Official Dedication Of Downtown Vineland Military Mural

Main Street Vineland is announcing an official dedication of a Military Mural, to take place on Veterans Day, November 11, at 9:30 a.m., at the mini-park at the corner of Landis Avenue and the Boulevard—435 W. Landis Ave., Vineland.

The dedication, to be held rain or shine, is free and open to the public, and will precede Vineland’s official Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m., in Landis Park.

Celebrated artist George Perez created the mural, the project which kicked off in June. The mural honors active members of the five branches of the military—the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard—as well as Veterans and POWs.

“George and his assistants worked tireless on the mural and it is now finished,” said Main Street Vineland Executive Director Russell Swanson. “The scope of the mural is phenomenal and the detail is astonishing. It is truly an asset to our downtown—The Ave—and certainly does justice to those brave men and women who have served to keep our country free.”

Perez an artist and illustrator for over 40 years—whose works, done in a variety of mediums and ranging from caricatures, to portraits, landscapes, and murals, have been exhibited in venues throughout the Delaware Valley.

The dedication ceremony itself, according to Josephine Spinelli, Chairperson of the Mural Dedication Committee, will include members and groups of the Vineland community who wish to honor our Veterans with their specific talents and passions to make the dedication truly special.

Public financial support is being sought for this project. A number of grantees—including the Cumberland County Cultural & Heritage Commission/ Department of State, THRIVE South Jersey, BB&T, and Ace Hardware—contributed funds, goods, and services for this mural project. Additional financial support, however, is being sought from the public and from companies to cover all the expenses involved.

People can donate Main Street Vineland’s website—www.TheAve.biz—where different giving levels are outlined.

“All donations are appreciated and no amount is too small for this project,” Swanson said. “This is all about involving all of our community and honoring the members and families of our military personnel. Main Street Vineland is not keeping any of the money raised for itself. Any money over and above paying the necessary expenses for the project will go to the New Jersey State Veterans Home here in Vineland.”

“This is, indeed, a great honor to pay tribute to our brave men and women of the military in a way that is a highly-visible backdrop for one of the iconic parts of The Ave. Each one of the mini-parks at that intersection has a military theme, so this is extremely appropriate,” said Main Street Vineland Executive Director Russell Swanson. “I am urging as many people as possible to come out to the dedication and pay tribute to our military and, at the same time, add to the beautification and historical value of The Ave.”

Swanson sees this project as part of a bigger mural project for The Ave.

“Murals have been used to beautify buildings in cities and towns across the country. These ‘urban canvasses’ add to the richness and flavor of a city’s heritage and allow talented artists to display their talent and creativity while adding to the historical value of buildings,” he said. “We have some buildings in mind of our Urban Canvases on The Ave mural project. A mural on the side of the building at 616 E. Landis Avenue was a community project through Appel Farm Arts & Music Center in 2011. We can pick up where we left off.”

Swanson envisions future murals to be a combination of work by muralists and, like the 2011 mural, community projects.

For more information on this and all Main Street Vineland events and projects, call the Main Street Vineland office at 856-794-8653, visit the organization’s website at www.TheAve.biz, or visit the organization’s Facebook page.