Greetings from Summit Public Art!
Today we celebrated the opening of our first-ever photo exhibition on the Village Green: Summit Under Quarantine. Many thanks to Mayor Nora Radest, Common Council President Marjorie Fox, and to all who joined us for this special occasion!
What is Summit Under Quarantine?
In April 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey, Summit Public Art commissioned artist Joanie Schwarz to collaborate on a photo series that would capture this unprecedented moment in our city’s history. An award-winning photographer, Schwarz spent several weeks walking the streets of Summit, showing viewers the closed shops and empty streets of a city under lockdown, neighbors helping neighbors at GRACE's "Giving Tuesday," and signs of a community taking its first small steps towards a new "normal." The resulting series was a moving and inspiring work that reflected both the uncertainty of our times and the resilience of the Summit community.
The overwhelming number of responses we received led us to curate these photos into an archival outdoor exhibition on the Summit Village Green. Titled Summit Under Quarantine, this new exhibit features more than two dozen photographs, including some not previously seen. Our hope is that seeing this shared history will give even more people the chance to witness the empathy and hopefulness that pulled us together during those first dark days and perhaps provide a way for all of us to reframe and reimagine our lives as we head together into the future.
This exhibit honors Summit’s past and present mayors and all the citizens who have given their time to serve in our city government. We are grateful for the leadership that has continued to build a supportive, compassionate community for all.
Come see Summit Under Quarantine, now on view at the Summit Village Green! Look for it at the intersection of Broad and Maple Streets across from the post office.
