FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 15, 2007
IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY UNVEILS NEW PUBLIC ART EXHIBIT
MILLVILLE, NJ: The Cumberland County Improvement Authority
will unveil a new public art exhibit as part of the Millville
Glasstown Arts District Third Friday Celebration on June
15. The new “trompe l’oeil” paintings were created
by Philadelphia artist Kyle Margiotta and will be proudly displayed
on the interior walls of the Improvement Authority’s
offices at 2 North High Street. The event marks the fifth anniversary
of the former Millville National Bank building’s grand
re-opening as the offices for the Cumberland County Improvement
Authority.
“
The Improvement Authority purchased the historic Millville
National Bank building in 1999 from the City of Millville,” said
Steven R. Wymbs, Cumberland County Improvement Authority Executive
Director. “Extensive renovations have returned the
building to its former grandeur and made it a cornerstone
of downtown
redevelopment efforts in the Millville Glasstown Arts District.”
The bank building’s interior renovations include a re-creation
of the facades of the Weatherby Hotel and Kreamer’s Pharmacy,
which were located across the street from the Bank in the early
1900s. The windows of the facades feature artwork by local
artist Andrea Workman. The new paintings by Kyle Margiotta
of the “exterior bank building windows circa 1900” will
complete the interior illusion of the buildings facing each
other.
“
Over the past few years, the City of Millville has made great
progress in making its downtown more appealing to visitors
through the creation of the Arts District and a schedule of
year-round events,” said Bruce T. Peterson, Improvement
Authority Freeholder Co-Liaison. “The Improvement Authority
has been a strong supporter and a participant in Millville’s
efforts by hosting monthly art exhibits which are open to
the public, as well as supporting other diverse community
events
including the Wheels and Wings Air Show, the Babe Ruth Girls
World Series, and a variety of downtown events.”
However, the Improvement Authority’s efforts to help
Cumberland County communities have not been confined to Millville.
The Community School Project in Vineland, the new County
Courthouse parking lot in Bridgeton, the Bridgeton High School
Stadium
Renovation Project, and the support and partnerships in a
County Parks System are but a few examples of how the Authority
is
making a positive difference.
In addition, over the past five years, the Authority’s
Environmental Enhancement Grant Program has successfully helped
dozens of non-profit organizations, including all three arts
groups in the County, to develop environmentally related programs
which have provided a variety of benefits to the community,” said
Dennis DeMatte, Jr., Cumberland County Recycling Coordinator. “This
includes new playground equipment, bleachers, benches, and
tables made with recycled materials; enhanced recreational
areas including new locations for fishing, hiking, and other
outdoor activities; new educational programs and art exhibits
about the environment; and new facilities such as one of the
nation’s largest floating docks made from recycled
plastic lumber.”
“
Environmental education is a lifelong learning process. As
a result, the Authority will continue to support community
environmental and economic development projects that ensure
the residents of Cumberland County are environmentally aware
and are able to help maintain an ecologically and economically
sustainable environment for future generations,” Wymbs
concluded.
Kyle Margiotta will be on-hand to unveil the new paintings,
to answer any questions, and to display other pieces of his
art. Kyle has been working in the arts as an illustrator, a
fine artist, and an instructor for the last 10 years. Since
graduating from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia,
he has been displaying his hyper-realistic paintings and drawings
in galleries in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York.
The images he produces are presented in Rembrandt-like
light with a Vermeer-like finish. “My recent opportunities
to live in new places and observe and live among different
cultures has expanded my horizon and influenced my work in
many ways,” Margiotta said. “With this variety
of experiences, my work continues to develop and evolve
into rich forms of storytelling, dealing with human desires
for
love, connections with life, and the pursuit of purpose.”
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For more information about this press release, please contact
Dennis DeMatte, Jr. at 856-825-3700. |
