Turn This Blank Toms River Wall Into Something Special, Win $10,000

(The north wall of Nancy’s Cafe in downtown Toms River is the canvas the Grunin Foundation hopes to turn into something extraordinary. Credit: The Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation)

As part of its continuing efforts to strengthen the sense of pride that Toms River has, the Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation is sponsoring a $10,000 contest to design a mural for a downtown Toms River building.

The foundation, started in the 1990s by Jay and Linda Grunin, who have lived in Toms River for more than 45 years, is seeking entries in its $10,000 Engage Toms River Community Mural Project. The project aims to turn the blank wall on the side of Nancy’s Café in Downtown Toms River, at 207 Main St., into something eye-catching.

The artist will design it, and the winning design will be turned into a “paint by numbers” canvas allowing members of the community the opportunity to paint the mural.

“To me this is an ugly wall, but to the artists in our community, it’s their canvas,” said Jeremy Grunin, executive director of the foundation. This is an incredible opportunity for artists to begin redefining Downtown Toms River. It will also give the winner an opportunity to gain experience seeing a project from design to installation.”

“Toms River has world renowned artists who were born and raised here,” Jay Grunin said. “We are proud to announce our Juror Co-Chairs are Danny Clinch, internationally acclaimed rock photographer and Brian Hanlon, Official Sculptor of the NBA. It is our hope the Foundation’s Engage Toms River endeavors will inspire a new generation of world class artists.”

Yvonne Yaar, the artist behind last year’s Community Mural Project said, “This is an extraordinary opportunity for the artistic community of Ocean County. There is no submission fee and the subject matter is open to the artist. It is the competition every artist dreams of.”

Entries are being accepted through Monday, March 9 and must follow the prospectus, which can be found online here.

The top three mural designs chosen by the jurors will be announced on March 16. The voting will then be open to the public to vote for their favorite design with the top three mural designs shown on the foundation’s website, the website of radio station WOBM, www.wobm.com, as well as at The Jay and Linda Grunin Arts Center at Ocean County College, Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library, Community Medical Center, and The River Market Restaurant in Downtown Toms River.

The overall winner of the $10,000 Engage Toms River Community Mural Project will be announced on March 30.

About The Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation

The Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation is a private family philanthropic organization based in Toms River. Its aim is to make Toms River the regional template for quality of life and strong economic health through root-cause focused investment in health care, education and the arts.

To demonstrate our commitment to sustained engagement and participation of all of Toms River’s residents in the arts, it developed the Engage Toms River Program. Engage Toms River will become the hub of the community’s creative ingenuity.

The Foundation wants to encourage every citizen in Toms River to awaken his or her creativity, individuality, artistic and technical abilities to embed interaction with the arts and culture in the community.

The Foundation will host two to three Engage Toms River programs every year, open to everyone in Toms River AND with a minimum prize of $10,000.

Engage Toms River programs will range from digital to performing arts, from music to architecture, sculpture to paint and everything in between. There will be something for everybody in our community.