From South Orange Downtown
South Orange Downtown is happy to announce that the highly-anticipated 20 Valley Street mural installation is complete. Valley Street is one of the most highly trafficked roadways in Essex County and the gateway into the downtown. This mural adds a significant visual impression to the downtown. After a comprehensive process, DISTORT was selected as the winning artist to install this visual landmark.
An RFP was issued last year requesting proposals from artists and artist teams that convey the theme of “Harmony” and the idea that people are connected to each other and the world around us. The winner was selected using a blind scoring system by an esteemed panel of jurors, all highly-accomplished in their field: Bisa Butler, Nigel Freeman, Tricia Laughlin Bloom, Ph.D., Diedra Harris-Kelley and Bernard Jackson. As a whole, the panel comprised a wide variety of expertise in the arts.
“This mural is a beautiful representation of our town and I am thrilled every day when I walk by to see this stunning piece, the artist did a truly amazing job”, stated Cat Fisher, South Orange Downtown Chair.
The winning artist “DISTORT” is a South Orange native who combines his classical training with the intense creative energy of graffiti. He has exhibited extensively in the Tristate Area and has also completed murals in Miami, Istanbul and Los Angeles to name a few. His project, located just outside of the Holland Tunnel, is one of the largest murals by a single artist in New Jersey. DISTORT continues to create challenging work inspired by his admiration of classicism and the intensity of the present.
Public art adds enormous value to the cultural, aesthetic, and economic vitality of a community. South Orange Downtown is excited to see this project come to fruition and plans to continue to bring art and other beautification initiatives to the downtown area. A public celebration for the mural will be held in the spring.
This mural was funded through a grant from Main Street New Jersey. Main Street New Jersey is a Main Street America™ Coordinating Program and works with communities in NJ providing on- and off-site technical assistance and training in downtown revitalization and management.
South Orange Downtown would like to extend a special thank you to our volunteer committee members Alison Oxman, Jeremy Moss, Cat Delett and Catherine Mbali Green-Johnson for helping to spearhead this initiative.
About South Orange Downtown
Originally founded in 1991 as a Main Street organization, South Orange Downtown is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to making the downtown business district a vibrant place to live, work, and enjoy through events, beautification and advocacy for the downtown businesses. South Orange Downtown is the longest-operating Main Street Community in New Jersey. The organization’s mission is to strengthen the vitality of the downtown business district by supporting existing businesses and attracting new ones to improve the Village’s retail mix; raising funds for improvement and public art projects; producing events that complement existing stores and services; maintaining a clean, safe, and pedestrian-friendly downtown; and helping the governing body manage new development while preserving the attractive architectural legacy of the downtown area. The organization is run by an Executive Director and a volunteer board of directors made up of property owners, business owners, residents and other stakeholders. The organization produces key downtown events, including the Under Cover Music Fest, Summer Saturdays, Farmers Market, Hometown Holiday and more. For more information, visit southorangedowntown.org.
