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Summit Public Art:
SUMMER 2023
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We are a landscape of all we have seen.
—Isamu Noguchi
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Greetings from Summit Public Art! Summer is here and we're excited to share a whole new slate of dynamic and thought-provoking works of art as we enter our 21st season!
June was a busy month as we installed three new artworks downtown and on the Village Green. And the rest of the summer looks to be just as eventful as we look forward to the arrival of our biggest installation yet, a large-scale sculpture by acclaimed sculptor DeWitt Godfrey scheduled to debut early next month.
Also look for the return of our popular guided Art Tours of all the new and ongoing installations around town as well as our annual City of Art gala in September and our RAMP Up artist mentor program at Summit High School later this fall.
Through public art, we strive to add to the cultural vitality of our town and expand our sense of community pride. We are truly thankful to live in a town that embraces artists and their work and responds so positively to public art!
Above: Emil Alzamora's Time Travelers and
Charlie Spademan's Surface Tension downtown at Kaus Way
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If you’ve passed by the Village Green recently, you’ve likely encountered this fabulous duo—Mama Bear and Cub by Dale Rogers.
Rogers’ sculptures combine his love of abstract geometrics with organic flowing lines and figurative appeal. Incorporating iconic and whimsical shapes—dogs, birds, or, in this case, a mother bear and her cub—he creates sophisticated yet easily recognizable designs that connect with viewers of all ages and serve as thought-provoking “visual postcards” on the local landscape.
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A native of Haverhill, Massachusetts, Rogers first became interested in welding and working with metal when he taught himself to repair metal equipment on his family’s farm. Since becoming a full-time metal sculptor in 2003, he has exhibited artworks throughout the country and internationally in private collections and in public parks, museums and on both corporate and academic campuses.
Be sure to stop by and welcome Mama Bear and Cub to Summit the next time you're on the Green. You'll find them near the corner where Broad meets Elm Street.
Click the video below to see the bears on the Green!
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Carolyn Salas’s geometric sculptures combine abstraction and narrative with a focus on the human form. This elegant, sophisticated piece, titled Tippy Toes, was partly inspired by lines from an Aldous Huxley poem: “That’s why you must walk so lightly. Lightly my darling, on tiptoes and no luggage.”
Tippy Toes was originally commissioned by the United States Tennis Association and the Armory Show. If you were in Forrest Hills for the US Open last summer, chances are you saw it there. Take a close look and you might notice how the feet in the sculpture, poised on their toes, bring to mind the stilled moment before action (or, if you’re playing tennis, the moment just before the serve).
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Born in Hollywood, California, Salas lives and works in Brooklyn and upstate New York. Salas earned a BFA in sculpture from the College of Santa Fe and an MFA from Hunter College. In 2021 she was named an Artist-in-Residence at Google and her work has been widely exhibited around the U.S. at the Berkshire Museum, Ever Gold Gallery in San Francisco, NADA Special Projects in Miami, and Mrs. Gallery in NYC.
Salas cites dream theory, language, mythology, and history as her primary influences, though you’ll also find traces of classical Greek art and architecture in her intricate, graceful designs.
“I hope that the work transcends and can be seen as timeless," she says, "that anyone at any point in time can see it and relate.”
Look for Tippy Toes on the Village Green near the Summit train station.
Click below to see a short video of Tippy Toes!
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Charlie Spademan’s hand-forged artworks often explore the transformation of structural steel into organic forms. Constructed from stainless steel and cast-resin, this whimsical, mind-bending sculpture, titled Surface Tension (or Leda's Dream), appears to show an anvil balancing on a balloon in an impossible but very convincing manner.
Interesting fact: The anvil in the sculpture is fabricated out of stainless steel and can easily be lifted by two people. If it were real, an anvil of this size would weigh 950 lbs. To achieve its realistic-looking patina, Spademan used a torch and combination of black paint and motor oil.
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Based in Montclair, Spademan studied sculpture and metal forging at the Cleveland Institute of Art and has worked in a variety of mediums, including metal, plastic, and wood, machine design, electronics, and automation. A trained blacksmith, he creates hand-forged works that contemplate what he calls the “undefined boundary between fine art, craft and design.” He has numerous commissioned works throughout New Jersey and New York and is the co-founder/curator of the Hillside Sculpture Park in Montclair. If you’ve ever visited Manufacturers Village in East Orange, you might have seen his studio there as well.
“My focus is on creating truly one-of-a-kind pieces, work created with my hands,” says Spademan. "I have supported myself all of my life working with my hands and mind on creative endeavors and feel like the line between art and craft is often pretty blurry. My forged iron railings and doors are a good example—utilitarian, but artwork of a kind.”
Click below to see a short video of Surface Tension!
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SPA is pleased to announce the extension of four of our installations for another season! | |
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Emil Alzamora's
Time Travelers
These six life-size figures appear to be visiting and observing our world from another dimension or another period in time, most likely the future. Watching them watch us, we begin to see the world as they do: as a whole new universe to be explored. Now on view downtown at Lyric Pocket Park, the Summit Promenade, and Kaus Way.
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Donna Conklin King's
Cave Painting
This mural of clouds and sky explores the possibilities of concrete as a medium while addressing the relationship between nature, architecture, and the inevitable ruins of civilization. On the reverse side are lines from Amanda Gorman’s poem “The Hill We Climb.” Now on view at the Village Green near the intersection of Broad Street and Elm Street.
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Ray King's
Star & Spheres
Using advanced technology, Ray King designs three-dimensional shapes and patterns that are astoundingly complex yet simple and elegant. Made of dichroic glass, King's sculptures simultaneously reflect and project light and color into the surrounding environment, continuously transforming their appearance as the viewer moves or as the light source changes throughout the day. Location: Summit City Hall at 512 Springfield Avenue.
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Nancy Cohen's
Your Water, My Sky
Your Water, My Sky is an investigation into place and our experience of it. Each image comes from the artist's personal experience of waterways impacted by climate change. Banners juxtapose glimpses of two different sites, reflecting their individualities and commonalities. These pairings are metaphors for our human relationships, providing visual connections that bring unity to the Village Green and unite us with our surroundings. Location: Village Green near the corner of Broad and Maple Street across from the Summit post office.
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SPA Awarded $10k Grant for 2023 Season! | |
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Summit Public Art is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a grant from The Summit Foundation for our 2023 season! This generous $10,000 grant will help fund new temporary art installations and educational programming and outreach in our community.
“Our grantmaking is aimed at building the resources of organizations dedicated to providing innovative and critical services to enhance the quality of life in the Summit area,” said Summit Foundation President Dana Turk.
The Summit Foundation fosters philanthropy by identifying local needs and offering donors flexible ways to make a difference in the lives of their neighbors. In the past ten years, it has awarded $5.8 million in discretionary grants to 107 tax-exempt organizations that serve the area.
Many thanks to The Summit Foundation for supporting public art in our community and for this much-needed funding!
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Join us on Friday, September 22 at Twin Maples (214 Springfield Avenue, Summit) for A Night in the City of Art as we celebrate our 21st year of bringing art to public spaces in Summit!
✭ Meet our 2023 SPA Artists
✭ Fine Wines, Hors D’oeuvres, Small Plates, and Sweet Treats
✭ Live Music, featuring Barry Herman's CASHMERE
✭ Art Site Auction & Art Sale with Christie's Auction House
✭ An evening to delight and surprise
7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Casual Cocktail Attire.
$150/pp. Space is limited.
To purchase your tickets, please click the button below:
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Sponsorships available!
Click here to learn more.
For more information on tickets, sponsorship and advertisements, and accessibility needs, please email us at summitpublicarts@gmail.com.
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Head downtown and take a self-guided tour of all the new and exciting public art on display here in Summit!
This season offers several must-see works by a host of internationally-acclaimed artists. And, as always, our open-air gallery remains free and open to families and art lovers of all ages. Visit us at www.summitpublicart.com to learn more about our current installations and come see for yourself why Summit has earned a reputation for being one of New Jersey’s premier destinations for world-class public art!
| Summit Public Art Needs You | |
As a 100% volunteer-run, donor-funded, city-based organization, we rely on the generosity of friends and neighbors just like you to provide the public art and community projects that you, your families, and visitors to our town enjoy each day.
We know that the last few years have been especially challenging for all of us, which is why we greatly appreciate any contribution you might be able to provide. No amount is too small!
If you would like to help us continue to enrich and inspire our community through public art, please click on the button below:
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follow us on Instagram or Facebook
@summitpublicart
or by clicking the links below:
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From our followers:
“Truly one of the best perks of living in Summit is
the public art displayed. Thank you and looking
forward to the next installation!”
“The artists and work you support
@summitpublicart is soul lifting!”
“Go Summit Public Art! I so enjoy all of your selections
and really look forward to seeing what pops up next.”
“I enjoy living in a community that takes its public art seriously. Great work Summit Public Art!!!”
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