's newest installation. This colossal ceramic head, installed on the Village Green, is composed of red high fire stoneware tiles imprinted with the word "LOVE" and features a sound component, making it truly unique. Each sculpture in Tyler's Brickhead series is handmade and unique. At the same time, they are stylized portraits of everyman and everywoman. They are unique yet universal, bringing today's faces together with pre-Columbian, South American, Native American, Asian, African, and Western influences.

Says Tyler of his work, "I am intrigued by the universality of human culture around the world. Fascinated by the similarities to be found within the diversity. The brickhead sculptures I see as personifications of different aspects of ourselves."

Along with his work as a sculptor, Tyler is Executive Director of the GAGA Arts Center in New York. He has upcoming exhibitions in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

This installation is made possible in part due to the generous support of who?
Thank You to our Student Volunteers!
Artist Sarah Langsam is putting the finishing touches on Togetherness Trail on the Summit Parkline in September. This project gave the Summit community the opportunity to create a piece of public art throughout the summer. A special thank you goes out to these student volunteers who stepped up to help!

Zack
Sean
Ryan
Hannah Beth
Ellie

Thank you from Summit Public Art!
Curated Art Walk with the Co-Co
Join SPA co-chairs Estelle Fournier and Vivian Furman Rubin on a Curated Art Walk of Summit's public art with members of Summit's co-working space, the Co-Co. The art walk is scheduled for Thursday, September 12 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The walk is open to both members of the Co-Co and the community at large.

Supporting Public Art in Summit

We rely on the generosity of Summit residents to provide the public art that you, your families, and visitors to our town enjoy on a daily basis. Donations are accepted (and appreciated!) year-round, and are tax-deductible.
We love seeing your artistic skills in action. Submit photos of the artwork or of your friends and family interacting with it to us at summitpublicarts@gmail.com and we’ll feature it in our emails and social media accounts. Selfies welcome! Include your name or initials and in which town you live.
Socialize with us!
Add more beauty to your Facebook and Instagram feeds by following @SummitPublicArt ! Be the first to know about new installations, see our artists’ latest projects, and get behind the scenes info on how all this art gets to Summit.

Use #summitpublicart in your social media posts of or with the public art in Summit so we can enjoy your creativity and share it with others. We love seeing your interactions with the art; it’s a big part of why we do this work, and our hope is that it adds to your life in a positive way.
Summit Public Art | summitpublicarts@gmail.com | www.summitpublicart.com