Arts New Brunswick kickoff event a success

By Jane Wolterding and Deborah Schulze

More than 150 people attended the official kickoff for Arts New Brunswick on July 11, 2012, at the Crossroads Theatre in downtown New Brunswick. The event attracted a wide variety of people from artists and creative professionals to municipal staff, elected officials, students, nonprofit professionals, educators and engaged residents. Open to the public, this community meeting served as a venue for discussing the role artists and the arts should play in economic, cultural and community development of New Brunswick.

After a half hour of networking and mingling among participants, the meeting began with a series of introductions from key figures involved in arts development in New Brunswick. 


Norma Kaplan, Executive Director of New Brunswick Cultural Center, and Jeffrey Vega, Executive Director of New Brunswick Tomorrow, made opening remarks and introductions, followed by an address from Mayor James Cahill of the City of New Brunswick.  The mayor emphasized the city’s support for the arts. 

Keynote speaker, Ben Cameron, Program Director for the Arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, gave an inspiring speech about the importance of the arts in social change and economic development. He set the tone for the rest of the event by emphasizing the power of arts to affect the social fabric of communities, as well as their economies, and the importance of partnerships and ‘elevated conversations’ to achieving long-standing impacts. His speech was greeted with a standing ovation from the audience. 

Then Leonardo Vazquez, Director of Arts Build Communities, took the stage to introduce the Arts New Brunswick planning initiative and lead a discussion on:

*How New Brunswick could become a better place for artists and the arts, and

*How the arts can help make New Brunswick a better place.

These questions elicited a  valuable feedback from audience members. Throughout the course of the meeting, several issues were raised including: the need for affordable housing and venues for artists; a centralized and well-maintained database of artists and events; free arts and cultural programming, performances, and events; and consistent and cohesive promotion and marketing to increase awareness among city residents, as well as to reach a wider audience of visitors. A common thread emerged tying all of these issues together: the desire of the community to establish the foundations and framework necessary for meaningful and inclusive collaboration between the creative sector and local residents, businesses, neighborhoods and government.

In response to how the arts can help New Brunswick, the answers were overwhelmingly positive. The arts were described as being a vital tool in building understanding across diverse groups of people; providing an ”experience” in today’s increasingly digitally-based world; providing a way for people of all ages to express themselves; and working directly in the community to come up with exciting solutions to social and economic problems.

Photos of guests by Zeledon Photography; photographs of speakers by Deborah Schulze

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Arts Build Communities team expanded to enhance creative placemaking

By Leonardo Vazquez

Arts Build Communities has added three new team members to provide more and better service to creative placemakers and the communities they serve.

Deborah Schulze has joined as Program Manager and Jane Wolterding as Program Associate.  Thanks to a partnership with Rutgers' Collaborative, A Center for Community-Based Learning, Service and Public Scholarship, its Principal Secretary, Stella Baldev, is providing some time to help with administrative matters.

Stella Baldevcame to Rutgers in 1988 after working more than ten years in the private sector. She was an Assistant Recorder at University College, before joining Rutgers College in 1992. In 2007, when the four undergraduate divisions merged, Stella joined Civic Engagement and Service Education Partnerships Program where she currently serves as Principal Secretary.  Both Arts Build Communities and The Collaborative are part of the office of Isabel Nazario, Associate Vice President for Academic and Public Partnerships in the Arts and Humanities.

Deborah Schulze has returned to Arts Build Communities, where she worked from 2009 to 2011.  She has worked in the fields of urban planning, public policy and adult education.  She has a master's degree in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and is pursuing a Master of Education degree at Montclair State University.

Jane Wolterding is a recent graduate Rutgers’ Edward J. Bloustein School, where she received a Master in City and Regional Planning. Originally from Albany, New York, she studied Geography and Art at Colgate University. Jane is passionate about the intersection of arts and planning, especially the role that the arts can play in the strengthening communities. Most recently, as Planning Intern at Looney Ricks Kiss, Inc., she aided in the creation of design guidelines and a redevelopment plan for a portion of Nassau Street in Princeton, New Jersey. She also managed the implementation of a pilot Vacant Lot Project initiative during her time at Grand Street Community Arts, which resulted in the reuse and transformation of two vacant lots into community arts and education spaces.  Jane is working with Arts Build Communities as a Program Associate for the summer.

Arts Build Communities provides expertise in connecting arts to economic and community development.  Learn more about Arts Build Communities

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Artists come to New Brunswick event to build community; community invited to help build Arts New Brunswick

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

New Brunswick has three regional theaters, a renowned museum, and a nationally-ranked art school.  But until May 30, as far as we know, it never had an event that brought together more than 100 artists, creative professionals and their supporters.  On July 11, there will be another arts-related event in New Brunswick, and this time, it is open to the public.

First, about the May 30 event.   Artists and professionals who work in the arts were all at Crossroads Theater as part of a prequel to the launching of Arts New Brunswick.  The initiative, which officially kicks off in July, is designed to build a community-led set of strategies for creative placemaking throughout the city.  Arts New Brunswick is produced through a partnership between the New Brunswick Cultural Center and Rutgers University’s Arts Build Communities.  Arts Build Communities is a Rutgers University-wide initiative under the auspices of the Office of the Associate Vice President for Academic and Public Partnerships in the Arts and Humanities.  Arts New Brunswick is done as an extended and expanded version of ABC’s community coaching program.  The arts reception is the first of what organizers hope will be an annual event.

Before engaging the general public, NBCC and ABC wanted to begin building a community of artists and creative sector professionals in the city.  Artists who live or work in New Brunswick, and those who work for arts organizations in the city, were invited to an informal reception. 

The New Brunswick Jazz Project brought in The Lee Hogan Quartet to provide music, and Elijah’s Promise provided catering.  New Brunswick Cultural Center Board Chair William Hagaman welcomed the audience,  then Cultural Center Executive Director Norma Kaplan and ABC Director Leonardo Vazquez explained the initiative.

Then it was back to eating, drinking, networking, and listening to jazz for the guests.   Organizers hope it is the start of a long and fruitful relationship among New Brunswick arts organizations and creative sector professionals.

Now, about July 11.  This is the official kickoff to Arts New Brunswick.  The special guest speaker will be Ben Cameron, Program Director for the Arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.  Other speakers will talk about the initiative, and there will be time at the end of the event for you to share your thoughts.

The kickoff event is at 6:30 pm, July 11 at the Crossroads Theater, 7 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. (get directions) Please RSVP by July 6 at newbrunswickarts@gmail.com

Photo credit: Allison Brown, AV Brown Photography

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