The Mercer County Teen Arts Festival is an annual event that serves as a celebration of the artistic talents of teenagers from Mercer and across the state. This festival, typically held in the late spring, aims to foster the creative development of young artists through a diverse range of workshops, performances, and exhibitions. It provides an invaluable platform for students aged 13 to 19 to showcase their skills in various artistic disciplines and to gain recognition and feedback for their work. It is one of 19 county teen arts festivals that send participants to the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival in June. For work to be adjudicated at the state level, it must first be selected for adjudication at the county level.
One of the highlights of all the festivals is the variety of workshops offered. These workshops are designed to be hands-on and interactive, covering topics from traditional painting techniques to modern digital media and performance arts. The workshops are led by experienced professionals and educators who are adept at working with young artists. These sessions not only enhance the technical skills of the participants but also encourage creative thinking and innovation.
In addition to workshops, the festivals feature performances and exhibitions where students can display their hard work as they bring together some of the best young talent in the state. Performances might include concerts, dance recitals, theatrical performances, and poetry readings, providing a comprehensive glimpse into the vibrant youth culture of the state. The exhibitions typically showcase a wide range of artworks, including sculptures, photographs, and mixed media pieces, highlighting the diversity and richness of artistic expression among the youth.
Courtesy of Teen Arts New Jersey.
At the core of the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival is its commitment to arts education, inclusivity, and its mission to make the arts accessible to all teens in the state. The festival includes a broad spectrum of artistic categories such as visual arts, music, dance, theater, and creative writing, among others. It actively encourages participation from all students, regardless of their level of experience or background. This inclusivity promotes a rich cultural exchange and helps build a supportive community among young artists. Making the arts accessible to all underscores the importance of the arts as a means of personal expression and cultural dialogue.
Mercer County’s teen arts coordinator, Tim Hoh, was first involved with Teen Arts Fest when he participated as a student from 1994 to 1996. I asked him what it was like. “I just remember that it was really cool to be on the Mercer College campus with so many people like me! You know, I was a little bit that ‘outcast’ – just to be with other kids that were into art and stuff. I remember I did a project that had nothing to do with where I wound up as a musician: I made clay masks! I really enjoyed making them and it was [an] opportunity to try a discipline that was something completely new to me. I played music all through high school, so I was on the “cusp” of the Internet and you had to know about shows and all that - we had to seek out those like-minded communities. So today, [Teen Arts Fest] continues providing something that was definitely nowhere else at that time.”
“I came back to it a couple of years ago when things opened up after COVID. It was interesting - I ran the open mic. I saw some kids that were so talented but had no confidence. And then there were the kids who had so much confidence, but who needed a lot of work. All the different, you know, stages of it. Seeing them get up there and being in the same place as I was – it was really, really neat.”
Courtesy of Teen Arts New Jersey.
“The arts don't get the attention they deserve, and they are such an important part of life,” he continued. “My two jobs are playing children's music for little kids and then doing this for the teens. I found myself a place in life where all the work that I'm doing is presenting arts to youth. I just think it's so important and so rewarding. The surprise of what I get to see - some of these kids blew me away last year - it was just truly amazing to see how talented these teenagers are.”
Many of those talented teenagers will go on from the Mercer Teen Arts Fest to the state event held in early June. Marisell Thomas, managing director of Teen Arts New Jersey said: “Every county has a coordinator, and they host their local teen arts festival for their schools and their county. The student works are adjudicated by visual, literary, and performing arts teachers. From those students at the county level, they nominate the best work to advance to the state level. We have 75 schools registered as of right now and we will have workshops, adjudication, and activities. It's all on the grounds of Middlesex County Community College. It's a wonderful day. It's a celebration, and it's almost like the culmination for the students at the end of the school year.
“Most of our adjudicators are faculty from different colleges and universities, maybe they're teaching artists that have been in the field for many years. We don't typically use high school academic teachers because they're just not available until they are done for the summer. Some of the counties will ask me for recommendations for adjudicators so I do recommend some people, but most of the counties gather their own adjudicators from either their cultural and heritage societies or from their local college.”
Courtesy of Teen Arts New Jersey.
As most aspects of the festivals on both the County and State levels are not open to the general public, I asked Marisell how folks might participate if they really wanted to see some of the finest young artists in the state. “We are in need of volunteers for the county and especially the state festivals. We have dozens of adjudicators, we have 30+ workshops, and about 4000 students attending over three days. It’s a “boots on the ground” kind of thing. It's only three days from 8:30 to 1:30 and who doesn't want to spend the day watching the best high school students in New Jersey dance, act, or play their instruments in the big band!”
“I'm just a nerd when it comes to all of this. I went to the Hudson County festival last weekend I listened to this student playing the piano and I got so choked up with emotion when I listened to it. I just love the whole thing. I eat, sleep, and breathe this kind of work. For me, it's really making arts accessible to the students. If there's a student that has a passion like when I was 16 or 17, or you know 12 or 13, whatever - if somebody said to me ‘Here's vocal lessons, here's dance lessons, here, let me show you how to play the violin!’ I would have loved to have had those opportunities. People think I'm nuts, I wake up every morning and I can't wait to get to work. I love what I do every single day.”
Mercer County Teen Arts Festival, West Windsor, NJ | May 10, 2024 @ 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM
