Haddonfield Nonprofit Adds 3 To Board Of Directors

HADDONFIELD, NJ – The Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust (HOST) announced the addition of three notable members to its Board of Directors on Wednesday. The following new members have all accepted invitations to help guide the Haddonfield nonprofit:

• Autin Wright, renowned sculptor and Technical Director for Paint and Patina at Grounds for Sculpture;
• Joshua Koffman, local sculptor whose bronze “Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time” was blessed by Pope Francis upon his visit to the US in 2015; and
• Matt Cowperthwait, Manager of Haddonfield’s Republic Bank.

HOST is working with the borough to create a public/private outdoor art initiative that has populated downtown locations in Haddonfield with more than 20 rotational, contemporary outdoor sculpture. Sculpture acquisitions are funded by private and corporate donors.

Wright was born and raised on the Caribbean island of Jamaica. A graduate of the Edna Manley School of Visual Art in Kingston, he was honored with a Certificate of Merit as well as a gold, a silver, and two bronze medals at Jamaica’s Annual Festival of Fine Arts Exhibition. His work was included in the National Fine Arts Exhibition in Jamaica, and he was the recipient of the Simon Bolivar Sculpture Competition Award hosted by the Venezuela Embassy in Jamaica.

Wright moved to the United States in 1987. After graduating from the Connecticut Institute of Art in Greenwich, he became the Technical Supervisor for Paint and Patina at the Johnson Atelier Institute of Sculpture in Mercerville.

Koffman is a Philadelphia based sculptor known for his expressive and dramatic large-scale bronze sculptures. Koffman is an elected member of the National Sculpture Society, and a recipient of many distinguished awards among which are the Alex J. Ettl Grant, the John Cavanaugh Memorial Prize, and First Place in the Grand Central Academy’s Sculpture Competition. His work appears in numerous public and private collections and can be seen in Philadelphia’s F.A.N. gallery. In 2007 Koffman co-founded the Philadelphia Traction Company, a collaborative workspace and art center in West Philadelphia, where Koffman continues to model, cast, and create.

Koffman was captivated by Greek and Renaissance art at an early age. He pursued a formal art education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, earning a BA in Fine Art. Desiring advanced study, Koffman then enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts where he currently teaches. Koffman’s bronze Europa is currently on loan to the borough of Haddonfield located near the intersection of Chestnut Street and Kings Highway.

Cowperthwait has managed the Haddonfield Republic Bank for nearly eight years, and brings business acumen and financial expertise to the HOST board. The organization believes his connection to and understanding of the Haddonfield business community will prove invaluable, as it has in HOST’s years of established partnership with Republic Bank.

“I am so thrilled to share my vision of outdoor sculpture in Haddonfield with such a fine and diverse board,” HOST Chair Stuart Harting said. “Seeing passion for outdoor sculpture reflected in the faces around me at each board meeting fills me with joy. We know that our 2019 board additions will bring experience and savvy to help us expand our collection, deepen our network of friends and contributors, and improve management of our nonprofit.”

In addition to Harting, other members of the board include:

• Michael Willmann, Esq., Vice Chair, Non-Profit Development Center of Southern New Jersey;
• Susan Baltake, Marketing, Management and Media Strategist; Econsult Solutions Senior Advisor;
• Barbara Bassett, Philadelphia Museum of Art;
• Becky Elmuccio, Yellow Pear Media;
• John Giannotti Sculptor, Past Chair, Rutgers University Fine Arts;
• Rosie Hymerling;
• Christopher Leise, Esq., Markeim Arts Center;
• Joe Levine, CCandG.com – Creative Communications and Graphics, Inc.;
• Marketing | Branding | Design | Web | Print | AV for Events;
• Joseph Murphy, Esq., Attorney;
• Robert Roesch Chair, Department of Sculpture Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts;
• Joseph Sikora, RLA, ASLA, Sikora Wells Appel;
• Thom Wagner, AIA;
• Allie Westerside, Haddonfield Memorial High School; and
• Megan York Parker, Communication Consultant at MYP Communication, Visit South Jersey