New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu


?>

 

Elizabeth Paseler Named Winner of $10,000 Engage Toms River Community Mural Project

originally published: 04/19/2015


(TOMS RIVER, NJ) – On April 14, at the Toms River Council Meeting, Mayor Thomas Kelaher proclaimed Elizabeth Paseler, the winner of the $10,000 Engage Toms River Community Mural Project.  Sponsored by the Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation with the close collaboration of the Toms River Business Improvement District and the Toms River Artist’s Community, The Engage Toms River Community Mural Project was open to all residents in Ocean County.  The Ocean County artistic community was tasked to use their talents to create a mural showing the best of Toms River, to be displayed on the wall of Nancy’s Café in Downtown Toms River.

42 remarkable entries were reviewed by the jury, co-chaired by Danny Clinch, Brian Hanlon and Yvonne Yaar, who created a shortlist of the top three murals.

Finalists Elizabeth Paseler, Gregg Hinlicky and Carolyn Travisano’s work was then displayed at The

River Market Restaurant, The Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library, The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean County College and Community Medical Center.  The community was invited to vote for their favorite mural on The Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation’s website www.jayandlindagruninfoundation.org.

The community voted over 5000 times with less than 300 votes separating first and third places.  




Follow New Jersey Stage on social media
Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky



Jeremy Grunin, Executive Director of The Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation stated, “The Engage Toms River Community Mural Project is community in every sense of the word.  Elizabeth’s design will be turned into a “paint by numbers” canvas allowing every visitor to the Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library the opportunity to paint the mural.  We are looking forward to a very busy and artistic spring!”

Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher stated, "I am optimistic that the Grunin Foundation's attention and devotion to the arts will result in Toms River becoming a center for the arts in Ocean County."

Councilman Al Manforti stated, “I am looking forward to painting the mural myself at our library and seeing Toms River’s artistic talents unveiled at the Downtown Toms River Harvest Festival.”

Jay Grunin, Founder of the Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation stated, “Linda and I are very happy with the community’s growing enthusiasm for our Engage Toms River programs.  We look forward to building on each success and announcing the next Engage Toms River program at the mural’s unveiling during the Toms River Harvest Festival.”

Visit www.jayandlindagruninfoundation.org for more information.

About The Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation

The Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation is a private family philanthropic organization based in Toms River, NJ.  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 (#EngageTomsRiver) 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.

PHOTOS:  (TOP) Pictured left to right, Carolyn Travisano, Elizabeth Paseler and Gregg Hinlicky

(BOTTOM) Elizabeth Paseler’s winning entry which will be at Nancy’s Café wall in Downtown Toms River





Follow New Jersey Stage on social media
Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Art

Art on Screen: The Danish Collector

Monday, July 14, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Monmouth University - Pollak Theatre
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
category: art


 

John

John Lee & Friends

Thursday, July 03, 2025 @ 7:30pm
The Morris Museum Back Deck
6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960




 

Blues

Blues People with Special Guest: Jeff Levine

Saturday, July 05, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087



Tuesday

Tuesday Night Book Club - Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Tuesday, July 08, 2025 @ 7:30pm
VIRTUAL



Straight

Straight No Chaser - Summer: The 90’s Part 2

Tuesday, July 08, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631



Vivid

Vivid Summer Solos: Where is Everybody?

Wednesday, July 09, 2025 @ 6:30pm
Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ 07901




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Union

Union County presents "Art of All Abilities Exhibit" in Celebration of Disability Pride Month

(ELIZABETH, NJ) -- July is Disability Pride Month, and in recognition of the occasion, the Union County Board of County Commissioners invites residents to visit the 2025 Art for All Abilities Exhibit. This special exhibit features 20 original works created by Union County residents of all abilities and will be on display throughout the month of July at the Commissioner's Gallery.



West

West Windsor Arts to Honor Artist Priscilla Snow Algava's Legacy with New Exhibition and Healing Workshops

(PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ) -- West Windsor Arts will host a very special art exhibition this summer celebrating the life and legacy of late Princeton artist Priscilla Snow Algava. The show, "See Beauty Everywhere: Art by Priscilla Snow Algava," will be on view at West Windsor Arts from July 15 through August 8, 2025, and will benefit the scholarship fund established in her name.



The

The Art House Gallery presents "Art Outside of Architecture" - a group exhibition featuring the Architects that designed The Hendrix

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Art House Productions presents "Art Outside of Architecture," a group exhibition showcasing the work of the architects that designed The Hendrix building where Art House Productions resides. The exhibition will be on display at the Art House Gallery from July 5-27, 2025 and features twelve architects stepping out of the structural realm and into a world of personal expression in this dynamic group exhibition.



Novado

Novado Gallery presents "Summer Mosaic" Group Show

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Novado Gallery presents Summer Mosaic - a group show from June 29 - August 23, 2025. ​​​​​​​Summer Mosaic is a celebration of diversity, not just in backgrounds or styles, but in the ways artists see, think, and translate their inner worlds into visual form. This group exhibition invites viewers into a layered experience, where every artwork holds a personal logic, every technique becomes a language, and every image carries the trace of intention.



Ellarslie

Ellarslie Open 42 Awards Prizes to 10 Exhibiting Artists; Exhibition On View Until September 7th

(TRENTON, NJ) -- Ten of 119 exhibiting artists received awards during the Artists and Members Reception for Ellarslie Open 42 on Saturday, June 21 at the Trenton City Museum. The 2025 edition of the annual juried exhibition showcases 124 diverse works by artists of the greater Trenton and Bucks County areas and throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York – and one from North Carolina.