The City of Kingston announced this week that visual artist and illustrator Matthew Pleva will receive the 2024 Distinguished Artist Award. The award ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 23 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

“I am so pleased that we are able to give this award to Matthew Pleva, a lifelong Kingston resident whose murals and other artwork throughout the city are a source of much community pride,” Mayor Steve Noble said. “Matt’s work engages with a wide swath of folks, including young folks, and so we are proud to name him the 2024 Distinguished Artist.”

“We on the commission are proud to present this award to Matthew,” said Kingston Arts Commission Chair Marielena Ferrer. “He is a visionary who has made a lifelong commitment to creating incisive visual art that is locally significant and enhances our city’s cultural richness. Congratulations to him on achieving this honor.”

Born and raised in Kingston, Pleva and his body of work have been heavily influenced by the history and architecture of the city and its surroundings. After graduating from Kingston High School in 1993, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from SUNY Purchase in 1997. He returned to Kingston and became active in the arts community, beginning with entries in the early years of the Kingston Artist Soapbox Derby, as a member of the artist co-op Upfront Art, and local gallery shows. For years, he worked as a bench jeweler by day and an artist by night, honing his illustration style and technique. From 2012 to 2015, he and his wife Heidi Abrams-Pleva opened The Art Riot, a co-op retail store that focused on locally produced arts and crafts. In 2014, Pleva produced his first large-scale mural for the O+ Festival, and then a second in 2017. Pleva continues to be involved in the art community. He has a revolving display window at Half Moon Books and his work is available at World’s End Comics. Click here for more information: https://www.matthewpleva.com/.

The selection panel for the Distinguished Artist Award was comprised of several Kingston residents: visual artist and educator Isabel Cotarelo; Executive Director of the Kingston Library Margie Menard; photographer Sikena Khadija; actor/educator/COO of Boys and Girls Club Kingston, AnnChris Warren; and visual artist Kai Navarrete. Midtown Arts District Executive Director Lisa B. Kelley chaired the committee.

The Distinguished Artist Award ceremony is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, visit www.kingston-ny.gov/distinguishedartists.