In addition to selling art supplies to Newburgh’s artistically inclined community, Newburgh Art Supply on 5 Grand Street, has taken on an additional role of hosting the Light Bulb Project. These 4 foot light bulbs made of plywood will be scattered across the City of Newburgh to different storefronts by the end of May, if not sooner.

From the start of the Light Bulb Project in 2013, the frontman of the Light Bulb Project and co-owner of Newburgh Art Supply, Gerardo Castro wanted to be able to make a connection to Newburgh’s rich history. He believes that people often forget why they should take pride in where they live, and this project is designed so that people take on more community pride. Edison’s invention, the light bulb, and the power plant of Newburgh he created, The Montgomery Street Station, that has been in use since 1884, don’t capture people’s attention and some remain oblivious to what surrounds them, which causes people to think that the community they live in is worthless.

Organized by Gerardo Castro, The Light Bulb Project in Newburgh evolved from New York City’s CowParade, where life-size models of cows would be painted by local artists to be displayed throughout the city. The design of these gigantic wooden light bulbs was inspired by Newburgh being the second city to be aligned along the Hudson River; the first being New York because it is the birthplace of Thomas Edison's invention, the light bulb. Castro describes the design of the light bulb as “a symbol of innovation”, which also perfectly describes the rapid change being seen in Newburgh, today. The City of Newburgh used to be seen as a jewel on the Hudson River, and the purpose of the Light Bulb Project is mainly, “to provide an intersection between past, present, and future, between disciplines, and between ideas. By building and reinforcing community, public art can act as a catalyst for community generation or regeneration and it’s freely accessible. Public Art can make us pay attention to our environment; it can encourage us to question what’s around us,”

As spoken by Gerardo Castro, every citizen should experience artistic enrichment.

The reason why these lightbulbs are scattered around Newburgh is simply because it makes a street look more appealing. These gigantic pieces of art “foster community pride, teach people new things and strengthen relationships. In consequence, reawakening can reverberate throughout the community, thereby encouraging a sense of shared ownership and collective affiliation,” also a sense of “place and identity”.

The Light Bulb project has grown from 50 lightbulbs in 2013 to over double that amount in 2016. Check out the website: www.TheLightbulbProjectNewburgh.org to see them all. The immense amount of light bulbs and their huge size has captured people's attention over the years to encourage more people to participate in this wonderful event. Artists that participate challenge artistic boundaries by using a dynamic combination of different materials, concepts, and methods. People from all different professions and experience levels crave to be a part of the Light Bulb Project that has evolved into a movement and has made an immense impact over Newburgh. Castro commented that “Every artist brings to it his or her own experiences and concepts and that’s commendable.” Ages that have participated vary from teenagers to the oldest artist, participating this year at 92 years old, proving that truly anyone has the ability to participate in The Light Bulb Project.

This year, the Newburgh Light Bulb Project Finale Event will take place Sunday, July 10th, noon to 7pm, the light bulb shaped works of art will be showcased. All the lightbulbs will be displayed at People’s Waterfront Park (at Newburgh’s waterfront). One of the highlights of this event will be a silent auction where light bulbs will be available for purchase. This is the day for the entire community and artists to come together and see all the lightbulbs in one location as an exhibition and a celebration of all their hard work.