December 2018
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.
2018: A Year of Magic
What an end to an exciting year for Summit Public Art! As we reflect on the past year, one feeling surfaces: it’s been magical. From the astounding success of our fundraising gala in September, to the quality of the artwork installed in Summit throughout the year, we leave 2018 feeling proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish and provide for our community, and grateful for its generosity.

Throughout 2018 we have been dedicated to bringing world-class public art installations to our community in Summit. With the help of our generous sponsors and the support of the City of Summit, six new art works were installed throughout town. We highlight the 2018 installations in this email, as well as a few of the artists who have brought their creativity to Summit.
New Installations and Programs in 2018
Tadashi Hashimoto installed  Grounding Sky on the Village Green. Corner of Elm and Broad Streets.
Dan Fenelon mentored art students at Summit High School through the new RAMP UP program, to create  Spirit of Summit installed in the park off Union Place near the train station.
Shelley Parriott installed her  Color Field Sculpture on the Village Green. Corner of Elm and Broad Streets.
Jason Peters installed  Broadway Boogie at City Hall. Springfield Avenue in City Hall Park.
Kate Dodd installed  Cloudscape above Trucksess Fountain in Promenade Park. Off Springfield Avenue.
Jorge Wellesley installed  Shaping the Essence in Lyric Park on Beechwood Road.
Our Artists: A Look Back, A Look Forward
Summit Public Art and Summit are fortunate to work with talented and inspiring artists, and have their work as part of our town’s landscape. But that’s just part of the story. One of the major benefits of our program is to provide exposure for the artists, and help them build their resumes and promote their work. We spoke with three of the artists whose work is installed in Summit to find out how it’s impacted them and their careers, and what they are working on now.
Wendy Letven

There Are Holes in My Perception of the Rain Forest , recently installed at Kause Way off Springfield Avenue

"Having this experience on my resume has been helpful in being chosen to create other installations and sculptures this year."
Creating the sculpture,  There are Holes in My Perception of the Rainforest , has been a great experience for me. I was thrilled at the chance to create something…that the public would interact with daily. It has been a very exciting time in my career and I’ve appreciated the generous support from the people at Summit Public Art.

I just completed a public installation for the Flatiron Prow Artspace at the the landmark Flatiron Building on Fifth Avenue in New York. And I am currently a part of a collaborative installation at The New School in New York. I will be creating a new paper cut installation for an exhibit at The Hunterdon Art Museum in May 2019.
Drawing the Invisible , Wendy Letven's sculputure at the Flatiron Building in New York City.
Kate Dodd

Cloudscape , currently installed at Promenade Park over the Trucksess Fountain off Springfield Avenue

"One of the things I really enjoy about making public work is getting to know the community as I work, and getting a more intimate view of how the space I'm working with is used on a daily basis."
I was really pleased to be invited to create an installation this year for the Promenade Park. I've done a number of public art projects in New Jersey, but always for NJ Transit, so participating in a municipal program is a nice way of branching out further in the state. 

I'm especially interested in creating work that responds to its surroundings, uplifting overlooked or underutilized resources in the process, so the Trucksess Fountain location was an opportunity I wanted to grab hold of.  One of the things I really enjoy about making public work is getting to know the community as I work, and getting a more intimate view of how the space I'm working with is used on a daily basis.I hope this is the beginning of many more NJ opportunities.

I'm working on an installation that will open this coming spring in Redwood City, CA. Like my Summit piece, this new work will be in a public plaza and viewable 24/7, although it will be housed in a 12' x 12' x 12' glass enclosure, which makes it possible to use less sturdy materials. The installation, which will be on view for a month, will be built entirely of books that are no longer sellable, arranged in a rising ring that spirals ever upwards, dissolving into floating forms above. The evocation of hovering illusionistic forms will be similar in both pieces.
Jorge Wellesley

Shaping the Essence , currently installed in Lyric Park on Beechwood Road

"A public sculpture always creates a possibility of interaction with people and a sort of conversation with the public space."
Participating in the Summit Public Art program has offered me the opportunity to show my first public sculpture in the US and, just as significantly, in New Jersey where I live. This experience has allowed me to show my art to a wider audience which is great for my career. A public sculpture always creates a possibility of interaction with people and a sort of conversation with the public space. The art comes to the viewers and tries to get involved in the dynamics and behaviors of a society.

For the Summit project I came up with a structure that represents a kind of dance between the four human races with the letters of the word "Soul.” The title is Shaping the Essence because this sculpture, like the language does, tries to enclose that space that doesn't exist physically. Soul is a space of the consciousness, an incorporeal essence. It is a pleasure to bring this idea to Summit and contribute to the art showing in this town. Thanks to SPA for having me in this program.
 
New projects that I've been working on include the closing of a group exhibition in the Coral Gables Museum in Miami and the participation in Art Miami Fair at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2018. I received the Guttenberg Arts Residency in New Jersey from January through March 2019, and some others coming out in the next months.
Update from the Committee: 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.
As the saying goes, Time is Money. We are always in need of the expertise of Summit residents on the Summit Public Art committee, especially in the areas of non-profit development, financial management, and marketing. Consider joining other art lovers in our quest to continue making Summit a beautiful place to live.
From everyone on the Summit Public Art committee, thank you for a magical year!
Happy Holidays and a Blessed New Year
to you and your family.
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