Voices from the Field Blog

Icon of Advocacy: Ann Marie Miller Shares Her Most Iconic Moments With ArtPride NJ

In a journey that started in 1995, Ann Marie Miller, Former Director of Advocacy & Public Policy, has been a longtime advocate for New Jersey’s arts and culture community. She’s accomplished a multitude of milestones, big and small, throughout her career. We asked her to share some of her most memorable moments with ArtPride New Jersey, as she looks forward to retirement. Retirement…rewirement...

Celebrate Discovery Jersey Arts, National Arts and Humanities Months This October and Prepare to Vote in November

This month is jam packed with cultural events for all to enjoy during Discover Jersey Arts Month. Be sure to check the Fall Guide to help you select the performances and exhibits that will help you celebrate during October and beyond. Governor Murphy again issued the annual proclamation designating October as Discover Jersey Arts Month, a uniquely New Jersey way to celebrate National Arts and...

Passing the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund

This past November 3, Jersey City voted to create an Arts and Culture Trust Fund, becoming the first municipality in New Jersey to create a dedicated tax to support the arts. The trust will create funding sources for arts organizations in the city, and will support arts organizations and artists that benefit the culture, well-being, and economy of Jersey City, as well as provide increased...

When We All Vote

The election campaign is heated, and for the very first time, voting started early in New Jersey. Due to pandemic-prompted mail-in votes, New Jersey joins the nation in getting a jump on the November 3 election. Tired of people asking you to vote? Not me! I am energized by the amount of civic engagement around this election where there is so much at stake. I am delighted to see every single friend...

Art and Love, Our Infinite Power

Anyone who knows me, knows that I breathe art. Not just through the paintings and drawings I love to make. It is in the frequencies I listen to; the words I write in 100 journals; random dancing in the kitchen with my siblings; the movies I get lost in with friends; the books that transport me to other worlds; the pictures that capture a fleeting moment or the light inside of a person. It is the...

New Jersey Arts Enduring the COVID Crisis

Until around March 13 – as close to the Ides of March as one can get – the nonprofit arts sector in New Jersey had major bragging rights. And it still does. I know you miss arts experiences as we knew them before the quarantine shutdown. The music that lit up the night and made you dance. The anticipation you sensed when you entered a theatre, excited about what you were about to experience on...

The Force Is with New Jersey

“Always remember, your focus determines your reality.” - George Lucas We all need a little bit of the “force” right now. Here are 5 advocacy areas that ArtPride New Jersey is focusing on in the reality of the coronavirus situation. ArtPride will continue to voice concern about the welfare of the field to the New Jersey legislature throughout the spring as NJ State budget deliberations continue...

Restoring Mandated Funding…A 10-year Arts Advocacy Crusade

Are we ready for 2020? You bet! In 2019, ArtPride pushed hard to correct a problem that has throttled funding for the arts, history, and tourism for 10 years. In December, through aggressive and strategic advocacy, Assembly Bill A3101 passed unanimously in the NJ State Legislature. This bill amends the 2003 law that created the NJ Hotel/Motel Occupancy Fee, which specifies funding levels for state...

Unintended Consequences of Legislation – S4204 and Independent Contractors

S4204/A5936, introduced on November 7, will codify how the government determines whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. This bill is an attempt to increase the focus on misclassification of workers, to not only protect them, but to increase state income tax revenues, and bolster unemployment insurance and workers compensation. A similar law in California, AB5, will go into...

I Support the Arts, and I Vote!

When I enter the voting booth, my mind’s eye is flooded with images that feel like a movie trailer. Election lawn signs, TV commercials, and post cards from local candidates float by, along with snippets from recent opinion editorials on issues ranging from local zoning ordinances to gun control, women’s reproductive rights, water quality, and good governance. While these images stream by, it is...