Persist Digital at Montclair Art Colony Biking Tour

Persist Digital team was happy to explore the historic streets of Montclair NJ during the Biking Tour of the Montclair Art Colony organized by Montclair History Center. This eight-mile bike ride took us past many historic homes and studios where notable artists lived and work.

The tour started at the Crane House & Historic YWCA, 110 Orange Road, Montclair, NJ and took about 2 hours. Windy Saturday morning on November 4th was filled with history and exciting stories.

”This was a thrilling tour that surprisingly gave me so much valuable insight of the details about the Montclair art colony and a great overview of Montclair architecture, history, and people who lived here. It was super interesting to find out the details about the distinguished artists who chose Montclair as the place to live in, work, and create”, says Erkan Yildiz, the CEO of Persist Digital.

Experiencing an Inspiring Landscape of Montclair NJ on the Bike

A beautiful and inspiring landscape of Montclair NJ stimulated a whole colony of artists to come to Montclair NJ by the late 1800s. At that time, Montclair was an easy commute to New York and as such was a convenient place to move away from the city commotion and find tranquility and stillness to write and to create.

We learned that the most famous artists who lived in Montclair NJ during 1800s and 1900s were George Inness, Sr., painter Lawrence Carmichael Earle, sculptors Jonathan Scott Hartley and William Couper, engraver Harry Fenn, and stained glass artists Walter and Emilie Greenough. Later on, more recent artists came to Montclair in pursuit of inspiration, harmony, and motivation. For example, civil rights muralist, painter and illustrator Don Miller, whose mural dominates the main lobby of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, also lived in Montclair NJ.

Persist Digital Supports Montclair NJ Community and is Happy to Be a Part of It

Persist Digital team enjoyed this fun eight-mile bike ride. The fall in Montclair is especially gorgeous and it was a unique experience to enjoy the beauty of the landscape and to learn so many interesting facts about the place and people who lived here. Montclair is not an ordinary place and it’s no wonder so many distinguished artists decided to live and create here.

In order for us to participate in the Montclair Art Colony Biking Tour, we needed to register upfront and we were happy to pay a small fee to support such a great and inspiring event. The tour was organized thanks to the partnership of Montclair History Center, Bike Walk Montclair and the Montclair Art Museum. After the tour ended, those who participated had an option to visit the Montclair Art Museum and see the works of George Innes.

We truly enjoyed this event and we hope more will come. If you see an announcement for this event, make sure to register and participate. Riding a bike through the beautiful landscape of Montclair NJ and learning about the less known facts from the history made our weekend. A guided biking tour that takes you past the artists’ places of residence and the studios where they created their art is a true gem you shouldn’t miss.