Voices from the Field Blog

We Did It! #FoodWaterAirART

Thanks to all of you, we met our goal and the movement is real! Our wonderful backers will hear from us shortly regarding t-shirt sizes and any other details regarding your perks. We appreciate everyone who has played a part in helping to spread the word that the arts are essential to all of our lives! About our Project: Can art fuel a movement? You bet it can! History is thick with examples of...

Politics Unusual - 7 Revelations from a Newly-Hatched Arts Advocate

On March 24 & 25, 2014, ArtPride NJ gave me the life-changing opportunity to participate in National Arts Advocacy Day in Washington D.C., run by Americans for the Arts, our national arts advocacy group. I and my fellow New Jersey delegates met with our Congressional representatives to advocate for the Arts. As with most revelations, my time in D.C. was a quietly extraordinary experience – one...

Turn Up The Volume! A2160 & S1133

We’ve turned up the heat, now we need to turn up the volume! A2160 and S1133 are written to RESTORE state funding for arts, history and tourism ... dedicated funding that has been eroded over the years. Even when overall revenue has grown, the arts, history, and tourism communities have been working with the minimum amount of funding allowed by law, and we think it only fair that these communities...

NJEAL Creative & Ambitious Minds Learn from Business Leaders

There are people out there that don’t think of my millennial generation as focused, motivated, or responsible. However, I have consistently seen that Princeton Regional Chamber events bring out the best in my peers who are expanding their networks and heightening their ambition. I walked in to see a sea of about 200 young corporate professionals Friday, November 1st, when the Princeton Regional...

New Jersey Emerging Arts Leaders Creative Conversations 2013

Happy National Arts & Humanities AND Jersey Arts Month! Every October, in honor of National Arts & Humanities Month, Americans for the Arts partners with arts and community leaders from across the country to host Creative Conversations, local gatherings of engaged citizens in communities as part of a grassroots movement to elevate the profile of arts in America. This local tool empowers arts...

New Jersey Emerging Arts Leaders Storm the Castle!

On July 15th, The New Jersey Emerging Arts Leaders held three simultaneous events to celebrate Bastille Day, and get to know each other a little better. A program of ArtPride New Jersey and a chapter of the Americans for the Arts Emerging Leaders Network, NJEAL strives to identify and cultivate the next generation of arts leaders and artists through professional development and peer networking...

Highlights from NJ at National Arts Advocacy Day

First off, I have been attending National Arts Advocacy Day since 1996. To say this was the best one yet really means something considering I've heard amazing Nancy Hanks lectures by Wendy Wasserstein, Kevin Spacey, Frank Rich, Ken Burns, and Wynton Marsalis, to name a few. New Jersey had an amazing group of arts advocates attending this year including representatives from the Arts Access Program...

Creative Conversations 2012: Meet the Panel!

Join New Jersey Emerging Arts Leaders on Thursday, October 25 for their 4th Annual Creative Conversation: Cross-Industry Collaborations. WHEN Thursday, October 25, 2012 6:30PM-9:30PM Networking after-party to follow WHERE George Street Playhouse 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 COST FREE; Dinner will be provided Networking after-party food and drink not included RSVP BY OCTOBER 17 info...

Creative Conversations 2011

Tomorrow’s the big day! New Jersey Emerging Arts Leaders (NJEAL) will host their third annual Creative Conversation on Thursday, October 20 at Arts Council of Princeton—“Upwardly Mobile: Successful Relationships with Mentors and Supervisors in the Arts.” The event will begin at 7:00PM and include a panel discussion and networking after-party. To learn more about Creative Conversations or the New...

Why Don’t More Members of Gens X and Y Join Boards?

I recently received an email about a blog post titled “Why Don’t More Members of Gens X and Y Join Boards?” through the Americans for the Arts Emerging Arts Leaders Listserv (which is great, by the way. You should join.) The topic of under-35ers on nonprofit boards is one that has risen several times in my office and amongst our Emerging Arts Leaders group. Though I think a member of Generation X...