NBT unveils 'Wall of Art'

NORWICH – NBT Bank and the Chenango County Council of the Arts have partnered to give area artists a high-profile venue for their artwork. At the bank’s Norwich Office on 52 South Broad Street in the downtown district, a corridor wall just outside the branch has been designated the “Wall of Art.” The work of each selected artist will be featured for two months during regular business hours. The bank recently installed a new lighting system to enhance the presentation of the artwork.

Victoria Calvert Kappel, executive director of the Chenango County Council of the Arts, said: “NBT Bank has a great deal of foot traffic, so the Wall of Art provides wonderful exposure for the talented artists in our communities. The arts council is very grateful to the bank for initiating this project and providing an excellent public outlet for our artists.”

The first artist to have his work on the Wall of Art is Michael Burgevin, a resident of Bainbridge. His paintings will be on display through the end of April. Locally, he is well known as a jazz percussionist who helps bring in fellow musicians to the Town Hall Theatre in Bainbridge. But as a freelance graphic designer based in New York City for nearly 30 years, he worked for such clients as Brooks Brothers, Lord & Taylor and Abercrombie & Fitch. “I painted fine art when I had the time,” he said. “As a means of expressing one’s self, art is something one can do, or make, alone—very different than playing drums in a band. I put my creative self on the line for people to see what comes out of me visually.”