Views from the Shore

By Brian Cahill

One of the things I’ve enjoyed as a marketer is how many interesting and talented people I have had the pleasure of working with. I’ve stayed in close contact with former co-workers and on more than one occasion, ended up working with them a year or two down the road.

Then there are people that I’ve worked side-by-side with for years, and then decades can go by before our paths crossed again. And then, we’ve picked up right where we left off, as if time stood still and nothing had changed.

This past week, I had such an experience when I was fortunate to reconnect with an extremely talented South Jersey artist, G. Matthew Dixon.   

G. Matthew Dixon….ok, that doesn’t sound right to me. I’m going to refer to him as Matt Dixon, as we all did when we worked together at Bally’s nearly 20 years ago. I knew him as a talented graphic designer who understood casino marketing and could design an incredible invitation, an eye-popping billboard, or a catchy print ad often at a moment’s notice. (He was also very interested in the latest technology, as he was the first one I knew to have all of his music downloaded digitally while the rest of us were sharing CDs.)

When I saw his name on the walls of Shore Medical Center next to the newly hung paintings in its Healing Arts Gallery, I realized that I had had the privilege of working with a true artist all those years. Matt was kind enough to visit to Shore and talk with me about his new exhibit.

The Noyes Museum & Shore

Over the past ten years, Matt had come in contact with Noyes Executive Director Michael Cagno at many events, but had hesitated to approach him for an opportunity. But after a little encouragement from his wife Tara (an actor and director of plays with the Little Egg Theater Company), Matt applied to get his works into the Arts Garage in Atlantic City.

Michael was impressed with his work, but the Arts Garage was booked until 2021. He did speak with Matt about an opportunity at Shore Medical Center. Shore’s relationship with The Noyes Museum dates back to 2012, when Cagno and his team assisted with the creation of the hospital’s Healing Arts Gallery on the 2nd floor walkway of the new Surgical Pavilion. Then, when the museum announced it would be vacating its Galloway building, Shore CFO David Hughes offered space within the hospital for Noyes artwork.

Healing Arts

Employees have called Matt’s art as their “Ahhhhh” moment when at work. Patients have commented about how soothing and relaxing they feel when seeing them. “This hospital is the perfect place for my paintings,” Matt said. “Art can give you hope and take you places you can’t be.”

When I saw Matt’s reaction to the smiles he was creating, I saw genuine joy in his eyes that his art was making a difference.

“Shore has always been part of my life, as I was born here on August 15, 1975. It’s fitting that this part of my career was born at Shore, too. It’s great to see people enjoying the art and reacting to it.”

Cedar water in his veins?

With 27 pieces in all, Shore is his largest exhibit. His paintings line the hallway that connects the parking garage entrance to the surgical pavilion and is enjoyed by hundreds of patients, visitors, and employees every day.

Twenty percent of the art are scenes from Faunce Landing in Absecon or “somewhere in the swamps of Jersey,” Matt explains, “I have a mix of salt water and cedar water in my veins. In fact, one of the pictures is from Port Republic, and even captures a bit of the orange in the water.”

His paintings on display at Shore are pastels, his preferred medium for his works.

“I like pastels because they are a lot like life. If you are too close to it, it doesn’t always look pretty but if you take a few steps back, things become clearer.”

To Matt, his paintings are his meditations. “I prefer to paint alone and when my wife is out, so in our home it’s ‘when the cat’s away, the mice will paint!’”

Matt, who attended the Art Institute of Philadelphia and is formally trained in graphic design, has become quite invested in the arts in South Jersey. He belongs to a regional “Artists Supporting Artists” Group which he enjoys because “it’s not about competition; it’s about community. We all want to see each other thrive.”

Matt’s exhibit at Shore Medical Center will run through October 1. For information on his graphic design, web design and creative consulting services, visit www.jestergraphix.net. To contact him regarding his pastel paintings, visit gmatthewdixon.com, email him at art@gmatthewdixon.com or call 609.402.1207.

Brian Cahill is the Director of Marketing & Public Relations for Shore Medical Center in Somers Point. He is also a Board Member for the Somers Point Business Association, an Adjunct Professor in the School of Business at Stockton University, and is founding member of Somers Point-Community First, a local volunteer organization.

Brian Cahill is the Director, Marketing & Public Relations for Shore Medical Center in Somers Point. He is also a Board Member for the Somers Point Business Association, an Adjunct Professor in the School of Business at Stockton University, and is founding member of Somers Point-Community First, a local volunteer organization.