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DECEMBER 2020
Summit Public Art Update
Holiday greetings from Summit Public Art! As we approach the end of 2020, we wanted to share a look back at this most eventful year. If you like what you see here, please forward this email to your Summit-area friends and neighbors. And, as always, thank you for supporting Summit Public Art!

Above: Tom Fruin's "Maxikiosco" at Summit City Hall
A YEAR TO REMEMBER
"Public art is a reflection of how we see the world.
It’s the artist’s response to a moment in time
combined with a sense of who we are."

—SPA Board Member Debi Schwarzmann
In a year defined by distance and division, Summit Public Art strove to do what we do best, drawing on the unique power of art to inspire, comfort, and bring us together.

When the virus first hit, we commissioned artist Joanie Schwarz to collaborate on an online photo series that movingly captured the strength and resiliency of our Summit community during the pandemic. 

After lockdowns forced us all indoors, we featured weekly online Quarantine Art exhibits by SPA artists and sponsored our first annual city-wide Chalk Your Walk sidewalk art contest to help get Summit families outside and making art again.

When a makeshift mask appeared on one our artworks downtown, the colossal head sculpture known as Brickhead LOVE, we commissioned a proper replacement to remind us all to do our part to help one another during the pandemic. The sight of the "Brickhead Mask," as it came to be known, made for a powerful and timely image that reached more people, both here and online, than any work we've ever done before.

By the time summer arrived, Summit Public Art had already installed several new artworks downtown, including a specially-commissioned piece by award-winning NJ sculptor Kate Dodd and illuminated works by artists Tom Fruin and Aurora Robson that literally lit up the night both on the Village Green and at City Hall.

We also partnered with Summit Downtown, Inc. and Dylan Baker of Summit House Restaurant & Bar to commission a special interactive mural by noted artist Kelsey Montague to help give downtown Summit a much needed lift. 

The arrival of fall brought the opening of our first-ever outdoor photo exhibit, Summit Under Quarantine, first to the Village Green and then to the Summit Public Library. We also made significant progress behind the scenes, successfully transitioning to a freestanding 501(c)(3) nonprofit, a crucial step that will help to ensure the strength and continuity of our organization for years to come.

None of this would have been possible without the hard work of our board members who volunteered their time and effort to keep Summit Public Art moving forward despite the many challenges posed by the pandemic. We would also like to thank Mayor Nora Radest, David Naidu, Aaron Schrager, and the Public Works Department of the City of Summit for their continued and invaluable support. 

Most of all we would like to thank all of our supporters and the many donors who have kept us going throughout this difficult time. As a 100% volunteer-run, donor-funded nonprofit, we rely entirely on the generosity of friends and neighbors just like you. We are truly thankful to live in a town that embraces artists and their work and responds so positively to public art.

Best holiday wishes to you all and may we all remember the many things we have to be grateful for as we head into the new year!
Above: James Tyler's Brickhead LOVE wearing new mask sewn by Summit resident Terry Jacobs.
Photo by Joanie Schwarz (@joanieschwarz)
“In times of social isolation, we all need the creative
distraction artists provide. Art is an essential service."
Artist Donna Dodson
Above (clockwise from top left): Maxikiosco by Tom Fruin; What Lifts You by Kelsey Montague;
Troika by Aurora Robson; Anomie Exquisite by Andrew Light; Efflorescence by Kate Dodd
SPA board members Debi Schwarzmann and Marie Cohen, Mayor Nora Radest, Common Council President Marjorie Fox, and board member Brian Carpenter at the opening of the photo exhibit Summit Under Quarantine
Summit resident Neil Wilson poses with photo of himself and his son Rajah at the opening of Summit Under Quarantine
Artist Aurora Robson with her sculpture Troika on the Village Green
Lexington, KY-based sculptor Andrew Light with his work Anomie Exquisite (and dog Nash) on the Village Green

The Brooklyn crew of artist Tom Fruin poses with Fruin's stained-glass "light house" Masikiosko at City Hall
Artist Kelsey Montague paints a new pair of wings on the wall behind 11 Maple Street downtown
NJ artist Kate Dodd with her installation Efflorescence at Kaus Way
Entries from SPA's first annual Chalk Your Walk sidewalk art contest last May.
SPA board members Shally Saini and Estelle Fournier attach a new mask to Brickhead LOVE.
Photo by Joanie Schwarz (@joanieschwarz)
Your Guide to the New Season!
Summit Public Art's open-air gallery is aways on view 24/7, day or night, rain or shine. For a full guide to our new season, simply click here:
Or visit us at www.summitpublicart.com where you’ll find SPA’s full online gallery of inspiring works from both the past and the present. Then head downtown to see for yourself why Summit has earned a reputation as one of New Jersey’s premier destinations for world-class public art!
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From our followers:

“Particularly at a time like this, we need art to help us stay in touch with our community."

"Truly one of the best perks of living in Summit is
the public art displayed. Thank you and looking
forward to the next installation!”

"The artists and work you support is soul lifting!"

"Ten years ago who would have thought that Summit would have an art scene? Love it!"
Summit Public Art Needs You
As a 100% volunteer-run, donor-funded, non-profit organization, we rely entirely on the generosity of Summit residents to provide the public art and community projects that you, your families, and visitors to our town enjoy on a daily basis. If you would like to help us continue to enrich and inspire our community through public art, please click on the button below:
Stay safe and stay inspired!
Summit Public Art | summitpublicarts@gmail.com | www.summitpublicart.com