FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2024
City of Kingston Announces 2024 Distinguished Artist Award Recipient
KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble and the Kingston Arts Commission are pleased to announce the recipient of the 2024 City of Kingston Distinguished Artist Award will be visual artist and illustrator Matthew Pleva. The Distinguished Artist Award ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 23 at 5:30pm at City Hall.
Mayor Steve Noble said, “I am so pleased that we are able to give this award to Matthew Pleva, a lifelong Kingston resident whose murals and other artwork throughout the city are a source of much community pride. Matt’s work engages with a wide swath of folks, including young folks, and so we are proud to name him the 2024 Distinguished Artist.”
“We on the commission are proud to present this award to Matthew,” said Kingston Arts Commission Chair Marielena Ferrer. “He is a visionary who has made a lifelong commitment to creating incisive visual art that is locally significant and enhances our city’s cultural richness. Congratulations to him on achieving this honor.”
Born and raised in Kingston, Matthew Pleva and his body of work have been heavily influenced by the history and architecture of the city and its surroundings. After graduating from Kingston High School in 1993, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from SUNY Purchase in 1997. He returned to Kingston and became active in the arts community, beginning with entries in the early years of the Kingston Artist Soapbox Derby, as a member of the artist co-op Upfront Art, and local gallery shows. For years he worked as a bench jeweler by day and an artist by night, honing his illustration style and technique. From 2012 to 2015, he and his wife Heidi Abrams-Pleva opened The Art Riot, a co-op retail store that focused on locally produced arts and crafts. In 2014, Pleva produced his first large-scale mural for the O+ Festival, and then a second in 2017. Matthew continues to be involved in the art community. He has a revolving display window at Half Moon Books and his work is available at World’s End Comics. More about Matthew Pleva at https://www.matthewpleva.com/.
The selection panel for the Distinguished Artist Award was comprised of five Kingston residents: visual artist and educator Isabel Cotarelo; Executive Director of the Kingston Library, Margie Menard; photographer Sikena Khadija; actor/educator/COO of Boys and Girls Club Kingston, AnnChris Warren; and visual artist Kai Navarrete. Specials thanks to the Chair of the Distinguished Artist Award committee, Lisa B. Kelley, who is the Executive Director of the Midtown Arts District (MAD) and serves on the Kingston Arts Commission.
The Distinguished Artist Award ceremony is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, visit www.kingston-ny.gov/distinguishedartists.
About the Kingston Arts Commission: the KAC’s mission is to strengthen the local economy by attracting and promoting artists, arts venues, and arts entrepreneurs; encouraging cultural tourism; creating opportunities for training and employment in a range of creative fields; and enhancing quality of life amenities that make Kingston a more attractive city in which to live. By so doing, the City of Kingston gains greater regional and national recognition.