New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

48 Stories

originally published: 09/24/2019


(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) --  In June, the Atlantic City Arts Foundation (ACAF) released 48 Stories, a collection of 48 unique stories with the common thread of 48 Blocks Atlantic City, the organization’s flagship program produced in partnership with Stockton University. 

The people and projects featured in the book testify to the power of art and community. Artists, volunteers, government officials, planners, business owners and residents contributed their voices to this new narrative for the city, sharing a love for Atlantic City and a belief in its potential for renewal.

 “Art touches the human soul in a way that nothing else can. It has the same effect on the soul of a city, which is the collective soul of its people,” artist and Atlantic City-native Kelley Prevard says in the book. Councilman Kaleem Shabazz doesn’t consider himself an artist, however, he advocates, “Creative venues are crucial to Atlantic City’s development. If we had unlimited resources, one of the things I would do is to have murals like those 48 Blocks AC has produced on every vacant building in the city.”

Here is an excerpt from 48 Stories, page 33:Welcome to Bungalow Park by GLENN TAYLOR,  Artist, Signwriter and Muralist 

I began my artistic career lettering when I was in Vietnam. I lettered helicopters for the Army and the Cambodians. I also lettered helmets and painted designs. They would fly me all over the country.




Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info



When I returned from ‘Nam, my art remained with me and became my life’s work. I found myself unemployed and with no plan. There was a woman who had a local sub shop. She knew I could draw and offered me a job painting a sign for her. I was paid in breakfast, lunch, and dinner until I finished that sign. After that I would do signs for businesses in the neighborhood and my business began to grow. I became the sign guy. Over the next 15 years I built a reputation as a billboard and sign painter. It took time and effort to break through challenges of racial discrimination, but, in the end, I was doing billboards from Atlantic City to Philadelphia and up and down the coast. That’s when I met the Wall Dogs in Chicago and started working with them. We’re a group of sign painters who paint murals and we come from all over the world. There are Wall Dogs from Germany, Australia, Japan, Canada and other countries. 

When I heard about 48 Blocks AC, I thought it would be a good project to participate in. I painted a mural on Delaware Avenue. I hope to paint another. At some point I’d like to do some type of interactive sculpture. 

I think art could play a major part in the redevelopment of Atlantic City. There are a lot of local artists connected to the area that could help make that happen. 

Copyright © Atlantic City Arts Foundation 2019. All rights reserved.  Reprinted with permission from ACAF.

The Atlantic City Arts Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to increasing public art access and fostering community art education in Atlantic City, NJ. ACAF develops programs that promote arts-based tourism and economic development initiatives while increasing community pride and civic self-esteem. Programs include 48 Blocks Atlantic City, Chalk About AC and ARTeriors.  

The publication of 48 Stories was made possible through Stockton University’s 2020 Initiative grant funding. 




Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info





FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Summer

Summer Brew Fest 2025

Friday, July 25, 2025 @ 6:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJ 07008
category: community


Click here for full event listing

 

Miss

Miss Republica Dominicana of NJ US - Gala Final

Saturday, July 26, 2025 @ 6:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: community


Click here for full event listing

 

Tyler

Tyler Henry – The Hollywood Medium: An Evening of Hope and Healing

Wednesday, July 30, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: community


Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Monmouth

Monmouth County Fair Offers Family Fun

(FREEHOLD, NJ) -- The scent of cotton candy! The thrill of the rides! The cheers from the crowds! There's something magical about the Monmouth County Fair. Find out for yourself when this five-day event celebrates its 50th Anniversary, Wednesday-Sunday, July 23-27, 2025 at East Freehold Showgrounds (Kozloski Road) in Freehold.



Newark

Newark to Celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride Week July 7-13

(NEWARK, NJ) -- Mayor Ras J. Baraka, the Newark Municipal Council, the City's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Advisory and Concerns Commission, Newark Pride, Inc, and other organizations and partners will hold Newark Pride Week from Monday, July 7, to Sunday, July 13, 2025.



Creativity

Creativity Deep Dive: Class for Adults at Vivid Stage

(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, is offering a new creative class especially for adults over the last weekend in July. Creativity Deep Dive, taught by professor and playwright Phoebe Farber, is an opportunity for grown-ups to have the fun of exploring their own imaginations and creative potential. The class is offered from 10:00am-2:00pm on July 26 and 27; lunch will be provided.



Carteret's

Carteret's Civic Center Park Hosts New Jersey's Most Popular Latin Fest on July 26th

(CARTERET, NJ) -- New Jersey's most popular Latin Fest will return on Saturday, July 26, 2025 to Carteret, but this year in a new location: the Borough's accessible Civic Center Park and Sports Complex at 272 Pershing Ave. The venue change is due to ongoing construction improvements to Waterfront Park, the home of Latin Fest since 2018.



Dining

Dining Out Jersey's 5th Annual Foodie Expo features Special Guests David Burke and Produce Pete

(PARAMUS, NJ) -- Dining Out Jersey presents the 5th Annual Dining Out Jersey Foodie Expo on Thursday, July 17, 2025 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at The Terrace at Biagio's in Paramus. This year's event will feature special guests David Burke and NBC's Produce Pete.