Palisades Unveils New Jersey's First-Ever Highway Art Gallery

Winning Artwork by Local Artists to be Showcased on Billboards Throughout State, Honored by NJ Secretary of State

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J., Aug. 17 -- There are no tickets required to attend this weeks unveiling of the Palisades Highway Art Gallery competition's winning images. Palisades, the nice New Jersey car insurance company, invites everyone to hit the road and check out the 13 newest billboards to make up the state's first-ever Highway Art Gallery. Each roadside canvas features work from New Jersey artists whose entries were selected by visitors to the competition site, Palisades.com/DriveWithaSmile. The public viewed more than 900 artwork submissions and voted for their favorites over four weeks this summer.

"We are so proud to unveil these exceptional works to the public this week," said Ed Fernandez, president and CEO of Palisades. "The goal of our Palisades Highway Art Gallery was to make New Jersey a more memorable place to drive, which we feel each of the winning submissions accomplishes. We're thrilled New Jersey drivers can now enjoy the winning artwork being displayed throughout the state for the remainder of the summer."

Since July 13, artists of all ages and levels of skill competed online in hopes of having their work chosen to be showcased on one of 13 billboards throughout New Jersey, as part of the Palisades Highway Art Gallery. Throughout the competition, more than 940 submissions were uploaded to the Drive With a Smile Web site, and each submission was then displayed and available for site visitors to vote for their favorites.

At the close of the voting period, the 13 submissions were selected by the public as their favorites to be reproduced and posted on billboards throughout Bergen, Morris, Middlesex, Monmouth, Essex, Hudson, Burlington, Somerset, Atlantic, Ocean, Camden and Mercer Counties. There were more than 110,000 votes and winners were announced on August 10.

Winners were honored on August 13 by Palisades and the NJ Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells in a ceremony at the NJ State Museum in Trenton.

"I wish to thank President Ed Fernandez and everyone at the Palisades insurance company for their successful Highway Art Gallery campaign," said Secretary Wells. "The response has been nothing short of extraordinary with over 940 submissions from artists statewide - all sharing their unique perspective on what makes the state an ideal tourism destination and a great place to live, work, vacation and raise a family. I want to congratulate all the award winners, and thank everyone who took the time to participate. Not only will the winners enjoy high profile exposure for their artwork, but drivers near and far will be reminded that, in New Jersey, there's always a great destination in any direction."

  Palisades Highway Art Gallery billboard sites include:
  --  Rt. 1 at Olden Ave. - Mercer County; artwork by Olivia Funghini of
      Union
  --  Rt. 46 at Ruby Ave. - Bergen County; artwork of Mark Oberndorf of
      Wyckoff
  --  Rt. 9 at Ticetown Rd. - Middlesex County; artwork by Jill Caporlingua
      of Highland Park
  --  Rt. 35 at W. Park Ave. - Monmouth County; artwork by Alan Barnett of
      Asbury Park
  --  Rt. 10 at Cooper Rd. - Morris County; artwork by Paul Kiesche of Long
      Valley
  --  NJ Turnpike at Exit 17 Toll - Hudson County; Madelaine Cappuccio of
      Ridgefield Park
  --  Rt. 73 at Orchard Ave. - Burlington County; artwork by Jeff Gola of
      Moorestown
  --  Rt. 202 at Old York Rd. - Somerset County; artwork by Stephanie Amato
      of Basking Ridge
  --  Rt. 1 at Meadow Rd. - Mercer County; artwork by Bryan Sannwaldt of
      Milltown
  --  Rt. 9 at Bayshore Dr. - Ocean County; artwork by Audrey Linstrom of
      River Vale
  --  Rt. 280 at Garden State Parkway Exit - Essex County; artwork by Maria
      Nash of Rockaway
  --  Rt. 38 at Browning Rd. - Camden County; artwork by Kelly Hunt of
      Hammonton

  --  Atlantic City Expressway at mile post 5.8 - Atlantic County; artwork
      by Scott Mahrer of Egg Harbor Township

The Palisades Highway Art Gallery was officially announced on July 13 with the unveiling of two billboards featuring artwork by renowned New Jersey artists Tim Daly of Hoboken and Gary Godbee of Westfield. The winning images, as well as all of the submissions to the Highway Art Gallery can be viewed on Palisades.com/DriveWithaSmile.

The New Jersey Highway Art Gallery is the first initiative of the Palisades Drive With a Smile campaign, with the goal to remind drivers about the best the Garden State has to offer and create nicer New Jersey driving moments and more smiles all around. For more information about the Drive With a Smile campaign or the Palisades Highway Art Gallery, visit Palisades.com/DriveWithaSmile.

For information about Palisades or any of its more than 300 independent agents across the state, visit Palisades.com.

About Palisades

Palisades is the nice New Jersey car insurance company that gives you more. Drivers and agents get more reasons to smile with more value, friendly New Jersey expertise, and service done right. Palisades sells exclusively through over 300 independent agents and is a leader in the fast settlement of claims. Palisades Safety and Insurance Management Corporation is a Plymouth Rock managed company. The Plymouth Rock Companies write and manage more than $1 billion in personal and commercial auto and homeowner's insurance across the Northeast. Palisades Safety and Insurance Management Corporation is the Attorney-in-Fact of Palisades Safety and Insurance Association (PSIA). Insurance is written by PSIA and its two wholly-owned insurers, Palisades Insurance Company and Palisades Property and Casualty Insurance Company (collectively "Palisades").