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originally published: 06/27/2023 

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- For the past 21 years, Art House Productions has been building toward this important announcement: The Grand Opening Ceremony of Art House Productions’ performing and visual arts center at The Hendrix will be held on July 13, 2023 at 2:00pm, 345 Marin Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07302. Mayor Steven Fulop and other city officials will join the event to mark the momentous occasion. Festivities for the Ribbon Cutting will begin at 1:00pm. They encourage interested attendees to RSVP at the link HERE: Ribbon Cutting RSVP

Art House Productions was founded by Christine Goodman and sprung from the desire to connect a devastated Jersey City community through art and dialogue shortly after the events of September 11, 2001. Since then, Art House has established itself as a pioneer of artistic, cultural, and educational programming in Hudson County, significantly influencing the advancement of the arts in the region, and acting as one of the major forces for the professional non-profit arts community.

Art House Productions is the largest, longest-running arts organization in Jersey City producing the most diverse artistic programming. Art House is the only multi-arts nonprofit in the city with a dedicated visual arts gallery, a commitment to advancing NJ-associated playwrights, and programming that includes a dedication to providing accessibility options to its audience members such as sign language interpreters, Braille, tactile tours, and audio description.

Art House’s two-story, state-of-the-art new home, designed by nationally recognized theater architects Auerbach Consultants and constructed by the developers of 180 Morgan Street (The Hendrix) consists of a theater, a visual arts gallery, dressing rooms, and office space in an adaptable-use facility that will allow Art House to produce a wide range of programming year-round. It provides for the flexibility to meet the expanding needs of artists and audiences, contributing to the vibrancy, growth, and development of Jersey City and the greater region. It will enable Art House to build on their decades-long history as a beacon for the arts and as an economic boon to Jersey City as our patrons spend money locally, creating more jobs and more tax revenue for the city.

In this new space, Art House Productions plans to triple its audience numbers, bringing in approximately 30,000 people annually to experience arts events. In addition, we will make space available for business, nonprofit, and commercial rentals as a new source of revenue to support our programs.

 

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The 99-seat black box theater is fully equipped with the most energy efficient LED lighting and audio theater technology, including a 16’x10’ retractable screen and 10k projector for film screenings, and soundproof control booth that overlooks the space. The theater will house a multitude of events including plays, comedy shows, film festivals, music performances, dance, and more. Equipped with movable risers and seating, it can be arranged into a proscenium, alley, thrust, or arena configuration.

The visual arts gallery is designed to accommodate rotating fine art displays of various media with maximum flexibility and infrastructure that allow for overhead rigging, lighting, video, and sound support. Brilliantly curated by Andrea McKenna, it features local and regional artists.

Each exhibition commences with an opening reception, allowing guests to meet with the featured artists and other local artists and art lovers. The gallery is visible from the street, inviting pedestrians to engage with the art and welcoming them inside.

The support spaces include administrative and staff offices, dressing rooms, a green room area, and a multi-use lobby which is also visible to passers-by. These are all linked to the performance spaces through the AV system.

“Since beginning my tenure at the organization in 2017, I have been looking forward to the day when Art House occupies a permanent space in Jersey City. Our new performing and visual arts center at The Hendrix is worth the wait. It’s been a collective effort to make this vision a reality and credit is owed to all the board members, staff, volunteers, and artists, both past and present, who have tirelessly served the organization and moved the mission forward even when faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. For over a decade, Art House’s tagline has been “Home is Where the Art is,” and while that will remain true for our organization as we continue to produce and present citywide festivals and events, we can now proudly declare “Art is Where the Home is,” says Executive Artistic Director, Meredith Burns. “We hope you’ll join us on July 13 for what will be a joyous occasion to officially kick off a new era at Art House Productions. This is an event the whole community can celebrate and we don’t want you to miss it.”

The organization recently launched a $500,000 Reopening Campaign to support the organization's new facility. The campaign, already seeded with commitments from 180 Morgan Street Developers, KVibe Studios, and generous individual philanthropists, underscores Art House Productions as a driver of economic growth, vitality, and business development in Jersey City. For more information on the campaign, please click here.

Art House Gallery - Ribbon Cutting Exhibition: Beginning at 1:00pm on July 13th, the Art House Gallery will open its doors for a group exhibition to commemorate the official opening of the new space. Seven accomplished artists whose work has been seen in and around Jersey City will be featured.  Artists include: Tim Daly, Loura van der Meule, Lisa Ficarelli-Halpern, Troy Jones, Mark Kurdziel, Candy Le Sueur and Theda Sandiford. The exhibit will run from Saturday, July 8 with an Opening Reception that evening from 5:00pm to 8:00pm, until Sunday, July 25. Gallery hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Appointments for additional viewings can be made by emailing Andrea McKenna at gallery@arthouseproductions.org

Art House Productions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to the development and presentation of the performing and visual arts in Jersey City, New Jersey. Art House Productions presents theater, festivals, events, visual art exhibitions, and adult and youth art classes.