Press
Arts & Culture Plan Presented to City of Asbury Park Council
TriCityNews
Local weekly paper covering regional news and events covers the Arts & Culture Plan presented to the AP City Council
A Potential to Multiply the Cultural Power of Our City
Independent Asbury Park Arts Council Leads The Initiative - TriCity News March 16, 2023
ASBURY PARK — A group of some of the most effective arts and cultural leaders in the city are moving forward with the creation of an Arts and Culture plan for Asbury Park.
This plan has the potential to multiply the cultural power of our city. Funded by a recent county grant, the Asbury Park Arts Council (APAC) — an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization — put together the draft plan and presented it to the City Council just before our deadline.
The next step is referral to the Planning Board, who’d then adopt the Arts and Culture Plan as an amendment to the city’s master plan. That would give it legal authority. Before that, however, APAC will provide a public presentation of the draft plan at the Asbury Park Public Library on March 30 at 6 pm. The Planning Board would have their own public hearings on the plan.
This newspaper understands the value of this project. A detailed Arts and Cul-ture Plan can lead to more grant awards. It becomes a guide for policy deci-sions, including zoning decisions. The plan identifies various underutilized as-sets and determines how the city can maximize their effectiveness for the arts. And the plan makes recommendations for arts and culture activities in various parts of the city, which may have different needs to serve.
“The Asbury Park Arts Council (APAC) works to support, advocate and pro-mote arts-centric initiatives, businesses and development,” states the group’s mission statement. “Our primary goal is to ensure the arts are considered in municipal policy-making via the creation and implementation of an Arts and Culture plan within the Asbury Park Master Plan.”
The Arts Council compiled a ton of data to develop the draft plan. A survey it developed was answered by 153 people. Twenty-three interviews were conduct-ed with leading policymakers and arts stakeholders. Five focus groups were conducted, along with one public open house.
The information gathering led to some important results. For example, 48 per-cent of survey respondents indicated that the cost of arts events and programs limit their participation. Another finding was that 71 percent of survey respon-dents indicated they don’t learn about arts activities in time. (Sounds like the city government should start advertising all the offerings in the triCityNews!)
The Arts Council also did an inventory of what our 1.75 square mile city offers. The group counted 180 creators and contributors; 80 venues, places and facilities for arts and culture; and 60 regular events and programs. That’s pretty wild.
Those figures also confirm what we’ve always said about our tiny city — based on its size and population, we are indeed a powerful center for arts and culture. (And the data of the Arts Council doesn’t even measure Asbury Park’s impact on the areas around it in terms of building the arts and culture. That makes the city even more powerful.)
For example, compare the Asbury Park Arts Council’s data for Asbury Park to Austin, Texas. Austin has 965,000 people compared to 15,000 for Asbury Park. That’s 65 times as many people. Multiplying what Asbury offers by 65 to com-pare to Austin gives these result: 11,700 creators and contributors; 480 ven-ues, places and facilities for arts and culture; and 3,900 regular events and programs.
How impressive is that? The data shows how remarkable Asbury Park remains in terms of its cultural power and influence.
Implementing an Arts and Culture plan as a matter of law by including it in the master plan will multiply and preserve all this. For example, the draft plan lists several action items, two of which are particularly noteworthy: establishing a funding stream for arts and culture, and a community culture center.
The funding stream can be a modest dedicated art tax that taxpayers probably wouldn’t even notice, but could generate a low six figure revenue for art. Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn is for that, and we predict one day relatively soon it will be on the ballot for voter approval. The community culture center may indeed come about once it’s recognized as a city-wide priority as per the Arts and Culture plan.
Also noteworthy is who’s doing all this. It’s a great representation of several of our city’s arts leaders.
Here’s the Asbury Park Arts Council board: 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. Turner also serves as acting Executive Director and coordinated the development of the APAC’s plan. Another recognized talent local to Asbury Park — planner Eric Galipo, who grew up in the city — served as the planning professional working with Turner to lead the development of the plan.
On The Sewage Plant? Where Else?
TriCityNews
Local weekly paper covering regional news and events covers how more public art is coming in Summer 2023.
More Public Art Coming to Asbury Treatment Facility This Summer
Independent Asbury Park Arts Council Leads The Initiative - TriCity News March 16, 2023
ASBURY PARK — We love only in Asbury Park moments.
And a great one is the painting of public art on a most interesting city build-ing:
Our sewage treatment plant!
You got to love it. Last year, nine artists painted colorful murals on this most essential of facilities. Over 50 artists answered the request for proposals. The murals face south, and they are striking.
Only in Asbury Park!
This year, the city’s Public Arts Commission will coordinate the painting of more murals on the sewage plant, this time on four panels facing east toward the ocean. The Request for Proposals is expected to be made available this month. Like last year, artists will be paid $1,000 for their work. The tentative timeline is to get the murals painted in May.
“The sewage plant murals really opened the public’s eyes to the possible,” said Public Arts Commission member Mike Sodano.
“The historic wastewater treatment facility is one of a few municipally-owned buildings available for City-sponsored projects and its highly visible location on the beachfront makes it ideal for a public art installation,” he said.
Another Public Arts Commission member, Jenn Hampton of Parlor Gallery on Cookman Avenue, enjoyed seeing the interaction of people with the murals — this is on a sewage plant, remember.
Of particular joy was watching brides get photos there.
“I love seeing brides taking a picture in front of the murals at the sewage plant, and they don’t care what’s going on behind there,” said Hampton. “I really like this story of the sewage plant.”
Members of the Asbury Park Public Arts Commission are Michele Alonso, Matt Daniels, Mary Eileen Fouratt, Jenn Hampton, Shana LaBranche, Mal-colm Navias, Amy Quinn, Marilyn Schlossbach, Angie Sugrim, Michael Soda-no and Charles Trott.
But Jenn Hampton is the commission members most involved in public art in-stallations. Aside from serving on the city’s Public Arts Commission — which approves all murals on buildings in Asbury Park — she’s also on the board of the independent non-profit Asbury Park Arts Council. The Council works in conjunction with the city and other stakeholders to promote arts and culture in Asbury Park. Our other Asbury story this week’s chronicles its role in imple-menting an Arts and Culture plan in Asbury Park.
Hampton is also responsible for curating the murals of the hugely popular Wooden Walls project on the boardwalk, produced in conjunction with board-walk redeveloper Madison Marquette. Madison authorized her, and funded, the installation by One site was at the Sunset Avenue pavilion north of Convention Hall and the other was in the Casino site and on the steam plant next door. The project also featured public art installations in the Casino walkway. People were constantly photographing the murals and installations, whether the art itself, or as back-ground for selfies or just photos of people in front of them.
The murals were likely the most Instagrammed sites in Asbury Park, sent out to the rest of the world via social media — and bringing even more attention to our city as an arts leader.
“I am always trying to find projects to fill our City with art and probably driving the City crazy with all my big ideas,” Hampton said. artists of murals on undeveloped pavilions and buildings on both ends of the boardwalk.
Arts and Culture Plan proposed to be included in city’s master plan
TAPintoAsbury Park
Your Neighborhood News Online - By Alissa Deleo
A public presentation of the plan’s major recommendations will take place March 30 at 6 p.m. at the Asbury Park Library
ASBURY PARK, NJ — An arts and culture plan may soon become a key component included within the city’s master plan after an update about its development was made by Eric Galipo during a recent city council meeting.
Galipo, who is a professional planner and urban designer representing the city and the Asbury Park Arts Council, asked the council to consider a resolution of referral to the planning board for review and adoption, which they determined will be voted on at the March 22 city council meeting. If the council approves the resolution, it will then come before the planning board in April for review and once again for eventual adoption in May.
At the meeting, Galipo briefly introduced the plan, including recent research, findings and recommendations from an anonymous survey about the status of the arts and potential future developments in the city which began last August.
Sign Up for FREE Asbury Park Newsletter
Get local news you can trust in your inbox.
subscriber@example.com
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
A public presentation of the plan’s major recommendations will be made on Thursday, March 30, at 6 p.m. at the Asbury Park Public Library, located at 500 First Ave.
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.
Galipo’s role is to provide professional arts and cultural planning services through his firm Francis Cauffman Architects (FCA), which is a multidisciplinary planning and design firm with offices in Philadelphia, New York and Orlando.
The firm has completed arts and culture plans for municipalities and institutions, including the St. Louis Garment District Master Plan, The Salt Lake City Arts & Culture Plan, the City of Ocala Arts and Public Places Plan and is currently in the process of developing a public art master plan for the City of Hoboken.
“Arts and culture plans can be powerful tools for cities and communities to foster community cohesion and civic pride, identify gaps and opportunities in the city’s cultural landscape. It’s a way to leverage arts and culture as generators of economic development and employment growth and to enhance the quality of life of residents through community-based arts and recreational activities,” Galipo said.
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.
During Galipo’s presentation, he further addressed the question of why an arts and culture plan is necessary for Asbury Park. “The 2017 city master plan defined a vision for the city as a place with a thriving arts community, a year-round economy, expanded community facilities and an outstanding quality of life,” Galipo explained.
“There was also a specific recommendation that the city would complete an arts and culture master plan that would inventory the arts and cultural assets of the city and identify areas most suitable for arts and culture as well as the uses, programs and actions necessary to support arts and culture in the city,” he added.
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 has received regular updates on the research, data gathering and community engagement opportunities of the planning team, Galipo noted, adding that the community has also been consistently involved in the creation of the plan.
He explained that the planning team met with the public to learn further about their individual attitudes on arts and culture as well as what more they believe is needed in the city.
In this pursuit, the arts council received 153 responses to an online survey as of March 8 and conducted more than 20 interviews with representatives of city government and non-profit organizations, the Asbury Park school system and others working in arts and culture throughout the city.
The arts council also conducted five focus groups with local creators and producers of cultural and community activities and hosted an open house at the Blackbird Community Commons in December with more than 80 participants in attendance.
“Overall, we can identify more than 500 individual touch points gained through our participation in multiple community events where individual conversations and actual community members rounded out our understanding of the cultural landscape and the needs of the city and the community,” Galipo said.
During the study, the arts council undertook an inventory of arts and culture assets throughout the city.
“In this study, we were able to identify nearly 180 individual creators and organizations related to arts and culture as well as 80 venues, places and facilities capable of supporting arts and cultural activity and over 60 recurring programs and events that provide a strong sense of Asbury Park as a significant contributor to the regional art and cultural landscape and economy,” Galipo said.
The study examined resources available through community facilities but found that there are few spatial resources that are perceived as accessible or welcoming to the public, he added.
“The precious few community facilities that we do have are working hard to provide services, but this study has found more services and facilities are needed to fully engage the residential community, individual creative pursuits and collective activities,” Galipo said.
The study charted the frequency of all recurring programs taking place throughout the city to understand how cultural activity is distributed throughout the year.
“What we discovered is that the seasonal nature of the city has a significant impact on the level of cultural activity, with most events occurring in the warmer months of the year,” Galipo said.
The study examined the prevalence of free and public events and how this compares to that of paid and private events. Recorded data additionally concluded that while paid and private events generally continue throughout the year, almost all free and public programming offered to the community is limited to the warm season.
“This is highly indicative of a lack of high quality low-cost indoor facilities for hosting community programs in the off-season,” Galipo said.
The research charted the city’s active seasonal formal venues, which are The Stone Pony summer stage and the Fifth Avenue rooftop. The Saint, Asbury Lanes, House of Independents, and The Stone Pony are listed in the study as activity year-round indoor venues.
The study stated that 72% of the city’s indoor venue capacity is inactive, naming Convention Hall, Paramount Theatre and Savoy Theatre on Mattison Avenue, which closed in 1976.
“It cannot be understated the detrimental impact this has on the local economic and employment picture when it comes to arts and culture,” Galipo said.
Outdoor recreation beyond the beachfront, dining and live music need to be leveraged, according to the survey, which notes that historical tourism, learning and making, dance, theater and other performing arts all have significant potential for increasing Asbury Park’s share of the regional creative economy for engaging its residents and visitors creative pursuits.
Galipo added that he hopes to see collaboration and coordination between the city’s private and non-profit sectors, which he believes could help leverage spatial assets, secure funding and connect creators and audiences.
Galipo concluded the presentation by explaining four goals of the arts and culture plan, which are to augment the city’s year-round quality of life, expand the cultural production ecosystem, foster inclusion, community cohesion, well-being and lifelong learning and support tourism, creative enterprises and the cultural economy.
The plan identifies four general strategies that can contribute to meeting the goals. The first is to provide resources, facilities and programs for individual creativity, recreation and lifelong learning, while the second strategy is to align development, land use, funding and policies to support tourism and the homegrown creative economy.
“Asbury Park needs to do more in terms of modernizing its zoning code and looking for ways to include new and encourage other uses within our residential and commercial environments,” Galipo said.
The third strategy is to leverage the brand of Asbury Park as an inclusive city where creativity thrives.
“Our visual brand is inconsistent and could use some harmonization as well as provide an injection of creativity into the way we express our status as a seasonal beach community and a year-round artistic and creative community,” Galipo said.
The fourth strategy is to transform streets, parks and public spaces to support next-level art and cultural place-making, Galipo explained, adding, “We use our city’s streets to a high degree in Asbury Park, but more can be done to make sure that they feel more balanced between the needs of people and the needs of cars.”
City Seeks Views For Cultural, Arts Plan
The Coaster
Local weekly paper covers APAC's seeks your answers in a survey...
City Seeks Views For Cultural, Arts Plan
By CAROL GORGA WILLIAMS - The Coaster - October 17, 2022
Can you feel Asbury Park’s artistic energy? Would you like that feeling to be stronger? Do you support the arts?
Here is your chance to express your views. The Asbury Park Arts Council is preparing an arts and cultural plan for the city, announced City Councilwoman Eileen Chapman. More information is available from the council’s website at asburyparksarts.org. On that site, the council is seeking answers to an anonymous 26- question survey about the status of the arts and potential future developments. Those who are interested – and the survey is open to those who are not city residents as well – may also speak to council members in person. The next listening session is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Asbury Park Community Festival at Springwood Park.
If taking the survey or speaking in person are not preferred, those interested in discussing the issue may also comment on the site’s message board.
The Arts Council currently is working on APin3 in which film makers write, shoot and edit a short three-minute film on Asbury Park during a three-day period this month. The premiere, which costs $5, is Oct. 23 on the site filmscreening.com.
The cultural arts plan is being funded by Monmouth Arts and Monmouth County’s COVID-19 Recovery Grant Program. Its mission, according to the arts council site, is to create a comprehensive arts and cultural plan for the city.
During the six-month planning process, the council will conduct an inventory of the existing cultural activities that help people access artistic offerings here. The four-pronged effort also calls for the identification of common visions and goals for artistic offerings, the evaluation of options and strategies for future artistic programming and completion of the plan for the city..
During the inventory, volunteers will categorize the people, organizations, places, venues, activities and other elements that add to what they call the city’s artistic ecosystem. The inventory would also include a comparison to what other cities have to offer.
To develop the vision and goals of the city’s artistic programming, the project will look at the strengths, shared priorities and opportunities to create and participate in artistic endeavors and establish goals for supporting a sustainable, resilient and inclusive cultural community. The final plan will seek to be a guide to arts here including the physical, programmatic and organization infrastructure to support the artistic endeavors here that would contribute to the city’s economic development, community cohesion and individual creativity encouraged by the arts.
The survey will include questions about artistic history, food, painting, theater, knitting, festivals, markets, museums, dominoes, drum circles, library, poetry, including the spoken word and where in the city arts seem to live for people, including Asbury Avenue, Memorial Drive, Springwood Avenue and Springwood Park, Sunset, Deal or Wesley lakes, the downtown, including Cookman, Lake and Mattison Avenues, Library Square Park and other areas.
The survey asks what keeps people away from accessing arts including whether art is cultural sensitivity and inclusive, whether there is child care, ADA provisions, language issues, scheduling and timing of artistic programming and other issues.
Powerful Arts and Culture Plan Moves Forward in Asbury Park
TriCityNews
Local weekly paper covering regional news and events covers how a powerful arts and culture plan moves forward in Asbury Park, Independent Asbury Park Arts Council Leads The Initiative.
Powerful Arts and Culture Plan Moves Forward in Asbury Park
Independent Asbury Park Arts Council Leads The Initiative - TriCityNews Oct 6, 2022
ASBURY PARK — A group of some of the most effective arts and cultural leaders in the city are on the move with the creation of an Arts and Cul-ture plan for Asbury Park.
This plan has the potential to multiply the cultural power and draw of our city. Funded by a recent county grant, the Asbury Park Arts Council (APAC) — an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization — is now embarking on the collection of input for the plan.
This newspaper understands the value of this project. A detailed Arts and Culture Plan can lead to more grant awards. If formally adopted by the city, it becomes a guide for policy decisions, including zoning decisions. The plan can identify various underutilized assets and determine how the city can maximize their effectiveness for the arts. And the plan can as-sess and make recommendations for arts and culture activities in various parts of the city, which may have different needs to serve.
“The Asbury Park Arts Council (APAC) works to support, advocate and promote arts-centric initiatives, businesses and development,” states the group’s mission statement. “Our primary goal is to ensure the arts are considered in municipal policy-making via the creation and implemen-tation of an Arts and Culture plan within the Asbury Park Master Plan.”
Also noteworthy is who’s doing all this. APAC was founded just before the pandemic in 2019. Implementing the Arts and Culture Plan was al-ways their top priority, among other goals. Now the recent county grant of $200,000 — for the plan and other initiatives — is making it real.
Here’s the APAC board: Parlor Gallery owner Jenn Hampton, former Show-Room owner Mike Sodano, Paul McEvily from Interfaith Neighbors, Para-normal Books owner Kathy Kelly, attorney and arts activist Bob Ellis, and Carrie Turner, formerly the General Manager of Madison Marquette’s boardwalk project.
All these people are recognized for their effectiveness and vision. Also crucial to APAC was Michelle Gladden, who was the initial part-time Ex-ecutive Director and got the group launched with various initiatives and grant applications which came through.
(Visit Asburyparkartscouncil.org for more information on the Arts and Cul-ture Plan and the organization’s other goals and programs. In fact, here’s a timely example of one of their other projects: the “AP in 3” challenge where content makers are challenged to make a three-minute video or film in three days about Asbury Park, with prizes over $3,000. That starts Oct. 13. Info at asburyparkartscouncil.org.)
Board member Carrie Turner is now also serving as the acting Executive Director. Turner recently left a job in South Jersey, so she’s got the time flexibility to put in a full-time effort as Executive Director, which is a game changer. Turner is recognized from her work at Madison Marquette as one of the most effective administrators in Asbury Park, respected throughout the city. She’s could easily serve as City Man-ager one day if that position ever came open.
Turner moved to the city over a decade ago in 2010 after visiting it twice. Before that, she had worked in Camden, first for a non-profit affordable housing organiza-tion and then in the city’s redevelopment office. She then worked in Asbury Park with Madison Marquette up until a very amicable parting three years ago. Now, she’s back in the city working full-time for the Asbury Park Arts Council as acting Executive Director.
“I love Asbury Park,” said Turner. “I love the variety, the creativity, the warmth of the people really. I like that all the vitality is in these 1.2 square miles.”
Another recognized talent local to Asbury Park — planner Eric Galipo, who grew up in the city — has been retained as the planning professional to lead the devel-opment of the Arts and Culture Plan. APAC also coordinates with the city on this project, with an ultimate goal of the Arts and Culture Plan officially adopted as part of the city’s master plan. That will give it legal standing.
As part of the current information gathering phase for the plan, APAC has a survey you can complete on its asburyparkartscouncil.org website. You’ll also finds dates APAC representatives will be available at public events to answer questions on the plan and take input.
As an independent non-profit organization — although one that works closely with the city — APAC has the flexibility to accept and distribute private funds for various programs.
The Arts and Culture Plan is its biggest commitment. But now with the $200,000 county grant, and other smaller grants, APAC has embarked on other arts-centric projects. Those activities include financial support for public mural projects, finan-cial support for the Inspire Life program that provides a fine arts and technology camp for city youth, and the AP in 3 film challenge. Another potential project is a regular schedule of artist around the city’s Civil War memorial, a little noticed but beautiful statue on a small piece of land on Cookman Avenue at Grand Avenue.
In the meantime, however, watch for that Arts and Culture Plan. That’s the big story here.
The APin3 Film Challenge
The Asbury Park Arts Council (APAC) is pleased to announce its first annual ‘APin3’, a three minute film challenge open to all local amateur filmmakers. Those who apply will be required to write, shoot and edit a short film about Asbury Park during a three-day period in October, utilizing a supplied theme, a specific line of dialogue and incorporating a designated location and prop. The top ten short films, as judged by a panel of independent creatives, will be screened at the House of Independents on Sunday, October 23rd. Thousands of dollars in prizes will be awarded to the top three films and one audience-choice winner.
“We know that there are filmmakers, their families and friends who enjoy the teamwork aspect of this type of challenge and this is a great way to showcase talent in our great little city,” said Mike Sodano, one of the founding members of APAC. “Making Asbury Park the focus of short films allows anyone to have a voice in how the city is perceived and keeps the artform on the street.” Sodano, and his partner Nancy Sabino, originally the created the ‘APin3’ concept in 2014 when they were owners of the Showroom Cinema on Cookman Avenue; they ran the challenge twice and were impressed with the variety and creativity of the entries. Sodano brought the idea with him to APAC, which was successful in attracting grant funding to help underwrite the project this year.
The online submission platform, Film Freeway, will be utilized for the challenge and applications 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 to help with the entry fee. The actual filming timeframe will start at 6pm on Thursday, October 13th when filmmaker kits will be sent via email to all applicants and will end at 6pm on Sunday, October 16th, the time by which all films will need to be uploaded
Carrie Turner, Executive Director of APAC said, “It is our hope that there is participation from a wide range of individuals and organizations; Asbury is full of artists and characters alike and we expect to see that represented in the submissions. Since films can be shot on such widely available tools as your cell phone, almost anyone is able to take part in the challenge. APAC looks forward to growing AP in 3 to become an annual event that showcases the creative spirit that is found in every corner of our city.”
Start thinking about how you’d like to tell your story of Asbury Park and apply to be a part of this year’s APin3. Mark your calendar for this cinematic weekend in October.
Tickets for the premier screening on the 23rd will be available soon on the Film Freeway website – www.FilmFreeway.com/APin3 – and cost $5.
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
For Immediate Release – Contact: Nancy Sabino 201-207-9249
City of Asbury Park Summer 2021 Mural Art Project
Tri City News
Local weekly paper covering regional news and events covers the City of Asbury Park Summer 2021 Mural Art Project.
The City of Asbury Park’s Public Art Commission, with support from Monmouth Arts, hosted a three-day mural art project where 13 artists created installations along Cookman Avenue and in Springwood Park. The artists were selected from a pool of 60 submissions, which included local and regional, professional and amateur artists.
Learn more at CityofAsburyPark.com
Asbury Park Arts Council Gets Underway
Tri City News
Local weekly paper covering regional news and events covers the establishment of APAC.
TCN covers the establishment of APAC, it’s work on the Asbury Park Culture Plan in addition to sponsoring its own arts initiative and events with the goal of establishing an Asbury Park Arts Center to provide a venue for all the arts groups in the city who need performance space.