A Magical Night!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our "Evening in the City of Art" gala at City Hall. It was the perfect night to reunite with old friends and to make new ones—and to come together to celebrate 20 years of Summit Public Art! We set our hopes high this year and we’re happy to report that—thanks to YOU—we reached our goal!

A very big thanks to our 2022 City of Art Sponsors, without whose support this evening would not have been possible:

Art Angels

Tom O'Flynn & Cheryl Barr

Delia Hamlet

Art Benefactors 

Richard & Kayla Pechter

Art Patrons 

Marie & Roy Cohen

Vivian Furman Rubin & Julian Rubin

Nora & Rob Radest

Willow Auction House

Art Supporters 

Vani Krishnamurthy and Alok Sanghvi

Fred & Debi Schwarzmann

Linda & Robert Flanagan

Estelle Fournier, Founder of Partner in Art

The Continuo Arts Foundation

Tijana and Jon Hitchon

Jill & Andrew Joseph

Special thanks also to

—our tireless event Co-Chairs, Vivian Furman Rubin and Leslie Herman, and to SPA Co-Chair Ellen de Havilland for giving so much of their time and effort to make this such a magical evening;

—Mayor Nora Radest for her many years of support and for being on hand to deliver an official proclamation declaring September 17th “Summit Public Art Day” in the City of Summit;

—Council members Marjorie Fox, Lisa Allen, Danny O’Sullivan, and Greg Vartan for joining us and for their continuing support of Summit Public Art; and to Aaron Schrager, Rosemary Licatese, Jin Blades, Amy Cairns, Michael Caputo, Pat Priore, Waldemar Martinez, Alex Melendez, the Summit Police Department, and to everyone at the City of Summit for helping to make our evening at City Hall a night to remember;

—SPA artists Emil Alzamora, Ronen Gamil, Donna Conklin King, and Ray King and his wife (and muse) Debbie for traveling to Summit to celebrate with us; with very special thanks to Ray for sharing with us the three illuminated glass sculptures that provided a stunning backdrop to the evening’s festivities;

—the incomparable Primadonna and her All-Stars Band who got everybody up and dancing all night long;

—the members of Summit’s Continuo Arts Foundation who treated the crowd to a rousing selection from Verdi’s La Traviata;

—Auctioneer Jason Iorio of Willow Auction House for helping us raise the funds necessary to bring more public art to Summit next season;

—our SPA board members (and family members!) who worked so hard to make this night happen;

—and to all of our devoted friends and supporters who turned out to help us celebrate and to continue to make Summit a “City of Art”!

Thanks to your generosity, Summit Public Art can continue its mission to provide the public art and community projects that you, your families, and visitors to our town enjoy every day. Through public art, we strive to add to the cultural vitality of our town and expand our sense of community pride. And now as we head into our twentieth year, we look forward to continuing to provoke, educate, delight, and inspire!

THANK YOU!

SPA Co-Chair Ellen de Havilland, Sofiya Whipple, Kareena Whipple, and SPA Board members Vicki Lederman, Leslie Herman, Deepa Whipple, and Sarah Walko greet guests at "An Evening in the City of Art" at Summit City Hall

Mayor Nora Radest delivers an official proclamation declaring Sept. 17th "Summit Public Art Day" (From left: Gala Co-Chair Leslie Herman, Mayor Nora Radest, SPA Co-Chair Ellen de Havilland, and Gala Co-Chair Vivian Furman Rubin)

Members of Summit's Continuo Arts Foundation toast the crowd with a rousing rendition of "Brindisi ('The Drinking Song') from Verdi's La Traviata.

Gala Co-Chair Vivian Furman Rubin assists auctioneer Jason Iorio of Willow Auction House as he auctions off a sculpture by SPA artist Emil Alzamora.

Singer Primadonna and the All-Stars Band get the crowd moving in the courtyard at City Hall.

From left: SPA Board members Deepa Whipple, Vivian Furman Rubin, artist Ray King, SPA Board members Estelle Fournier, Sarah Walko, and SPA Co-Chair Brian Carpenter

Artist Donna Conklin King and SPA Board member Sarah Walko

SPA Board member Vicki Lederman, Delia Hamlet, and Scott Marchakitus

Artist Ray King, Vivian Furman Rubin, and Julian Rubin

SPA Board member Jill Joseph, Andrew Joseph, Deepa Whipple

Michelle Miller and Debbie King

SPA artist Ronen Gamil and SPA Board members Sarah Walko and Estelle Fournier

SPA Board member and Gala Co-Chair Leslie Herman

Missed the Party?

Celebrating 20 Years!

Enjoy this short video retrospective showcasing two decades of Summit Public Art (in just two minutes)!

Have You Seen It? 

To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we’re excited to announce the launch of Summit Public Art’s new YouTube channel—SPA TV, a collection of videos showcasing the wide range of public artworks on display throughout town. In addition to a series of music-video shorts devoted to each work, you’ll also find new video retrospectives on SPA’s 20 year history as well as HTTV’s recent documentary “The Wonderful World of Public Art,” which offers an illuminating behind-the-scenes look at Summit Public Art.

Summit Public Art | [email protected] | www.summitpublicart.com