Bloomfield's Plan To Bring Murals To Town Involves Jersey City

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield officials are pondering a plan that would bring a renaissance of public murals to the township… and it involves Jersey City.

Earlier this week, Bloomfield officials announced that there may be a partnership brewing that would bring Jersey City’s successful mural arts program to Essex County.

“Many neighboring towns have utilized their artistic communities to beautify their downtown areas, which encourages foot traffic, shopping, and recreation for people of all ages,” Mayor Michael Venezia said.

“We already invest quite a lot in our local artists, such as the bike mural in our Glenwood Garage, and frequent pop up galleries we sponsor every year,” Venezia continued. “By partnering with organizations like the Jersey City Mural Arts Program, we can continue to both give our local artists a bigger platform and beautify our thriving downtown district.”

• See related article: Bloomfield Downtown Gets Boost, Joins Main Street NJ Program

Public art advocate Ralph Andre delivered a presentation about potentially bringing the Jersey City mural program to Bloomfield at Monday’s town council meeting.

One benefit to joining up with the Jersey City Mural Arts Program would be its dedicated website and app, which would allow Bloomfield residents or visitors to locate the town’s murals on a map. Future versions of the app could also include features that link people to local businesses, especially restaurants.

“The JCMAP program held an event for the launch of its website earlier this month, where I was impressed by the community involvement,” Bloomfield Director of Internet Technology Jean-guy Lauture said. “There is untapped potential in Bloomfield in the arts, and enrolling in a program like this will benefit the Bloomfield community at large.”

Lauture said that he shared his experience with Recreation Director Michael Sceurman, Councilman Ted Gamble and Mayor Venezia, and all agreed the town should bring the program to Bloomfield.

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said that since the city started its mural program six years ago, it’s grown to about 140 murals, which “bring vibrancy and beautification” to the area.

“Public art not only contributes to our city-wide beautification efforts, but encourages visitors, shopping and recreation,” Fulop said. “I’m glad to see Mayor Venezia and the Township of Bloomfield follow our example and foster arts in public spaces.”

• See related article: Bloomfield-Based Tap Ensemble Earns Grant From NJ Arts Council
• See related article: Vincent Van Gogh-Bot Paints Murals In West Orange (VIDEOS)

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