Monmouth County Arts Council

Description

The Monmouth County Arts Council is the official Arts Agency of Monmouth County (designated by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders). MCAC facilitates partnerships which encourage artistic endeavors among arts organizations, artists, local government, social service organizations, businesses and the educational community. We support arts education, promote and assist a wide range of cultural organizations and programs within the County

MCAC programs and services reach over 500,000 people each year.

• Local Arts Grant Program through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts awards and distributes the funds to local arts groups. For 2006 MCAC has awarded $146,000 to 29 local arts organizations which will result in over 1,000 arts activities for over 500,000 people.
  

• State of the Art, a bi-monthly full color magazine, with a calendar of events, articles on the arts community in Monmouth County. State of the Art is mailed to 2,000 VIP's, arts patrons and MCAC members and 4,000 copies are distributed to community locations as well as to every school and library in Monmouth County.

• Annual Juried Art Show & Sale for visual artists. The 2006 exhibition brought in over 250 tri-state artists with more than 400 art works. The juror was Napoleon Jones-Henderson an internationally known artist. A Visual Thinking workshop and a Spoken Word workshop are held for artists and patrons of the arts.

• The Monmouth County Teen Arts Festival is a two-day festival for teens involved in the arts, with an Opening Reception. The Festival provides opportunities for teens to try different artistic disciplines, have their artwork showcased and critiqued by professional artists. More than 1,500 students and teachers from public and private schools as well as home schooled students from all over the County participate.

• Arts Education Awards celebrate innovative arts educators, administrators and schools in Monmouth County and bring attention to the importance of arts education in learning.

• Visual Thinking Program is a K-12 program that enhances understanding of art (and many other subjects) through observation, analysis and field trips to museums.

• The Teen Arts Connection is made up of high school students from around the County who are involved in the arts. Students participate in workshops, performance opportunities, attend arts events and performances and receive mentoring from artists and educators on the Arts Education Advisory Board.
  

• Technical Assistance Workshops are held throughout the year for arts organizations and artists covering subjects such as developing a long-range plan, writing grant proposals, budgeting for non-profits, working with the media, planning special events, and complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
  

• MCAC's website, www.monmouthartscouncil.org , lists arts events in the County and provides links to member arts organizations and arts resources.

• An Artist Registry enables the public, businesses and educators to find artists in a wide range of disciplines.

• The Resource Library contains publications on arts programming, arts education, grant resources, grant writing and nonprofit organization management.

• A Members Directory, a resource for educators, businesses and the public includes information on over 75 arts organizations and the Artist Registry.

• A Blueprint for the Arts, MCAC's Monmouth County Arts Plan developed in partnership with Monmouth University and the Monmouth County Office of Planning sets forth a plan to strengthen the arts in Monmouth County with input from a wide variety constituencies.
  

MCAC works with communities on Community Arts Planning to help municipalities and regions incorporate the arts into their economic redevelopment, improve the quality of life and bring tourists and local residents to downtowns.