Asbury’s murals bring culture, art to the Jersey Shore

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Blot photo by Alyssa Rasp.

Emily Toro

Asbury Park is notable for its murals along the boardwalk and their impact on locals and ‘Bennys’ alike, according to Asbury Park Boardwalk, a publication highlighting the best and brightest of Asbury. Whether these murals are viewed by the oceanfront, Casino or Grand Arcade, visitors often stop by and give these murals a look.

This idea to bring art to Asbury is known as Sea Change. To create a mural, a team of curators selects local artists, based their connection with Asbury and unique painting style, according to the Asbury Park Boardwalk.

The murals have become more of an icon to this shore town as people frequently post pictures of them on Instagram using #asburypark.

“The murals from these projects have gradually become important representations of Asbury’s budding cultural relevance,” the Asbury Park Boardwalk reported.

Local radio station New Jersey 101.5 developed a list of top murals that stood out to them the most.  Some of the murals on the list include “Tribute to music legends.”  Photographer Danny Clinch and artist Dick Cecil collaborated to create this mural, which depicts Clinch’s images of musicians including Bruce Springsteen. This mural can be seen on the upper level of the Sunset Pavilion.

Another mural, “Numbers 1871,” features a collage of miscellaneous numbers designed by artist James Vance. Vance intended to display a vast amount of numbers, with the title in the upper left corner of every piece, according to The Blot. But the artist also likes leaving the interpretation of the mural up to viewers.

Freshman Sidney Washington of Asbury Park  gave her input regarding her favorite piece of art created by Timothy Sramowicz and Jay Mack that depicts various amounts of sports players, cartoons, and colorful graffiti

“There is this really amazing mural on Main and Summerfield, and I’ve passed it a million times but I love it every time I see it,” Washington said.

The murals have become an aesthetically pleasing part of Asbury as people flock to get their eyes on more.