Voices From the Field

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—if you work for or support one of the 564 municipalities in New Jersey. The League of Municipalities is once again taking over Atlantic City for its 111th Annual NJ League Conference this November 17-19, and ArtPride New Jersey has the distinct honor of ensuring that arts and culture has a place in the important conversations around how municipalities can...

While the U.S. Declaration of Independence famously proclaims that “all men are created equal,” the reality is that not all voters arrive at the polls equally informed or prepared. Civic engagement isn’t a topic that everyone has had access to, even those of us who genuinely want to participate. Some of us, this author included, struggle to navigate the complexities of politics, decipher ever...

“There are not a lot of communities that have a professional regional theater in their area. Our mission at Passage Theatre Company is to create and produce socially relevant theater that resonates with our community. We make theater for Trenton about issues that matter to Trenton, tackling current event topics and things that are in the mind of people today to specifically create community...

At ArtPride New Jersey, we believe the stories behind public investment matter just as much as the dollars themselves. That's why we're continuing to spotlight the transformative impact of the NJEDA A.R.T. Phase II grant program and the organizations putting these resources to work in communities across New Jersey. As the state's arts advocacy organization, our mission is to advance, promote, and...

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...

Voices from the Field has covered the benefits of the A.R.T. Phase II Grant before, and we are at it again. The breadth of assistance this grant has provided to the arts sector across the state should not be underestimated. Thirty-nine different organizations have grown thanks to the fifteen-million-dollar subsidy. This article aims to highlight another such organization, the Monmouth Museum...

“Money makes the world go around The world go around, the world go around Money makes the world go around The clinking, clanking sound of Money, money, money, money” - Cabaret Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey sang their hearts out in “Cabaret” to remind us of the power of capital, and in the sixty years since the song “Money, Money” was first written, nothing has changed. Money remains the driving...

NJEDA’s recent initiative is dedicated to funding and investing in the arts, specifically in regard to their grant ventures A.R.T. Phase I, A.R.T. Phase II, and the C.A.F.E. Program. At the time, the recipients for the $15 million A.R.T. Phase II grant had not yet been announced but we are excited to share that thirty-nine organizations across New Jersey were awarded significant grants under the...

2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the United States, also recognized as the Semiquincentennial. Much has happened in our short tenure as a union, and we turn to the historians, and often the artists, among us to make sense of our storied and complicated past. Today’s voice from the field is Noelle Lorraine Williams, a Newark-based artist and historian, and Director of the African American...

In a nation easily threatened by the chaos of change, equity and diversity have become contentious in an increasingly polarized world. Despite their definitions reflecting fairness and justice , these words have been targeted as “radical” and antithetical to a healthy society. Statistics state otherwise. The benefits of DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) in the workplace are clear. According to HR...