Arts & Entertainment
Middletown Gets Arts Funding Boost
Brookdale and Middletown Cultural and Arts Council to benefit
Area arts organizations will receive a $90,000 boost from the Monmouth County Arts Council (MCAC). Of that $90,000, two Middletown affiliations will benefit from nearly $5,000 for arts' sake.
The Red Bank-based nonprofit announced 29 recipients of its annual grants program.
Danny Tamez, of the MCAC Community Arts Council, said the organization was impressed by the quality and focus of the applications received, awarding grants to each applicant.
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“That hasn’t always been the case in the past. Fortunately, this year it was. They really did their due diligence in completing their application,” Tamez said.
The MCAC awarded money to special projects, such as the Latino Festival of Monmouth County and the Garden State Film Festival, and as general support for arts organizations, such as the and the Guild of Creative Art.
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“You can tell from the list it’s quite a broad group of organizations. It’s a really interesting mix,” Tamez said.
Organizations receiving grants include those in Asbury Park, Atlantic Highlands, Belmar, Deal, Freehold, Hazlet, Holmdel, Keyport, , Red Bank, Shrewsbury, and Tinton Falls. Choral groups, dance companies, municipal arts centers and local theaters will be among those receiving funding from MCAC. (The full list of recipients is available below.)
Tamez said MCAC, a 40-year-old organization based in Red Bank, has focused its efforts on recent years in supporting areas of the county with emerging arts organizations or underserved populations like western Monmouth and the Bayshore region.
He noted area arts organizations, including the MCAC, haven’t been immune to the economic downtown. Most arts organizations in Monmouth County are dependent on the work of volunteers, especially during difficult economic times.
“We’ve very proud of our arts organizations doing the good work out there. A lot of them are volunteers who dedicate their time and resources to the arts,” Tamez said. “It’s been tight (financially) for all of us. We hope in the next few years to increase financing for the grants.”
Organization Town Amount Arc Resources Unlimited Freehold $1,200 Arcadian Chorale Matawan $3,000 Art Alliance Red Bank $1,400 Art Society of Keyport Keyport $1,000 Atlantic Highlands Arts Council Atlantic Highlands $1,500 Axelrod Performing Arts Center Deal $1,400 Ballet Co./Performing Arts Ensemble Red Bank $3,850 Bayonet Farm Holmdel $1,000 Belmar Arts Council Belmar $1,900 Lincroft $1,000 Center Players Freehold $6,190 Company of Dance Arts Red Bank $6,500 Downtown Concert Series Freehold $1,000 Garden State Film Festival Asbury Park $10,000 Guild of Creative Art Shrewsbury $2,500 Heart of New Jersey Chorus Hazlet $1,300 Jazz Arts Project Red Bank/Asbury Park $4,600 Keyport Cultural Harmony/Latino Festival of Monmouth County Keyport/Freehold $1,200 Liberty Oak Chorus Monmouth County $1,050 Middletown Cultural and Arts Council Middletown $3,700 Monmouth Civic Chorus Red Bank $10,000 Monmouth Conservatory of Music Red Bank $1,700 Monmouth Festival of the Arts Tinton Falls $2,600 New Jersey Chamber Singers Monmouth County $1,000 Phoenix Productions Red Bank $5,750 Red Bank RiverCenter Red Bank $2,300 Revision Theatre Asbury Park $7,360 Shrewsbury Chorale Shrewsbury $1,000 Starburst Productions/First Avenue Playhouse Atlantic Highlands $3,000Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
