The Norwich High School (NHS) Hall of Distinction Committee has selected the first six NHS alumni to be included in the Hall of Distinction. Individuals selected have made outstanding contributions to their chosen fields, including community services, the arts, medical professions, military service, and more, with their contributions having a distinctive impact on a local to global level.

Julie Borden, Founder of Colorscape Chenango

by John J. Antonowicz, Chenango County Deputy Historian

If you are from Norwich, you know when the beginning of fall has arrived. After an exciting packed summer of blues music, festivals, and the county fair, the second weekend in September continues to welcome a juried art show in Norwich’s East and West parks. The staple, Colorscape Chenango, draws over 12,000 people to downtown Norwich and showcases a variety of quality art and musical tributes to include world famous acts. Since 1995, Colorscape Chenango has added a splash of color to downtown Norwich all due to the efforts of Julie Borden.

Julie spent her early years in Boonville, NY until her family relocated to Norwich after her father took a new position in telecommunications. From fifth grade until her graduation from Norwich High School in 1983, Julie was active in the school art community and was awarded several art awards during her senior year including “Favorite Artist.”

A graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she majored in painting and illustration with minors in ceramics and English literature, Julie moved to Colorado where she worked at Ocean Pacific Childrenswear, a surf clothing company out of California. Her work won her several public art awards from the City of Denver, and was juried into the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Denver, CO, the premier art festival in America. This show would inspire Julie and become the basis for Colorscape Chenango.

In 1994, Julie came back to Norwich with no employment and a great deal of free time. While Norwich was not an arts-focused city, she sought to challenge that vision. One Saturday, Julie sat at her typewriter and wrote up her idea to create an arts festival in downtown Norwich, including a hand-drawn festival proposal on a sheet of poster board that she would present to the Norwich Common Council.

Boldly, Julie presented this vision to the City of Norwich Common Council with the pitch of a juried arts festival. With slight opposition, the concept was eventually approved by the city and awarded $5,000. By the fall of 1995 and with great community support from several large industries of the time, Colorscape Chenango attracted over 8,000 patrons to Norwich.

Julie described the first Colorscape pitch and said “no one ever asked me if I had run an arts festival before.” The concept was based on several key factors including having the artists make money and having a juried show that was presented with class and quality. A staple for the attraction was world-famous artist Denny Dent, who created live, well-known portraits.

While Colorscape was a success all around, various opposition from community leaders had fluctuating opinions. Julie moved from Norwich, leaving Colorscape as her living legacy. Julie describes Colorscape as her proudest achievement, stating, “simply because it affected so many others and still goes on…and that says something!”

Julie’s colorful portfolio only got brighter following her departure, with her art legacy continuing to impact the globe outside of the hills of Norwich.

Like a true artist, Julie rebranded herself with a catchy name, and “Juleez” and has become world recognized for her hand-painted musical instruments. Each one being a one-of-a-kind, galleries across the globe have featured her work, including the Lubbock Symphony, the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, and the People’s Orchestra of England. Other masterpieces have appeared in The Piano Guys music video on Disney’s "Jungle Book," TPG’S "Avatar" music video, Farmers Insurance -NASCAR Corporate Division, and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and at the Oscars, where Julie flew to Hollywood, displaying her work to celebrities attending Hollywood's biggest awards show, to list a few.

In February 2017, Julie created multiple hand-painted instruments for the new flagship Athlete's Foot Store, located in New Orleans, with 14 pairs of hand-painted sneakers and boots for a "sneaker art gallery" exhibition. In 2016 and 2017, Julie was honored as a Visual Artist for the Seabreeze Jazz Festival, with her work being included in the poster and T-shirt for the event. A trombone currently hangs proudly displaying a Chenango County flare at the Chenango County Historical Society and Museum in their “50 Stories” gallery.

Though Julie’s works grace countless galleries between New York and California, she has never elapsed on her Norwich roots which bleed the two best colors, purple and white. While continuing her gallery in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, she now works out of her studio at home on commissions and gallery exhibits.

Julie’s draw to Norwich is as bright as her resume and like a blank canvas waiting to be painted, her 1983 Norwich High School Archive quote sums up her vision in life: “May we always go on as we do now – and never stop.” Let us all hope Colorscape Chenango never stops or Julie’s impact on the world outside the hills of Norwich.

To nominate an NHS alum for the Hall of Distinction, complete the nomination form found at norwichcsd.org/documents/district/211781 and submit to NCSD Event Coordinator Rich Turnbull at rturnbull@norwichcsd.org, or drop off at the District Office at 89 Midland Drive in Norwich no later than May 23, 2025.