🌞 One Year Later: A Look Back at Our Montclair Brewery Residency
- Sunshine
- Aug 2
- 2 min read
August 2 – October 4, 2024: Imagination by Sunshine x Montclair Brewery
This weekend marks one year since Imagination by Sunshine began its very first artist residency — and it all started at Montclair Brewery. From the moment we hung the first piece to the final toast at the closing reception, it was a summer that shifted everything.
Our work lived on the walls of the brewery’s lounge from August 2nd through October 4th, giving us not just exposure, but presence. People came for the beer, but they stayed for the color, the conversation, and the curiosity. There was something beautiful about watching strangers pause in mid-conversation to take in a painting — or hearing a customer say, “I feel like I’ve been here before,” while staring into a surreal dreamscape.
💛 A Year Later…
Looking back, this residency laid the foundation for everything that followed — gallery features, commissions, larger residencies, and a growing community around the Imagination by Sunshine universe.
It taught us that art doesn’t need to be confined to a white cube — it can breathe in breweries, live in the local, and feel right at home wherever people gather.
So if you ever walked through Montclair Brewery last summer and paused for a moment to look up — thank you. You were part of something that changed everything.
🍻 A Community-Rooted Residency
We weren’t alone in this journey — we were proud to share the space with fellow resident Brianne Valentino, a talented multimedia artist whose dimensional work brought a striking contrast to the lounge. Together, our pieces created a visual conversation: abstract meets surrealism, motion meets memory.
The brewery staff, the patrons, and the Montclair community showed us so much love and respect. Prints were purchased. Stories were exchanged. One visitor told us the residency reminded them of “why local art matters.”
🎉 The Closing Night — October 4, 2024
We wrapped the residency with a cozy, unforgettable Art Closing Reception, held on October 4th from 5–7:30 PM. People came through to toast the work, talk to the artists, and reflect on the impact the space had over those two months. For us, it wasn’t an ending — it was a signal that we were just getting started.
🖼️ Didn’t Get to See It?
A few select prints from the residency collection are still available:👉 [Link to shop residency prints]
And if you're new here, welcome to The Sunbeam — our space to reflect, share, and stay close to the light.
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