By Liz Leamy
Last Wednesday night was a moment in which lightning was captured in a bottle as The First Bank of Greenwich celebrated the wonderful artwork of Jodi DeCrenza at The Bruce Museum.
This lively and memorable event, which drew hundreds of attendees, was all about accomplishment, energy and possibility as all of those on hand expressed their appreciation for the remarkable work created by DeCrenza, an abstract impressionistic artist from Greenwich whose paintings were featured all over the museum’s main lobby area in tandem with tableware and fashions worn by lovely models that were emblazoned with her designs to render this as a high-voltage experience in every regard.
“This has been the most amazing evening and it’s incredible to have everybody I love in this room at one time. I didn’t think it was going to turn out to be this big,” said DeCrenza, whose studio is based in Hastings-on-the-Hudson, New York. “I’m so grateful to The First Bank of Greenwich. It is the best bank and it’s not just a bank, it’s a family.”
Certainly, for attendees of this event, including the figureheads of The First Bank of Greenwich, the event’s sponsor, it was a thrilling and wonderful night on all counts.
“I want to say thank you to Jodi,” said Frank J. Gaudio, President and Chief Executive Officer of The First Bank of Greenwich. “She’s very, very talented and this has been such an exciting night.”
Others agreed.
“Jodi is incredibly talented and she’s even a more amazing human being,” said Mary Anne Carey of Greenwich, friend of DeCrenza who was wearing one of her dresses made of fabric adorned with her art. “This has been an incredible night and I’m so happy for her.”
Adding to the exhilarating energy of the evening was the breathtaking music of Nina Bogomas, a harpist from Harlem, along with the performance of three talented dancers from Tati Entertainment to the engaging sounds of Yelena Move, an electric violinist, all of who wowed the crowd.
“This has been such a great evening,” said Mark Barry, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer of the Connecticut Bankers Association based in Farmington, Connecticut. “The fact that this creative event is happening at the Bruce Museum involving sight and sound with so many people enjoying all of these senses is amazing and I love the fact that The First Bank of Greenwich is making it happen.”
Others shared similar sentiments.
“This has been a fantastic event. It is another example of The First Bank of Greenwich supporting the community in so many different ways,” said Tom Mongellow, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Bankers Association. “Everybody is enjoying themselves.”
Notably, over the past several years, DeCrenza’s paintings have been exhibited at such major global cultural institutions as The Louvre in Paris, Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona, Spain, Museum of Science and Technology in Lisbon, Portugal and Artio Gallery in Toronto, Canada, along with at numerous other prominent museums and galleries in the U.S.
DeCrenza, who primarily works with oil and acrylic pigments, uses radiant colors inspired by nature on stretched canvas with each of her pieces representing a powerful expression of landscape and nature to in turn affect individuals on so many levels.
With DeCrenza’s remarkable body of work being at center stage of this event, this gathering was a truly celebratory one, with everyone there having a great time in honor of her talent and accomplishments through the support of The First Bank of Greenwich.
“Jodi is an amazing artist and everyone is having a wonderful time here,” said Louis A. Tallarini of White Plains, New York, President and Chief Executive Officer of Real Property Investors Inc. and Chairman of World Baseball Network/Baseball Without Borders who is also an avid collector of abstract and modern art. “This has been one of the great parties of the year and I think it’s mostly because they had a good party planner, Frank.”
For more information on Jodi DeCrenza, please contact her at: 646-372-7404/ @jodidecrenza
