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originally published: 09/16/2022

(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF) has announced the award of a New Jersey Department of the Environment Community-Based Arts grant of $22,000.  The NNJCF, a not-for-profit organization based in Hackensack, was one of only five organizations in the Garden State selected to receive the award that will pair artists specializing in environmental topics to create art installations in specific sites in the state's coastal zone. 

The Foundation's project focuses on the need to involve and inform the public about coastal hazard impacts and resulting flooding along the Hackensack River.  The artwork will be considered for installation at the Hackensack Water Works property on Van Buskirk Island County Park.  The property, located on the National Register of Historic Places, was abandoned 30 years ago and neglected, mostly due to the flooding events that often cause impassable roads and bridges and push as much as a six foot flood surge into the park.  The NNJCF has worked with many of the communities along the river: Oradell, Teaneck, Hackensack, River Edge, New Milford, Bogota, and Ridgefield Park on community-driven creative placemaking projects using local artists and engaging residents and visitors in environmental awareness activities. 

With the grant, an artist will work with the NNJCF to interpret artistically and to showcase the various impacts of the flooding, using flood data collected by the Foundation's Green Team from Montclair State University's PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies on Van Buskirk Island County Park. The award is made possible by funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  For more information about the NNJCF's project, go to https://bit.ly/3D0GD3S.

Call for Artists: The New Jersey State Council on the Arts issued a call for artists, as part of the Community-Based Arts grants program.  Artists must be at least 18 years old and be residents of the State of New Jersey or live within 100 miles of the New Jersey state border.  Selected artists receive a stipend of $13,000 per project, which can be used toward project costs, supplies, travel, and artistic fees, as needed.  For information about the projects, requirements, and application details, go to https://bit.ly/3PRUCMw.

The selected artists will be paired with the grant recipient organizations to develop and implement a project that is artistically excellent and communicates to the public coastal hazard impacts, risks and actions that can be done to reduce the risk of climate change.  The deadline to submit an application is September 26, 2022. 

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Founded in 1998, the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF), a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Hackensack, New Jersey, focuses primarily on the arts, civic engagement, education, the environment, philanthropy, and public health.  The NNJCF works with local governments, school districts, businesses, non-profit organizations, and citizen groups in Northern New Jersey to improve community life.  The Foundation's partners identify and resolve regional problems and opportunities by talking and learning from each other and sharing ideas, best practices, services, and resources. 

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The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation’s ArtsBergen initiative, a regional arts alliance, works with various stakeholders.  These stakeholders encompass artists, arts organizations, businesses and municipal leaders, who use the arts to shape the social, physical, cultural, and economic identity of communities.  Creative placemaking, a community-led, arts-driven approach, is used to increase vibrancy, spur economic development, and build capacity among residents to take ownership of their communities.

ArtsBergen is the only initiative in Bergen County, New Jersey offering a range of services in creative placemaking.  The initiative has partnered with multiple municipalities facilitating creative teams, developing public art and creative placemaking plans, and directing and managing public art projects to preserve and express community culture.    

PHOTO:  The Northern NJ Community Foundation’s NJ Department of Environment Protection grant award pairs an artist to create art for possible installation on Van Buskirk Island County Park.