View of "Close Encounters" by Charles Barbin, slated for restoration in 2024. Photo credit: Ray Nunzi
(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- The Atlantic City Arts Foundation has been the driving force behind mural art in Atlantic City since 2017. The public arts nonprofit has created 96 murals, with 80 still intact, throughout the 48 blocks of the city. In 2024, a $248,700 NJEDA grant awarded to the organization will support further promotion and restoration of these important cultural assets.
The Public Space Activation Grant is made possible through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s (NJEDA) Activation, Revitalization and Transformation (A.R.T.) program, designed to reactivate and revitalize Atlantic City and Newark in the wake of COVID-19.
“Atlantic City thrives on tourism, and the ART Program will ensure some of our most popular sites will be around for years to come for our millions of visitors annually to enjoy,” said City of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr.
“As the premier public arts organization in Atlantic City, it’s crucial to foster a culture of restoration, repair, and protection of our cultural assets alongside their expansion. The NJEDA grant allows our organization to lead this initiative while we build the capacity to broaden our reach, fundraising, and impact,” said Atlantic City Arts Foundation Executive Director Kate O’Malley.
The Atlantic City Arts Foundation, set to surpass 100 murals created in 2024, will leverage the funding to maintain, expand, and promote the city’s cultural assets:
* Restoration of 5 murals, damaged by time and weather, by the original artists.
* Creation of 3 new murals to replace lost murals.
* Signage installed on Adirondack chairs and planter boxes and the addition of these assets to our public arts map.
* Building organizational capacity by hiring interns and additional contractors.
* Performing an independent audit of the organization’s financial records to demonstrate financial transparency and meet application requirements of federal grant funding.
* Refining the organization’s brand identity and marketing strategy to attract sustainable, long-term funding and tourism.
* Developing a new website and virtual public art map, creating a more intuitive, interactive, and informative experience for visitors.
* Purchasing a van and lift to ease mural facilitation.
Through a collaborative partnership with Stockton University, Ducktown CDC, Chelsea EDC, Midtown CDC, and Inlet CDC, funded by the university’s NJEDA grant, signage will be placed at the organization's 80 murals.
“Fostering an appreciation for Atlantic City’s heritage, its murals and public space requires investment and collaboration. This grant program gives communities an opportunity to shine and share their stories. It also strengthens Atlantic City’s ability to succeed, because it recognizes the importance of all of the city’s unique assets and offerings,” said Assemblywoman Claire Swift (R-Atlantic).
The A.R.T. program utilizes American Rescue Plan State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds in the wake of the pandemic.
The Atlantic City Arts Foundation’s diverse programs & partnerships activate community pride & civic self-esteem through interaction with public art, including the city’s leading and largest mural arts program. The organization is dedicated to increasing public art access and fostering community art appreciation in Atlantic City, NJ. Programs include 48 Blocks Atlantic City, Chalk About AC, and ARTeriors. The Atlantic City Arts Foundation is a 501(c)3 public arts nonprofit organization.
