THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO ATTENDED THE SALON - DESPITE THE POWER OUTAGE .  ART & ARTISTS IN MONMOUTH COUNTY HAD THEIR OWN POSITIVE ENERGY!

A r t s  S a l o n

“A Place for all Artists and Art Enthusiasts to Gather”

We have heard from many of you who love the salons, so we are bringing them back a month early!The Monmouth Arts Salon is an informal mobile gathering at varied locations in Monmouth County. Artists & art enthusiasts gather to exchange ideas, talk, vent & laugh. Enjoy discounted drinks and food specials. Come meet other artists & art enthusiasts.

Monmouth County Arts Council
Selected for First-Ever
Local Arts Index Research Study
 
The Monmouth County Arts Council has been selected by Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts, to be one of 100 communities that will participate in the inaugural Local Arts Index. These local arts agencies will be part of an 18-month research initiative that serves as a complement to the National Arts Index. The findings from the Local Arts Index will be reported in Fall 2011. The Local Arts Index will be the first county-level study designed to measure the health and vitality of the arts industries throughout the United States. It will use a single methodology utilizing information gathered from research produced by the federal government and private research organizations and covering multiple industries, including nonprofit groups, for-profit arts businesses, employment figures, and more. When these quantitative measures are taken together, the Local Arts Index will provide a year-by-year and community-by-community comparison of the nation's arts sector. MCAC Executive Director, Mary Eileen Fouratt said, "We're thrilled to be one of only 2 New Jersey communities participating in this exciting project that will give us ways to measure the strength of the arts in Monmouth County.  The Monmouth County Arts Council will be celebrating our 40th Anniversary next year so this is a perfect time to learn more about the contributions the arts make to Monmouth County and to identify how we can strengthen our community through the arts.  The Local Arts index will inform an update of the County Arts Plan that will be done in 2011 in partnership with the Monmouth County Planning Board."  "The Local Arts Index is an incredible tool for local arts leaders and we are excited to work with our community partners over the coming year. The Local Arts Index will allow the arts groups to place their community in a national context and strengthen the arts in their schools, businesses, and homes," said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts.  The Kresge Foundation has awarded Americans for the Arts a $1.2 million grant to conduct the Local Arts Index, as well as the supporting workshops and materials necessary to assist communities in the effective application of the local data. Research for the Local Arts Index is directed by Roland Kushner, PhD, through support from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA.  Americans for the Arts announced the National Arts Index in January. Those findings showed that the National Arts Index fell 4 points in 2008 to a score of 98.4, reflecting losses in charitable giving and declining attendance at larger cultural institutions, even as the number of arts organizations grew.
Figures from 2009 will be released in October. 

The MCAC is piloting its new blog:

THE ART OF THE MATTER

www.mcacartistsblog.wordpress.com 

Every week, we will blog about different Monmouth County artists to give you some insight into their work.  We hope it will give you a chance to learn more about your favorite Monmouth County artists, to discover some new ones and to be inspired at your computer by the art in your own backyard.  
 
This Week's Featured Artists: 

Hunter McKee & Marge Levine

Click on Image Above to View The MCAC 2009 Annual Report. It takes a minute to Load.

Thank you for your patience.

 Interview with MCAC Executive Director, Mary Eileen Fouratt

MCAC Arts Education Awards 2010 Celebrating Excellence in Arts Education was held on Monday May 17, 2010 @ The Two River Theatre Company, Marion Huber Theater. 

Above: Joe Shields - Senior VP Energy Services NJNG, Paul G. Gaffney - President Monmouth University, Kim Guadagno - New Jersey Lieutenant Governor , Carol Herbert- Former Board President New State Council on the Arts, Mary Eileen Fouratt - MCAC Executive Director, John McEwen, Executive Director NJ Theater Alliance

Above: Presentation of Twelfth Night by RBRHS VPA lV

Matt Dubrow - The Fool, Skylar Apter - Maria, Paul Muolo - Malvolio, Connor Stambaugh - Sir Toby, Reid Henderson - Sir Andrew

  Great news!  If you're looking for a new car, Tom's Ford Lincoln Mercury of Keyport will send MCAC $50 if you buy a new car from them and mention the Monmouth County Arts Council.