A Little Bit of Everyone; Artist: Denton Burrows; A.R.T. I Grantee: Atlantic City Arts Foundation
Arts & Culture is not a luxury. They are a vital part of New Jersey’s economy and contribute to the overall well-being of our communities. They are a powerful catalyst for community revitalization and transformation that bring people together, into new conversations and imaginings of the future.
The Activation, Revitalization and Transformation (“A.R.T.”) Program, supported by funding from the American Rescue Plan, was designed to help revitalize communities in New Jersey that were most negatively impacted by the COVID19 pandemic. The loss of vital customer traffic during the pandemic impacted all of New Jersey, but especially those municipalities with major transit hubs. The A.R.T. Program aimed to proactively address those economic impacts by investing in projects that would increase foot traffic and the vitality of downtowns. A.R.T. – Phase I launched in 2023, with $27 million dedicated to projects in Atlantic City and Newark.
The A.R.T. – Phase II grant program, funded at $15 million, leverages the power of New Jersey’s arts and culture nonprofits as a creative force for change in some of the communities that need it most! 39 grantees were awarded between $100,000 – $500,000 to implement innovative, arts-based projects that will engage and activate their local and regional communities. Throughout the year the awardees are creating a broad range of arts initiatives, including public art installations, art exhibitions, theatrical performances, dances, street festivals, concerts, film and video screenings, artmaking classes and workshops, readings, and more.
Take a look at the projects!
Art House Productions Inc.
City: Jersey City, Hudson County
Project: Expanding JC Friday, including In the Wind, a new Public Art Installation in Lincoln Park —a beloved quarterly arts festival in Jersey City,The festival is free, citywide, and occurs on the first Friday of March, June, September, and December.
ArtS Council of the morris Area
City: Dover, Morris Area
Project: The Amp, Dover’s New Creative Hub, a new community art space at the historic Richards Building located in the heart of downtown Dover inviting local and regional artists to engage in bilingual classes to Make Art, Teach Art, Share Art, including a monthly series of performances, readings, music and more.
Arts Guild New Jersey
City: Burlington, Burlington County
Project: The Arts Guild New Jersey Second Saturdays, a dynamic series of art shows, placemaking projects, and community events designed to engage the public, celebrate local artists, and enhance the cultural vibrancy within the City of Burlington.
Camden Fireworks incorporated
City: Camden, Camden County
Program: Art in the Commons, a neighborhood-based
public art and community activation initiative in Camden’s Waterfront South in partnership with local artists, residents, youth and businesses to walking tours, murals, and public art, including Animodules.
Center for modern dance education
City: Hackensack, Bergen County
Project: Hackensack Moves! features a variety of culturally diverse dance education/creation/performance activities for all ages and abilities at multiple sites both indoors and out; a Hackensack Moves Dance Company (HMDC); Hackensack Moves Summer Camps for youth in 2025 and 2026; and a Hackensack Moves Mural Project on their building, culminating in an outdoor unveiling festival.
colab arts, Inc.
City: New Brunswick, Middlesex County
Project: Art City New Brunswick, 8 artists will be in residence at the new Art City Open Studios and Art City Festival will transform Downtown New Brunswick into Art City – a bold, open-air festival of contemporary art, culture, and community, including 160+ professional artists, art institutions, and organizations. The festival features immersive installations, live performance, and public art. Rooted in the energy and diversity of New Brunswick, Art City is a modern cultural gathering space where art, people, and place collide.
Educational arts team
City: Jersey City, Hudson County
Project: The Connecting Arts To Revitalize and Engage (C.A.R.E.) project will consist of four sub projects: Community Arts, Halloween, Dia de los Muertos and Sustainability Art Projects.
Frontline arts
City: Perth Amboy, Middlesex County
Project: The Stages Project will expand the Frontline Paper program that brings veterans together through the transformative process of making handmade paper from their military uniforms, repurposing them, turning complex experiences into new narratives. This process fosters dialogue, enhances public understanding, aids in veterans’ reintegration into civilian life, and builds a supportive community. The program model will expand into Perth Amboy offering workshops to other communities of people experiencing complicated life issues, as a way to reclaim power over their personal narratives.
george stree playhouse, inc.
City: New Brunswick, Middlesex County
Project: My Lord What a Night: Choose Your Price Performance! A special performance initiative designed to reduce barriers to attending live theater and welcome new audiences.
grand artistry inspires
City: Plainfield, Union County
Project: United: We Jam for Justice project includes a Jam N’ Skate Arts Fest event featuring hundreds of local youth who are performing artists and skaters and two Grand Artistry Festivals where fine and performance artists dance, sing, play instruments, act, and paint.
Hackensack performing arts center, inc.
City: Hackensack, Bergen County
Project: The HACKENSACKtoberfest will be expanded from its current singular location of Atlantic Street Park, into a city-wide festival with multiple downtown locations and is a collaboration among four nonprofits: NJ: Hackensack Performing Arts Center (HACPAC), Main Street Business Alliance (MSBA), Northern NJ Community Foundation (NNJCF), and Greater Bergen Community Action (GBCA).
Healthy people worldwide
City: Perth Amboy, Middlesex County
Project: DreamWall – One Day, I Will… is an interactive public art installation that will invite participants of all ages to share their dreams, aspirations, and reflections through the prompt “One Day, I Will…,”. This evolving art piece will be complemented by a year-long schedule of arts and culture events, creating a vibrant, ongoing attraction that supports local businesses, highlights cultural diversity, and stimulates community pride.
james r. halsey foundation of the arts
City: Trenton, Mercer County
Project: Film, Art, Media Education will expand the free afterschool Let’s Film & Let’s Film Española film-arts production programs in addition to the summer programs offered that include acting, photography, and music production. A new 12-month Documentary Filmmaking program will be added where students gain real-world experience, developing workforce readiness, as well as expanded programing for the FAME Academy.
Jersey City theater center, InC.
City: Jersey City, Hudson County
Project: Beyond the Frame: Where Arts Meet Innovation will connect Jersey City’s local arts scene with national and international artistry through immersive performances, residencies and interactive installations, utilizing theatre, visual multimedia arts, cutting-edge technology, and live streaming, culminating in VOICES NJ International Theatre Festival.
Jump For Joi, Inc.
City: Jersey City, Hudson County
Project: The Block Party will activate the Bergen Hill Community through a series of multi-day, Inclusion-themed events that include music, dance, art, cultural presentations and food vendors, celebrating the multi-generational, multi-cultural riches of the community.
Literature to Life
City: Paterson, Passaic County
Project: Books Unite: Literature to Life is a free, multi-faceted book club and performance-based literacy series that will invite local participants to explore the works of diverse, award-winning American authors, including the premiere event of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. It is a collaboration between the Passaic County Community College (PCCC), the Paterson Free Public Library (PFPL), and the performance-based literacy program Literature to Life (LTL).
Luna Stage Company, Inc.
City: Orange, Essex County
Project: ORANGE ALIVE: Voices of the City is a series of public performances, Story Circles, and interview-based theater pieces that will be created & performed in site-specific locations throughout Orange. Tied to Local History, the new works will amplify the voices and lived experience of local residents with permanent plaques installed at each site.
Monmouth County Arts Council, Inc.
City: Long Branch, Monmouth County
Project: Culture Around the Corner: A Celebration of the Rich Diversity of New Jersey through Cultural Arts Performances and Experiences is a festival that will highlight the community’s rich diversity through performances, exhibitions and cultural experiences that showcases Long Branch’s cultural tapestry, featuring local groups celebrating Brazilian, Jewish, Portuguese, Italian, and other community traditions, alongside performers from across New Jersey representing Native American, Greek, Peruvian, Indian, Chinese, and other cultures.
Monmouth Museum and Cultural Center
City: Dunellen, Middlesex County
Project: The Monmouth Museum will open and operate a satellite location in downtown Dunellen with exhibitions and rotating installations, STEAM programming, community arts engagement and the upcoming Lenape/Native American : Past and Present exhibit, celebrating Indigenous cultures and their impact on our Nation during America’s 250th anniversary year.
New Jersey Ballet Company, Inc.
City: Rahway, Union County
Project: New Jersey Ballet Union County Dance Festival, a community-centered initiative to celebrate and promote dance as an accessible and enriching art form for all, held at the Union County Performing Arts Center, will feature Master Classes, an evening of free public dance performance, and a free On School Time program for Rahway area public school students.
New Jersey Capital Philharmonic Orchestra, Inc.
City: Trenton, Mercer County
Project: Composer-in-Residence: A Bridge to Classical Music is a Composer-in-Residence program featuring Vince Di Mura, aimed at connecting Trenton’s diverse community through the creation of new music that blends classical genres with contemporary styles, including jazz and Latinx influences engaging local students with hands on experience in composition, which a full orchestra concert of new work.
New Jersey repertory Company
City: Long Branch, Monmouth County
Project: West End Arts Center activation include: series of New Play Readings , Jazz Concerts, Jersey Shore Music, Poetry & Spoken Word, Annual Theatre Brut Festival, Art Exhibits and acting, playwriting, and improvisation classes for teens and adults.
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
City: Jersey City, Hudson County
Project: New Jersey Symphony Orchestra will present a two-week music festival with a wide variety of free community events on the plaza outside of their new facility, as well as programs in neighborhoods throughout Jersey City, designed to generate excitement for the forthcoming opening of their new home, Symphony Center, in the Powerhouse Arts District.
Nimbus Dance Works, Inc.
City: Jersey City, Hudson County
Project: The Jersey Nutcracker production will include additional arts programming and performances over the course of the year, including performances in Spring and Fall at the Nimbus Arts Center.
Passage Theatre Company Inc.
City: Trenton, Mercer County
Project: The Passage Theatre Company is committed to producing socially relevant new work through Trenton PREMIERES and will produce three mainstage programs.
Princeton Ballet Society
City: New Brunswick, Middlesex County
Project: American Repertory Ballet will expand and reinstate family-oriented programming: School-time student matinees, Saturday adult workshops, Sunday children’s workshops, and audio-described performances.
Riverview Jazz Org
City: Jersey City, Hudson County
Project: Jersey City Jazz Festival: the 13th annual Jersey City Jazz Festival and the 3rd annual Jersey City Latin Jazz Festival, featuring hundreds of musicians across three stages, community programming that includes story times, visual art, cultural and music demonstrations, free classes in drumming, dance, and Music for Kids series.
Rutgers, The State university of New Jersey
City: New Brunswick, Middlesex County
Project: Mason Gross School of the Arts (MGSA) ACCESS will provide New Brunswick Public School students and their parents with access to arts spaces and experiences offered at MGSA. MGSA departments will identify and program a series of events specifically designed for K-12 students of various ages and their parents.
Symphony in C
City: Camden, Camden County
Project: Symphony in C will produce a new Sunday afternoon concert series, a musical theater production, and a collaboration with the Stedman Art Gallery, and three free community concerts featuring the Symphony’s Youth Orchestra and Summer Music Camp musicians performing alongside the Symphony’s professional musicians, as well as two outdoor community concerts in spring and summer.
Teen arts new jersey
City: Asbury Park, Monmouth County
Project: Teen Arts New Jersey Youth Arts Initiative Programming will host pop-up events and after school programming for students 12 – 18 and their families that include art exhibits, film screenings, open-mic nights, improv sessions, “Ted” talks, dance lessons, music nights, and more, as well as Mentorship and Internship program placing students with professional artists.
The Actors Studio of New Jersey, Inc.
City: Dunellen, Middlesex County
Project: The Actors Studio of New Jersey will produce and present six full mainstage productions at the Dunellen Theatre.
The American Graffiti Museum
City: Trenton, Mercer County
Project: The American Graffiti Museum (TAG) will launch a series of public art installations, presentations, and film screenings in downtown Trenton with a focus on activating East State Street.
The State Theatre Regional Arts Center at New Brunswick, Inc.
City: New Brunswick, Middlesex County
Project: New Brunswick Heart Festival will expand showcasing local and headlining artists, providing a platform for emerging talent with interactive art stations for the community.
Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts
City: Rahway, Union County
Project: Harmony Across Cultures: A Musical Celebration of Union County will include free music festivals and educational concerts at Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) in Rahway that reflect the cultural diversity in Union County.
Wooden Walls Public Art Project
City: Asbury Park, Monmouth County
Project: The “Plus One (+1)” Public Art Festival, spearheaded by the Wooden Walls Public Art Project (WWP), will work with established WWP artists, who will each nominate emerging or established artists for creating site-specific installations that will activate historic locations across Asbury Park.
Trenton Community A-Team, Inc.
City: Trenton, Mercer County
Project: The Trenton Community A-Team will bring a suite of art workshops & events to Trenton residents through the use of a Mobile Arts studio and a mural project celebrating the arts in Trenton both historically and now in collaboration with Leon Rainbow.
Union County Arts Center, Inc.
City: Rahway, Union County
Project: Inclusion in Action program works with Youth, Families with Neurodivergent Children, Teen & Adult Creatives, and Seniors, offering performances, interactive workshops, film & video screenings, and cultural programming will expand its programming, including the Creative Curriculum Community Speaker series.
University of Orange, Inc.
City: Orange, Essex County
Project: Music City Connects will produce a series of free concerts in newly renovated Military Park and free educational workshops as par of the Music on Main series expanding on The Music City program’s core annual events: the Music City Festival and Remembering Rosa: A Concert for Peace.
World Seed, Inc.
City: Paterson, Passaic County
Project: The Poetic License Project, a series of poetry performances, workshops, and publications, culminating in the Paterson Poetry Prom, all in Paterson, the historic poetry capital of New Jersey.
Newark Alliance, Inc.
City: Newark, Essex County
Newark Alliance created “Festivals United,” a new coalition of six major arts and cultural festivals based in Newark: AfroBeat Fest, Halsey Festival, Lincoln Park Music Festival, Newark Arts Festival, Newark Pride, Newark Winter Village, all in partnership with Newark City Parks Foundation, a critical stakeholder in the production of many of Downtown Newark’s events.
Stockton University
City: Atlantic City, Atlantic County
Stockton University is creating four different initiatives to highlight the lesser-known assets of Atlantic City: a wayfinding program that provides direction to destinations and assets representing arts, culture, recreation, and community resources. The signs will highlight forty non‐casino attractions including the beach and boardwalk, park and playgrounds, monuments and memorials, community centers, historic sites, gardens, art museums, and business districts; a neighborhood gateway, iconic vertical towers at the entrance of Chelsea, Ducktown, Midtown and the Inlet, highlighting the culturally diverse areas of the city; installation of interactive signage, tapping into the mapping system to the 100 public art murals throughout the city; the creation of a public art piece, a 150 square foot tile wall in partnership with MudGirls studios.
Inlet Public Private Association, Inc.
City: Atlantic City, Atlantic County
Inlet Public Private Association expanded programming through increased and targeted marketing initiatives and hired a grant writer toward building institutional capacity and increasing community engagement.
Atlantic City Arts Foundation
City: Atlantic City, Atlantic County
Atlantic City Arts Foundation expanded staffing and commissioned new murals like “NJ Osprey Project” by Evan Lovett and “Oystercatchers” by Felipe Ortiz while restoring other landmark murals that contribute to the rich public art landscape of Atlantic City.
MAP 3 Partners LLC
City: Atlantic City, Atlantic County
MAP 3 Partners is building The Orange Loop Container Park, using renovated shipping containers to transform the vacant lot located at 1400 Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City. Twenty-eight shipping containers will be outfitted to house a hydroponic farm (for growing vegetables and mushrooms), retail spaces for local vendors, classroom/community activation space, a record pressing facility with recording/rehearsal studios. Plans also include rooftop outdoor seating and art installations, roadside murals along the backside of the containers, and a stage for live performances.
155 S Tennessee QOZB, LLC
City: Atlantic City, Atlantic County
155 S Tennessee QOZB is developing the “Surf Lodge.” This project will create first floor retail space, a surf shop, and 12 residential units with a focus on building Atlantic City’s underdeveloped, yet significant, surfing destination status. Community surf culture will be developed through education/lessons while leveraging the Orange Loop’s scalable model of small, yet purposeful development on the beach blocks of Atlantic City.
Delta’s Newark II, LLC
City: Newark, Essex County
Delta’s Newark II is redeveloping a portion of the historic First National State Bank Building, last occupied by the Indigo Hotel, which has local, state, and national historic designations. The plan will transform approximately 8,500 square feet across two floors of underutilized space in Newark’s Arts and Entertainment District into a 110-seat restaurant/music venue and a 120-seat rooftop lounge for the award-winning Delta’s Restaurant into the new, Delta’s II.
Project for Empty Space
City: Newark, Essex County
Project for Empty Space renovated nearly 36,500 square feet of former office space at 800 Broad Street into 15 – 20 artist’s studios and programming areas, along with converting 3,700 square feet of lobby space at 110 Edison Place in Ironside Newark into a public gallery. The project will enhance Project for Empty Space (PES)’s ability to offer public programming, subsidized studio space, and career development for local artists while expanding Newark’s arts and cultural offerings.
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJ PAC)
City: Newark, Essex County
NJ PAC is renovating the Cooperman Family Arts Education and Community Center Annex at 31 Mulberry Street, a 5-story, 17,000-square-foot former Episcopal Church administrative building that will be transformed into educational classrooms, community gathering spaces, and office space for NJPAC staff for NJPAC’s expanding programs in Arts Education, Community Engagement, Arts & Well-being, and new performance work.
Melba’s (Ablem NJ)
City: Newark, Essex County
Ablem NJ is redeveloping an office space at 550 Market Street into “Melba’s 550,” a 250-seat soul food-inspired fine dining restaurant and a large commissary kitchen for catering and satellite locations. Spanning approximately 11,000 square feet on two floors, the project will help revitalize a critical commercial corridor in Newark.
Hospitality Concepts LLC
City: Newark, Essex County
Hospitality Concepts is developing a 175-seat restaurant, bar, microbrewery, and retail bakery called “Katherine’s” in the Ironside building at 110 Edison, transforming approximately 11,300 square feet of vacant space into a hospitality destination. The two-floor buildout will feature a bar and lounge, microbrewery, open kitchen, main dining area, two private dining rooms, a café-bakery, and a seasonal outdoor plaza. Katherine’s will create over 60 jobs and serve as a training hub for aspiring chefs, bakers, and food service professionals, emphasizing vocational skills development.
RBH-TRB East Mezz Urban Renewal Entity, LLC & Glassroots
City: Newark, Essex County
RBH-TRB East Mezz Urban Renewal Entity & GlassRoots are renovating a 9,500-square-foot vacant retail space on the first floor of Newark Teacher’s Village into the new GlassRoots Newark Glass Art Center, doubling the size of the 22-year-old nonprofit’s current center which will significantly increase programming. It will feature a gallery/retail area, art-making studios (including a hot shop for glass blowing, a flame shop for beadmaking, a kiln room, a cold shop), classrooms, and offices.
Gallery
American Repertory Ballet – Photo by Rosalie O’Connor
George St Playhouse
Glass Roots – Photo by Mitchell Cornish
Jump for Joi Inc
Monmouth Museum of Dunellen – Photo by Yasmeena Azer
Morris Arts
New Jersey Ballet Company
Nimbus Dance – Photo by Steven Pisano
Project for Empty Space
Riverview Jazz Festival
Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts
University of Orange Photo: James Ryan, Yardbird
The State Theatre Regional Arts Center Photo: Jeff Auger
The American Graffiti Museum
Passage Theatre Company
NJ Capital Philharmonic
Luna Stage
Literature to Life
Jersey City Theater Center
James R. Halsey Foundation
Educational Arts Team
Art House Productions
Art House Productions
Absecon Lighthouse
Contact
