Sponsors Wanted for Freehold Mural Restoration Project
The FBAC is seeking financial support to have the salvaged mural panels placed on the Court Jester.
Mural Park Project
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Monday, May 6, 2013
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Freehold Borough Police Officer Salvages Mural Panels
Sgt. Michael Sweetman retrieved remaining artwork.
A Freehold Borough police officer’s swift action saved the 10 remaining panels of the town mural, Freehold Borough Arts Council (FBAC) President Neal Girandola said. The panels had been removed from 63 East Main St. on Friday, Dec. 30 by a crew working for the building’s owner, Rakesh Kumar of HRS Investments. A painting crew covered the remaining artwork gray on Friday, Jan. 7, leading to an outcry from the FBAC and area residents. Sgt. Michael Sweetman was on patrol Tuesday morning when he spotted the mural panels through the windows being installed on the building, Girandola said. Sweetman spoke to the project foreman, who received approval from Kumar to release the artwork to the police officer’s custody. “We have a little bit of …
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Monday, January 9, 2012
VIDEO: Residents React to Mural Paint-Over
Freehold Borough Arts Council invited residents to site on Saturday to discuss a business owner's decision to paint the newly completed mural gray.
Area residents and local officials gathered at 63 East Main Street in Downtown Freehold on Saturday, one day after the mural on the site was painted over. The mural was commissioned by the Freehold Borough Arts Council (FBAC) and completed over six months. The owner of the site, Rakesh Kumar of HRS Investments, has an application before the Planning Board to open a 7-Eleven at the site. If the application is denied, he plans to open a gas station, according to his attorney, Mark Williams. Among the officials present at Saturday’s gathering were Mayor Nolan Higgins, Councilman John Newman, Councilwoman Sharon Shutzer, and Borough Attorney Kerry Higgins. FBAC President Neal Girandola said Kumar offered to donate $10,000 to the arts council, …
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Marc LeVine
8:24 am on Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Mr. Kumar's business is based in Morristown. The newspaper there is the Daily Record. We should flood that paper with Letters to the Editor. Send yours to Letters to the Editor -- Jim Namiotka -- jnamiotka@njpressmedia.com more ›
Friday, October 21, 2011
Community Paint Day at Mural Site on Saturday [VIDEO]
Freehold Borough Arts Council invites residents to take part in the Mural Park Project.
Grab a paintbrush and head over to Downtown Freehold on Saturday. The Freehold Borough Arts Council (FBAC) will hold a community paint day at Mural Park, 63 E. Main St., from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents will be able to leave their mark on Freehold Borough by assisting in painting a section of the mural, according to FBAC member Jeff Friedman. “Murals like this one inspire people to feel like they’re part of the downtown and part of the community. It builds on itself economically, culturally and socially,” Friedman said. To spread the word about Saturday’s event and encourage community involvement in the project, the FBAC invited students in the Freehold Borough YMCA Community Center Leaders Club to receive a tutorial from muralist Matt …
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Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Artist Begins Work on Mural Project
Matt Halm's design was selected for Freehold Borough's first mural.
When Freehold residents and visitors pass through the five-point intersection into, artist Matt Halm hopes they will take away a postcard of the borough’s rich history and culture. The Allentown, Pa. resident’s winning design for the Freehold Borough Mural Park Project at 63 E. Main St. features images reflective of the town inside block letters spelling out “Freehold.” “It will look kind of like a postcard,” Halm said. “There was a wealth of historical images and a lot of great history to the town. It was easy to come up with a design.” The mural will include the Columbia Triumphant statue, Molly Pitcher and the historic Monmouth Courthouse, as well as cultural images such as a crowd scene at a Freehold Idol contest. The letters of “…
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Frank Lee
7:06 am on Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Just think how beautiful it will be,only to have it torn down to build a 7-11 more ›
Monday, August 1, 2011
Freehold Art Students Give Gateway to Downtown a Facelift
The painted brick face next to Tony's Freehold Grill is part of the Mural Park Project.
The Freehold Borough Arts Council’s (FBAC) Mural Park Project is underway at the former Exxon gas station at the intersection of Spring and Main Streets. Freehold High School arts students signed up in June to help prepare the site and paint the mural. After priming the walls in mid-July, FBAC members and the student artists-in-residence painted brick face on the surface abutting Tony’s Freehold Grill. The appearance of a brick surface was achieved by placing tape where the bricks would be joined together, painting the wall red, removing the tape after the surface dried, and shading the edge of the bricks with white and gray paint to give a three-dimensional impression. Joining in the first step of the painting effort were Dulce Avile, 18…
Monday, June 20, 2011
Freehold Students Attend Mural Park Orientation
The Freehold Borough Arts Council will sponsor a mural project this summer.
Freehold High School art students gathered at the abandoned gas station on Main Street and Spring Street Thursday in hopes of leaving a mark on their hometown. About 20 students participated in the Freehold Borough Arts Council’s (FBAC) Artist in Residence Mural Park Orientation. The teens who signed up will help a master muralist prepare the site and paint the mural in July. In addition, the students will help direct a community paint day in which younger children and Freehold residents will gather to contribute to the mural. “We’re graduating, but we’re staying here in the art work,” said Jen Messink, 18. Nicole Mezaros, 18, was excited to contribute to something that will be seen and enjoyed by the rest of the community. She noted …
Monday, June 13, 2011
Deadline for FBAC Mural Park Project Essay Contest Approaching
A list of five things you need to know Monday, June 13.
Monday will be mostly sunny with a high near 75 and an overnight low of 56. The deadline for the Freehold Borough Arts Council’s Mural Park Project essay contest is Wednesday, June 15. Essays should be about 450 words in length and describe an artistic concept for a mural that incorporates Freehold Borough’s history and its support of the arts. The mural will be displayed at the vacant gas station site at the intersection of Main Street and Spring Street. Joseph J. Catena School has been selected as one of 32 National School of Character in the country, according to Principal Cathleen Areman. The designation is made by the Character Education Partnership, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. Schools recognized by CEP must demonstrate a …
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Tuesday, May 24, 2011
FBAC Holding Essay Contest for Mural Park Project
Freehold residents can help determine the vision for the mural.
The Freehold Borough Arts Council is holding an essay contest to find the best vision for the Mural Park Project at the vacant gas station at the intersection of Main St. and Spring St. “This mural would be the artistic gateway to the community,” said FBAC President Girandola at a Freehold Borough Council meeting last week. “We want to create a space for cultural inspiration.” The FBAC obtained permission from the owner of 63 E. Main St. as well as the management company to install the mural and reached out to Freehold community groups and businesses while developing plans for the project, Girandola said. The arts council is currently in the process of selecting a master muralist to oversee the project. Currently, the FBAC is considering …
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Tuesday, May 17, 2011
FBAC Announces Plans for Mural Park Project
Vacant gas station will become home to a mural celebrating Freehold's artistic history.
The vacant gas station at the intersection of Main St. and Spring St. will get a facelift this summer. Neal Girandola, president of the Freehold Borough Arts Council (FBAC), presented plans for a mural park project at the site during Monday’s Borough Council meeting. “This mural would be the artistic gateway to the community,” Girandola said. “We want to create a space for cultural inspiration.” The FBAC obtained permission from the owner of 63 E. Main St. as well as the management company to install the mural and reached out to Freehold community groups and businesses while developing plans for the project, Girandola said. The arts council is currently in the process of selecting a master muralist to oversee the project. Currently, the …
Brian Sullivan
3:15 pm on Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Wish I could have been there to see the presentation. This project is going to be a lot of fun while enhancing the town and involving the community. more ›
Lori Saizan
12:30 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Glad to hear it- I watched the artwork going up each day on my way to and from work on Main Street, and was so disappointed when I thought it had been summarily painted over. It had begun to look like a nice pocket park at that corner, and was an enhancement to the town. Sorry to see it go. more ›