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Asbury Park, NJ — The City of Asbury Park is proud to announce the installation of five artist-created benches in Sunset Lake Park, bringing to life the winning project from the City’s inaugural Participatory Budget Program in 2023.
The Art Bench initiative was selected by residents as the top vote-getter in the City’s first participatory budgeting cycle, receiving the highest number of votes among community-proposed projects. Through this democratic process, residents helped determine how to allocate capital funding toward improvements in public spaces, reinforcing the City’s commitment to civic engagement and creative placemaking.
Councilwoman Eileen Chapman, who championed the Participatory Budgeting Program after learning about it through the New Jersey League of Municipalities, emphasized the value of community-driven initiatives. “Participatory budgeting is an exciting tool that allows residents to directly shape their community,” said Chapman. “We learned a great deal through this first cycle—not only about the types of projects residents are most passionate about, but also about how to successfully bring those ideas to life.”
The Art Bench project was proposed by Wendi Glassman on behalf of the Sunset Lake Commission. Sunset Lake Park is the largest park in the city and has its own master plan which calls for enhanced park activation through seating and public art. Glassman modeled her proposal after a successful art bench program in Woodlands, TX. The vision called for commissioning professional artists to create original, functional public art pieces that would serve as both beautiful and practical seating for park visitors.
The City also funded the proposal that received the second highest number of votes from the community, a play structure for Sunset Lake Park, which was installed last fall and was taken into consideration when choosing locations for the art benches. Two of the five benches are near the new play structure and are a further enticement to have people use and enjoy the park.
The Art Bench project also benefited from the support of the Asbury Park Arts Council (APAC), which assisted the city with coordinating the public call for artists, site selection, and communication with the selected artists. “We were happy to be a resource to the city on this creative project and are eager for more collaborations in the future,” said Carrie Turner, APAC Executive Director.
Following a competitive selection process, by which more than sixty (60) applicants from across the United States were considered by a committee comprised of representatives of the Participatory Budget Committee, the Sunset Lake Commission, the Sunset Lake Park Conservancy, Department of Public Works ( DPW), APAC and the Public Art Commission, five artists were commissioned to design and fabricate original benches:
- Jessica Bell, Dallas, TX
- Matt Burney, Oakridge, OR
- Michael “Porkchop” LaVallee, Asbury Park, NJ
- Colin Selig, Walnut Creek, CA
- Lyz Ward, Asbury Park, NJ
"My hope is that this is just the beginning of including functional public art in Sunset Lake Park," said Glassman.
Installation of the benches by DPW will take place the week of April 20th with locations distributed throughout the park.
For more information on the City of Asbury Park Participatory Budget Program go to: https://www.cityofasburypark.com/457/Participatory-Budget-Committee
For more information on the selected artists:
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