New Mural Unveiled In Morristown After Years Of Planning

MORRISTOWN, NJ — After years of planning, Morristown’s first public mural has been completed, bringing color, optimism and art to the community.

Smith Design, a full-service strategic brand design agency, collaborated with members of the Morristown Partnership to bring their vision to light.

On Wednesday, May 31, the mural will be unveiled by team members from Smith Design, Morristown Partnership, End of Elm, and Levitate Creative Services.

The mural is located at Olyphant Place, 140–150 Morris Street.

"After completing our 40th Anniversary Give Back project, we discussed the possibility of undertaking a larger philanthropic project to create a more significant impact. An idea emerged to showcase the skills and talents of our creative team here at Smith Design by creating a mural in the community," Executive Assistant and Food Stylist Grace Peluso said.

Peluso contacted Jennifer Wehring of the Morristown Partnership to pursue the idea further, asking her to keep Smith Design in mind if she came across a mural opportunity in the community.

"Fortunately, Jennifer found a potential project for us. However, our plans were put on hold due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a temporary shutdown of activities. Once we were able to resume our operations and regain our momentum, Jennifer and I revisited the mural idea," Peluso said. "That's when Paul Haley, owner of End of Elm’s, building came up, and it turned out to be the perfect canvas for our project."

The mural will adorn the side of the building on Olyphant Place, adding to the town's thriving art scene, officials said.

Given their enthusiasm for the arts, Peluso believes End of Elm, a local gastropub, is the ideal location for the first public mural. In addition to tailored plates and craft cocktails, the restaurant has been working with local curator Laurie Pettine to showcase a rotating exhibit of artwork from around the world.

"All the artwork exhibited is up for sale, as End of Elm believes in supporting the arts and bringing the voices and visions of artists into public spaces," Haley said.

To design the final project, several team members, including illustrator John Thompson and senior designer Becki Murray, collaborated, exploring many options from simple to more complex and settling somewhere in the middle. From there, they explored variations of colors that would evoke joy and fun.

"Keeping in mind the community guidelines, we created a design that portrays the theme of ‘celebration’ visually, derived from interactive shapes and fun bright colors. Our overall inspiration for the mural was fueled by everyday things and a playful mixture of imagination. It is so rewarding to be a part of providing an engaging and optimistic sense of happiness to Morristown," designer Jessica Murray said.

Bringing color and art to Morristown streets has recently been a topic of discussion within the town, with two community members speaking at the May 23 council meeting, requesting more murals throughout the town.

Residents Miranda Braemer and Sarah Anderson advocated for a town program to encourage community members to paint murals around town, similar to a project they did in town hall for the Shade Tree Commission.

The council agreed with the comment, stating that there are several walls in Morristown that could benefit from a mural. "I think that's a wonderful idea because there are these walls that look pretty bad and something that beautiful would really enhance our town," council member Tawanna Cotten said.