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originally published: 05/17/2022

(TRENTON, NJ) -- The New Jersey State Council on the Arts held a public meeting on May 17th, where over $3.6 million was awarded to 38 organizations through the new Capital Arts grant program. The 18-month grant program is designed to help New Jersey’s nonprofit arts organizations build operational stability and capacity by supporting capital improvement, renovation, and new construction projects.

Grant recipients include Appel Farm Arts and Music Center, Art House Productions, Arts Council of Princeton, Barnegat Bay Decoy & Baymen's Museum, Camden FireWorks, Inc., Center for Modern Dance Education, Count Basie Theatre, Inc., Eagle Theatre, Educational Arts Team, Frontline Arts, Grounds for Sculpture, Inc., Guild of Creative Art, Institute of Music for Children, James R. Halsey Foundation of the Arts, Levoy Theatre Preservation Society, Long Beach Island Fnd of the Arts and Sciences, Luna Stage Company, Inc., Medford Arts Center, Mile Square Theatre, Monmouth Museum & Cultural Center, Montclair Art Museum, Montclair Film Festival, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, New Jersey Repertory Company, Nimbus Dance Works, Paper Mill Playhouse, Riverfront Renaissance Cntr for the Arts, Say It With Clay, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Skylands Performing Arts Center, South Orange Performing Arts Center, State Theatre New Jersey, The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, Two River Theatre Company, Victory Hall Inc., Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, West Windsor Arts Council, and Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center.

"I am proud to work closely with the Arts Council to help ensure our state’s arts organizations have the resources they need," said Acting Secretary of State Tahesha Way. "This funding comes at a crucial time for the sector, as arts organizations and the communities they serve continue recovering from the impact of the pandemic as well as the effects of Tropical Storm Ida. During the hardest of times, the arts have been there to comfort and connect us, and it’s vital that these organizations receive this kind of support, making stability and longevity possible as they continue serving audiences across the state."

The program was guided by the Council’s Director of Grants & Strategies, Tammy Herman, who said: “The Capital Arts program was created in response to what we were hearing from the field – the needs of the administrators running arts nonprofits statewide. The insight and honesty of our colleagues continues to transform how we work, and how we invest in the sustainability of this essential industry. Helping arts organizations keep their buildings up-to-date and safe for audiences now, means they can focus on the business of contributing to and engaging with their communities.”

"The historic State appropriation the Council received this year has given us the means to create programs and services that broaden the impact of state funding for the arts,” said Council Chair Elizabeth Mattson. “It was a priority for the Council to reach organizations not currently on the Council’s roster, which is why we provided a longer timeline between the release of the guidelines and the application deadline and increased technical assistance and outreach initiatives. We’re excited to expand the number of organizations receiving direct funds from the Council, and we are grateful to Governor Murphy and the Legislature for helping make this growth possible.”

 

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The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State. The Council was established to encourage and foster public interest in the arts; enlarge public and private resources devoted to the arts; promote freedom of expression in the arts; and facilitate the inclusion of art in every public building in New Jersey. The Council receives direct appropriations from the State of New Jersey through a dedicated, renewable Hotel/Motel Occupancy fee, as well as competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.  

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