Art is Everybody’s Business In Moorestown

MOORESTOWN, NJ — A thriving arts presence is one factor that successful communities share. Moorestown Creates, the cultural arm of Sustainable Moorestown, is busy making sure that happens in Moorestown. The organization has a plan to connect local artists with township businesses to build awareness and appreciation for the arts, and also serve as a way the public can discover and connect with township enterprises. The first initiative is an art exhibition in the lobby of Beneficial Bank on Main Street in Moorestown, featuring the work of Moorestown artist Lisa Matera. The exhibit had a preview during a Moorestown Business Association event at the bank on April 12, and is now open to the public.

After the Moorestown Creates committee was formed in 2016, members developed a long range plan to promote and link together local artists of all genres in multiple ways, and spent months building a network of Moorestown creatives. In late 2017, Moorestown Creates was recognized by the Moorestown Township Planning Board, which pledged its support to the committee’s goal of enhancing the arts through business in Moorestown.

When Arpita Saha, branch manager of Beneficial Bank in Moorestown, heard about the committee’s plans, she offered her lobby as an exhibition space and met with Matera and members of Moorestown Creates to plan the venue’s first showing. This month Beneficial’s lobby has been transformed into a gallery featuring Matera’s work—paintings ranging from large-scale still lifes to intimate portraits fill the spacious room. Matera, who trained at Pennsylvania Academy for the Arts, received a BFA from University of Pennsylvania and studied around the world, is delighted to be part of the first phase of the Moorestown Creates plan to integrate art into business. “This is an amazing opportunity to share art with the community,” she explains.

Saha looks at the project as a win/win opportunity for the bank, artists, and residents of Moorestown. “Connecting with the community is a priority for us,” she said. “We are excited to provide an opportunity for people to come in and experience an exceptional art exhibit on Main Street in their own town.”

Moorestown Creates Chairperson Georgean Wardzinski agrees and says this is just the beginning. “We are working with other local businesses to mount additional exhibitions, and we’re exploring performance opportunities for musicians. The more chances people have to interact with art, the more it enriches their lives and the community. Participating business owners will receive extra exposure, and connections are made on multiple levels.”

For more information about Moorestown Creates, visit www.MoorestownCreates.org.

Photo: L to R, Moorestown Creates Chair Georgean Wardzinski, Lisa Matera, Beneficial Bank Manager Arpita Saha, MBA President Steven Pazienza.