Can New Jersey’s New Festival Top Coachella or SXSW? It Thinks So.
New York Times
By Tammy La Gorce - June 2, 2023
Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey, along with the first lady, Tammy Murphy, had a vision: A new performance festival in their home state that could rival South by Southwest in Texas or Bonnaroo in Tennessee. And they had a plan to distinguish it.
“Austin and Nashville are great towns,” the governor said, referring to two famous arts hubs that are connected to notable festivals. “But if you stop to consider the cultural priorities of the states that govern them, you say, ‘Wait a minute.’ You’re hoodwinked if you get taken by the coolness.”
A festival in New Jersey, they argued, would be produced in a state whose values align with issues like gun safety and reproductive rights, a bragging right difficult to come by in the south. But what organizers are really touting with the event, which is being produced for the first time this summer, is the mix of homegrown talent and national acts (Halsey, Santana, Jazmine Sullivan) performing across three different cities, from the state’s largest city to the coast.
The North to Shore Festival will roam from Atlantic City to Asbury Park to Newark throughout the month. Its inaugural run will feature more than 220 acts — including music, comedy, dance and film — in 115 venues. “When you combine all the talent we have in New Jersey with the fact that our values are on the right side of history, we thought, there’s no reason we couldn’t give this a shot,” Mr. Murphy said.
In May, the festival doubled in size, in part because of a commitment to local talent. Grants of up to $5,000 were handed out to 58 New Jersey-based artists.
Sign up for the New York Today Newsletter Each morning, get the latest on New York businesses, arts, sports, dining, style and more. Get it sent to your inbox.
“What I love about it is that it’s a combination of the biggest names in entertainment and comedy and film,” said John Schreiber, president and chief executive of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, which is producing the festival, “but it’s also a chance to turn up the volume on the local folks I call the local heroes — the artists, the creators, the presenters, the producers — who work in these cities 365 days a year.”
One example of this kind of artistic convergence is “You Got VERRRSED: NJ Poets vs. New York Poets,” which will take place in Newark on June 24, the day after Marisa Monte, a Grammy Award winner, performs there.
In each host city, venues stretch beyond the familiar. Newark, for example, will host “Jersey Club 101,” a combination dance lesson and party, at Ariya Plaza Hall, a local dance club known for hosting private events and the occasional concert, on June 24.
On June 9 in Atlantic City, a brewery, The Seed: A Living Beer Project, will host a multidisciplinary event, “From Earth to Cup,” with live music, pottery making and samples of its craft beers. The following afternoon at Sovereign Avenue Field, a popular skatepark, local hardcore and punk bands will play free shows in the “Back Sov Bullies Concert.”
While Asbury Park’s famous rock club, the Stone Pony, will see its share of action — with Eric B. & Rakim, Brian Fallon, Demi Lovato and the B-52’s all scheduled to perform — stages at the lesser-known Watermark, down the street, will also be in heavy rotation and can expect to see more traffic than usual.
Alexander Simone and his seven-piece band, the Whodat? Live Crew, will play there on June 14. Mr. Simone, 34, who is from the area and the grandson of Nina Simone, won a grant to take part in North to Shore with the band, which leans toward funk and R&B, after being nominated by local fans. The recognition confirmed something he already knew: “I am definitely one of the most known bands in this community,” he said.
Now he hopes that other parts of the country will pay more attention to his music. “Artists are coming this way, to Jersey, and bringing people with them the way South by Southwest brings people to Texas,” he said. “They’re coming to see what we have to offer on this end.”
Billboards along the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike are promoting the festival. Mr. Schreiber said he expects more than 350,000 people to attend. The overall windfall for New Jersey’s economy, he added, could be $100 million. “We’re betting the economic impact in all three of these communities will far outweigh any of the investment we have to make,” Mr. Murphy said.
Natalie Merchant, accompanied by New York City’s Orchestra of St. Luke’s, will perform in Newark on June 25. “I think it’s really ambitious and impressive,” she said of the idea behind the festival.
But her decision to participate did not have much to do with performing in a liberal-leaning state, Ms. Merchant said. “I tend to not penalize my fans in states with political conditions like abortion restrictions.” Instead, “I talk about them onstage.”
The North to Shore Festival will take place June 4-11 in Atlantic City, June 14-18 in Asbury Park and June 21-25 in Newark.
Meet the Creative Force Behind Asbury Park’s Transformative Art Scene
New Jersey Monthly
By Jon Coen - June 2023 issue
Known as the muse of Asbury Park, Jenn Hampton founded the Wooden Walls Project, which has grown to include ambitious installations and residencies.
When Jenn Hampton, known as Juicy Jenn, moved to Asbury Park in 2003, the city was still famously deserted, poverty-stricken and crime-ridden, and the historic Palace Amusements was being torn down. But her idea to create murals throughout the city helped transform Asbury into a destination for the arts, and was a major part of the city-by-the-sea’s radical transformation.
She gravitated to Asbury Lanes, the 1960s-era bowling alley that reopened as a live-music venue in 2004. Eventually, she took on the role of booking the fringe acts it was known for—the punk bands, films, burlesque performers, DJs, visual artists—along with cheap drinks and famous tater tots. And as she is known to do, she poured her whole being into it.
In 2006, the city was feeling positive momentum when Hampton, now 48, opened the Cry Baby Gallery and then the Parlor Gallery, both on Cookman Avenue.
Jenn Hampton poses in front of a colorful mural in Asbury Park
“Art is educating people, making them comfortable,” Hampton says. Photo: Krista Schlueter
She was still managing the Lanes, which became an indie clubhouse for the Shore and Central Jersey region, helping to attract new visitors, and even residents, to Asbury. When the company I-Star bought up 70 percent of the buildable land on the Asbury waterfront, it included Asbury Lanes. But the development company rebuilt and reopened the venue without her.
“Music creates a certain community that feeds an art community. An art community feeds a music scene,” she says. “I had the best of both of those worlds. I didn’t need anything else. I was so heartbroken after I lost Asbury Lanes.”
She comforted herself by spending time by the ocean and came up with the idea to commission artists to adorn boardwalk buildings with art. “I thought that working with artists to inspire visitors might heal my broken heart,” she says.
Jenn Hampton strolls in front of a colorful mural in Asbury Park
Hampton’s Wooden Walls Project gives Asbury visitors a visual experience they won’t see anywhere else on the East Coast. Photo: Krista Schlueter
The proof of concept came when Hampton’s longtime business partners, Michael Lavallee and Brad Hoffer, painted an expansive mural in the boardwalk passthrough of the Casino building (which was recently closed indefinitely due to structural rust). In 2015, Carrie Turner, now executive director of the Asbury Arts Council, and Angie Sugrim, both former employees of Madison Marquette, which owned the boardwalk buildings, diverted funds from advertising to pay eight artists to adorn walls. “Art is educating people, making them comfortable. My brain doesn’t work in a way that is only driven to the profit. Your return on investment in art isn’t as obvious,” she says.
Today, Hampton’s Wooden Walls Project has grown to include ambitious installations and residencies, giving thousands of Asbury visitors a visual experience they won’t see anywhere else on the East Coast. She’s also worked to bring projects to the overlooked west side of the city.
But after 20 years of the transformation, Hampton is aware of the trade-offs. Facilitating public art helped fuel Asbury’s gentrification—but now some people who helped to pave the way can’t afford to live there.
“I try to tell our local officials that you wouldn’t want to be in this city if we didn’t have the vibrant music and art that we have,” she says. “That was why we were all drawn here.”
North to Shore
NJPAC is producing the inaugural North to Shore Festival, a three-city celebration of arts and technology that will feature programming in Asbury Park from June 14th-18th. Many local producers and artists were awarded grants to showcase their talents.
See Hear Now Donates for Auction to Benefit Asbury Non Profits
TriCityNews
Local weekly paper covering regional news and events
See Hear Now Auction
TriCity News May 18, 2023
We’re all about helping out our friends who in turn are helping out others. The most important part of this gig is blowing up events that deserve the press.
And the good folks at Sea.Hear.Now, that multi-day music, art, and surf festival thats brought big beach music back to the beachfront, has donated some artworks for an auction with proceeds to ben-efit three local nonprofit organizations that we’re big fans of: the Asbury Park Arts Council (APAC), the Asbury Park African American Music Project (AP-AMP) and KYDS (Konscious Youth Development & Service).
We’ve proudly given lots of ink to all these organiza-tions over the years. So why not a little more.
The online auction organized by APAC will launch on Monday, May 22 and run through Monday, June 19. Get the wallets out and consider throwing in some bids.
Works included in the auction are by Danny Clinch x Cey Adams, Robert Siliato x George Bates, and Charles Mencel Surfboards x Lana Macchiaverna (LLUNACY). Rock and roll photographer and festival co-founder, Danny Clinch and renowned New York City-based visual artist, Cey Adams collaborated on a piece of musician, Gary Clark, Jr. Monmouth County-based surf photographer, Robert Siliato and Asbury Park-based artist George\ Bates, col-laborated on a piece blending surf imagery and music lyrics, and Charles Mencel and Lana Mac-chiaverna created a beautiful custom made surf-board for the band Green Day, who asked that it be donated for charitable purposes.
“Sea.Hear.Now has a history of both working with local artists and giving back to local nonprofit orga-nizations. We could not be more excited that they have chosen us to be one of the beneficiaries of the auction of these wonderfully unique works that have the same special feel as the festival itself” said Carrie Turner, Executive Director of the Asbury Park Arts Council, an organization that advocates for and promotes art initiatives in the city.
“This auction helps bring attention and resources to groups doing valuable work in and around As-bury Park. The online fundraising platform we se-lected also allows for direct donations outside of the auction itself, so we are hopeful for a nice show of support,” Turner added.
The Asbury Park African American Music Project (AP-AMP) celebrates the cultural heritage of Spring-wood Avenue on Asbury Park’s West Side through oral histories, research, writing, and community programs. AP-AMP is currently raising funds to renovate the legendary Turf Club, the last remaining structure that housed one of Springwood Avenue’s celebrated music spots, to transform it into a com-munity venue for music and culture.
Konscious Youth Development & Service (KYDS) is a youth development organization pri-marily focused on holistic wellness programming for kids in elementary through high school. KYDS partners with schools in Asbury Park and beyond teaching mindfulness through meditation, yo-ga-based movement and creative expression, help-ing young people better manage their emotions, which has a host of benefits including helping them resist negative influences. KYDS offerings have ex-panded to serve educators, parents and commu-nity members to reinforce and support the youth programming.
The link to the auction is https://givebutter.com/c/KYP9UC.
For more information: Sea.Hear.Now: https://www. seahearnowfestival.com; @seahearnow Asbury Park Arts Council: https://asburyparkartscouncil. org/mission-statement/; @asburyartscouncil. As-bury Park African American Music Project: https://www.asburyamp.org/mission/; @asbury_amp, Konscious Youth Development & Service (KYDS): https://www.konscious.org/what-we-do; @kyds_nj
Asbury Park Arts Council is a Powerful Cultural force
TriCityNews
Local weekly paper covering regional news and events covers APAC APin# 2023
Next up is their second annual “APin3” film contest
TriCity News May 18, 2023
Asbury Park’s role as a powerful cultural engine for the triCity region of eastern Monmouth stems from its variety of creative and artistic forces.
This involves people, businesses, the city government, redevelopers and non-profit organizations. In the past couple decades, all stakeholders have bought in. And that united front is our best defense against the forces of conformity that an eco-nomic boom inevitably brings.
A key factor in all this is the non-profit Asbury Park Arts Council (APAC). It’s led by a Board of Trustees who are some of the most effective arts and cultural leaders in our city: Parlor Gallery owner Jenn Hampton, former ShowRoom owner Mike Sodano, Paul McEvily from Interfaith Neighbors, Paranormal Books owner Kathy Kelly, attorney and arts activist Bob Ellis, and Carrie Turner, formerly the General Manager of Madison Marquette’s boardwalk project.
And the group’s mission is parallel to this newspaper’s:
“To support, advocate and promote arts-centric initiatives, businesses and devel-opment. Our primary goal is to ensure the arts are considered in municipal poli-cy-making via the creation and implementation of an Arts and Culture plan within the Asbury Park Master Plan. APAC was formed to be a bridge between the local arts community and the City of Asbury Park, fostering the understanding that arts are the economic engine of the City.” [Asbury Park Arts Council Mission Statement]
That Arts and Culture plan has been submitted to the city’s Planning Board to be adopted and then guide the city government in promotion of the arts and culture in our city. That’s a big deal. But APAC does more than that with its own arts pro-gramming and promotion.
And the next big one is its second annual “APin3” to take place in August.
This three-minute film challenge is open to anyone who thrives on the fun of film-making within the parameters of a deadline and is ready to shoot their short in Asbury Park. The top ten short films, as judged by a panel of independent cre-atives, will be screened before a live audience on Sunday, October 22. Prizes will be awarded.
“We had such a great turnout last year at our contest screening, we expect more entries this year, vying for the recognition of their peers and, of course, the prizes.” said APAC Board member Sodano.
Those who apply will be required to write, shoot and edit a 3 minute short film set in Asbury Park during a three-week period in August, utilizing a specific line of dia-logue and incorporating a designated prop and location.
“We believe Asbury Park has a variety of compelling locations, easily making it a layered backdrop and key element in any short subject,” said Nancy Sabino who will coordinate the contest. (With her husband Sodano, Sabino was the founder and original owner of the ShowRoom Cinema in downtown Asbury Park.)
The online submission platform, Film Freeway, will be utilized for the challenge and a link can be found at the top of the homepage of APAC’s website asburyp-arkartscouncil.org. There is a $25 entry fee. However, no one should feel that the cost is a barrier as there are discounts and sponsorships available for qualified applicants to help with the entry fee.
The filming timeframe will start on August 7th when filmmaker kits will be sent via email to all applicants and will end on August 27th. Registration for the Challenge is open now.“We’ve reached out to a number of organizations this year and expect to have more participation with the longer, 3-week completion timeline. The concepts showcase the city and to see our streets alive with video artists capturing its magic Is won-derful,” said Carrie Turner, an APAC board member who also serves as Executive Director.
The Arts and Culture Plan is APAC’s biggest commitment. But with a $200,000 county grant awarded last year, and other smaller grants, APAC has embarked on other arts-centric projects. Those activities include financial support for public mu-ral projects, financial support for the Inspire Life program that provides a fine arts and technology camp for city youth, and the AP in 3 film challenge.
2023 APin3 film challenge Announced
TAPintoAsbury Park
Your Neighborhood News Online - By Alissa Deleo
Asbury Park Arts Council announces 2023 APin3 film challenge
Contestants must create a 3-minute short, themed film highlighting an aspect of and shot entirely within the city
ASBURY PARK, NJ – By Alissa Deleo — Attention all creators, the Asbury Park Arts Council (APAC) is bringing back its APin3 film challenge in August.
This three-minute video challenge is open to anyone who thrives on the fun of filmmaking within the parameters of a deadline and is ready to shoot their short film in Asbury Park.
All the entries will be reviewed and the top ten will be chosen by a panel of local judges. Finalists will be screened to an audience at Asbury Park’s House of Independents Theater on October 22.
The top three winners, and an audience favorite entry chosen by the assembled audience on premier night will win prizes that can be used in future filmmaking endeavors.
“We had such a great turnout last year at our contest screening. We expect more entries this year, vying for the recognition of their peers and, of course, the prizes,” Mike Sodano, one of the founding members of APAC, said.
Applicants will be required to write, shoot and edit a three-minute short film set in Asbury Park during a three-week period in August, utilizing a specific line of dialogue and incorporating a designated prop and location.
Executive Director of the film challenge, Nancy Sabino remarked, “We believe Asbury Park has a variety of compelling locations, easily making it a layered backdrop and key element in any short subject.”
The APin3 is a storytelling activity for filmmakers to engage with the community in a positive light, and use imagination, teamwork and video technology.
The online submission platform, Film Freeway, will be utilized for the challenge, which is now accepting applicants.
There is a $25 entry fee, but no one should feel that the cost is a barrier as there are discounts and sponsorships available for qualified applicants to help with the entry cost.
The filming timeframe will start on August 7, when filmmaker kits will be sent via email to all applicants, and will end on August 27.
“We’ve reached out to a number of organizations this year and expect to have more participation with the longer, three-week completion timeline,” Carrie Turner, Executive Director of APAC, said, adding, “The concepts showcase the city and to see our streets alive with video artists capturing its magic is wonderful.”
The Asbury Park Arts Council is a 501c3 group formed to advocate for and promote arts and culture initiatives in the city.
2023 APin3 Film Challenge Press Release
The Asbury Park Arts Council (APAC) is pleased to announce its second annual ‘APin3’, to take place in August. This three-minute film challenge is open to anyone who thrives on the fun of filmmaking within the parameters of a deadline and is ready to shoot their short in Asbury Park. The top ten short films, as judged by a panel of independent creatives, will be screened before a live audience on Sunday, October 22nd. Prizes will be awarded.
“We had such a great turnout last year at our contest screening, we expect more entries this year, vying for the recognition of their peers and, of course, the prizes.” said Mike Sodano, one of the founding members of APAC. Those who apply will be required to write, shoot and edit a 3 minute short film set in Asbury Park during a three-week period in August, utilizing a specific line of dialogue and incorporating a designated prop and location.
Nancy Sabino, Executive Director of the Challenge remarked, “We believe Asbury Park has a variety of compelling locations, easily making it a layered backdrop and key element in any short subject.”
The online submission platform, Film Freeway, will be utilized for the challenge and a link can be found through APAC’s website: asburyparkartscouncil.org. There is a $25 entry fee, but no one should feel that the cost is a barrier as there are discounts and sponsorships available for qualified applicants to help with the entry fee. The filming timeframe will start on August 7th when filmmaker kits will be sent via email to all applicants and will end on August 27th.Registration for the Challenge is open now.
Carrie Turner, Executive Director of APAC said, “We’ve reached out to a number of organizations this year and expect to have more participation with the longer, 3-week completion timeline. The concepts showcase the city and to see our streets alive with video artists capturing its magic Is wonderful.” The Asbury Park Arts Council is a 501c3 group formed to advocate for and promote arts and culture initiatives in the city. For more information on APAC: www.asburyparkartscouncil.org
Start thinking about how you’d like to tell your story in Asbury Park and apply now to be a part of this year’s ‘APin3’. Mark your calendar and come see the finalists on the big screen.
For more information contact:
Michael Sodano:
mike@asburyparkartscouncil.org
Asbury Park Arts Council Announces 2023 APin3 Film Challenge – May 8, 2023 – For Immediate Release
Asbury Pod - The- Asbury Park Arts Culture Plan
Asbury Pod discuss updates to the Asbury Park Arts and Culture Plan and welcome back Carrie Turner from the Asbury Park Arts Council. They also welcomed Eric Galipo from Francis Cauffman Architects who did the hard work of designing the Arts & Culture plan which will now be presented to the City Council.
AsburyPod also gratefully acknowledges the support of Jenn Hampton from the Parlor Gallery on Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park who let us record this episode in her lovely space. Thanks Jenn!
Arts & Culture Plan Public Meeting
Public Meeting March 30, 2023
There was a presentation of the progress on the Arts & Culture Plan on March 30th at the Public Library. The next step is for the Arts & Culture Plan draft document to be submitted to the Planning Board, who will consider adopting it as an element of the city’s Master Plan. A date for the Planning Board hearing is not yet scheduled.
APAC Presentation
TAPintoAsbury Park
Your Neighborhood News Online - By Alissa Deleo
Asbury Park Arts Council to host presentation about proposed Arts and Culture plan March 30 at 6 p.m. at the Asbury Park Library
ASBURY PARK, NJ — A public presentation on the city’s proposed Arts and Culture plan will be made by the Asbury Park Arts Council on Thursday, March 30, at 6 p.m. at the Asbury Park Public Library, located at 500 First Ave.
Details about the plan, the arts council’s findings and its major recommendations for the community will be discussed.
The Asbury Park Arts and Culture Plan is an endeavor undertaken by the city in conjunction with the Asbury Park Arts Council, Monmouth Arts, the Monmouth County Department of Planning and the New Jersey State Council of the Arts.
All funding for the arts and culture plan is being provided by Monmouth Arts and Monmouth County’s COVID-19 Recovery Grant Program for non-profit organizations.
Throughout the past eight months, its planning process has been guided by a steering committee comprised of representatives from the city council, the planning and zoning boards, the department of planning and redevelopment, the Asbury Park Arts Council, Monmouth County Department of Planning and New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
During this period, the steering committee received regular updates on the research, data gathering and community engagement opportunities of the planning team, with the community being consistently involved in the creation of the plan.
The City Council unanimously approved a resolution referring the Arts and Culture Plan to the planning board for review and adoption as an amendment to the city’s master plan during its March 22 meeting.