Voices from the Field Blog

In June, I had the opportunity to attend AFTACON 2026, the annual conference hosted by Americans for the Arts, alongside hundreds of artists, arts administrators, advocates, educators, and cultural leaders from across the country. The experience was both energizing and affirming, offering a powerful reminder that while our work may happen locally, we are part of a nationwide movement dedicated to...

Join the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey on October 15 for a workshop on connecting community development, creative placemaking, and more! Through the trials and tribulations of the pandemic, community art has become a beacon of light in uncertain times. New Jersey’s local painters, sculptors, community gardeners, musicians, poets, dancers, and all other artists have proven...

As I walked into my classroom at Columbia High School the morning of January 28th of this year, I noticed a call notification on my phone: NJSCA. I knew I wouldn’t be able to answer it until after my morning classes, but I had an oddly positive feeling. I tried to tamp down expectations, and got absorbed in my teaching. In that way, I got to enjoy the tremble of excitement a second time when I...

10 Hairy Legs, the New Jersey-based dance company for whom I am the founding Executive Director, is headed to The Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts (KYGSA) in July 2019 as a guest artist for Musical Theatre and Dance and to perform for their student body. “How did that happen?” you might ask. Unexpected and welcome connections! In March 2017, I headed down to Washington, D.C. as a N.J...

Arts Advocate is never a title I thought I would hear when someone described me. Growing up, I always enjoyed being in plays and watching a few musicals, but never once did I think I would be getting on a train to D.C. 1-2 times a year and talk to members of U.S. Congress about the importance of the arts. Hello! My name is Zach Bates. I am an alumnus of the Gloucester County Institute of...

New Jersey’s group of 28 delegates joined hundreds of art advocates to visit members of U.S. Congress on March 4 and 5 for the National Arts Action Summit hosted by Americans for the Arts. A full day of training was capped off by the inspiring remarks of Rita Moreno, who delivered the Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts & Public Policy at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Early on March 5, the...

Nearly 300 arts professionals from across New Jersey gathered at Princeton University’s Lewis Arts complex and McCarter Theatre Center on June 7 for the Thrive Arts Conference to explore that very question. Thrive is presented every other year through a partnership among ArtPride New Jersey, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and the Lewis Center or the Arts at Princeton. The fourth edition...

ArtPride New Jersey Filled with new facts and figures about how the arts boost the economy, and a burning desire to share stories of how art makes a difference in our lives, 37 New Jersey arts advocates made the trip to the nation’s capital to remind members of the U.S. Congress that eliminating our cultural agencies is unacceptable. Four members of the Educational Theatre Association’s N.J...

The first ever state-wide Discover Jersey Arts conference was a sold out success! Thank you to all the attendees, speakers, sponsors, and staff who made this event happen. For the third time, we asked people attending an event to bring the conversation from in-person to online, and boy, did they ever! Our multi-tasking tweeple (Twitter people) took to their smartphones, laptops, and tablets to...

Americans for the Arts is conducting a nationwide scan of the arts environment to help determine the best ways to advance the arts in America. Your voice and input are vital. Please take some time to complete the online survey no later than Friday, May 11 at http://www.AmericansForTheArts.org/go/artsurvey. Just as important, if possible, please send this email to your mailing lists. The more...