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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.

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.

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.