ABOUT MONMOUTH ARTS

Monmouth Arts ignites creativity and strengthens community through the power of the arts. As the county’s leading nonprofit arts organization, we deliver programs, services, events, and creative opportunities that inspire people of all ages and backgrounds.

Monmouth Arts is for Artists

We champion artists by promoting their work, expanding their networks, and helping advance their professional journeys.

ArtSpace Exhibitions | Workshops for Creatives | Artist Registry

Monmouth Arts is for Arts Organizations

We help local arts organizations thrive with funding, collaborative opportunities, and increased visibility.

View our Current Nonprofit and Business Members

Monmouth Arts is for You

Supporters, seniors, teens, families, and all Monmouth County residents — we welcome you to explore and enjoy the arts! See an exhibit, watch a film, attend a community mixer, connect with others who value the arts, and feel at home in Monmouth County’s creative community.

Explore our Events and Workshops | Get Involved in Our Programs

Membership is for Everyone

Artists. Supporters. Creative Businesses. Organizations.

Discover the Benefits

OUR MISSION

Monmouth Arts provides programs and services that support the practice, presence, and influence of the arts and of artists throughout Monmouth County.

OUR COMMITMENT

We are a catalyst for creativity, using the arts to uplift and connect our community. We know that the arts change lives, because we see it every day.

Equity, inclusivity, and diversity are central to our mission. We recognize that lasting relevance and success come from including individuals of varied racial, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds, as well as a spectrum of ages, genders, abilities, lifestyles, and lived experiences in leadership, governance, and programming.

OUR IMPACT

We've not only lifted up individual artists — in recent years, we've also sparked a vibrant wave of connection through our whole community, growing our impact in ways we couldn’t have imagined.

We have distributed $800,000+ in regrant money across our community.
Over 2.2 million people have attended an arts event of Monmouth Arts or our regrantees.
Over 5,000 students participated in the Monmouth Arts Teen Arts Festival & Teen Arts Showcase.
Over 800 senior artists have participated in the Monmouth County Senior Art Show.
Our arts programs help youth, seniors, and other adults with needs deal with anxiety, depression & loneliness.

OUR HISTORY

Monmouth Arts was founded in 1971 after the Junior League of Monmouth County surveyed the community and identified the need for a central agency to coordinate and assist all county artists and arts organizations. With seed money from the Junior League and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Monmouth Arts was designated as the official county arts agency, made up of arts groups, artists, and supporters of the arts. At that point, the organization began providing assistance and services to strengthen the arts and the quality of life in Monmouth County.

Monmouth Arts shares a deep history with the Count Basie Center, which originally opened in 1926 as Reade’s Carlton Theater. In 1973, an anonymous donor provided Monmouth Arts with funds to purchase the historic theater, renaming it as the Monmouth Arts Center. In 1984, the theater was renamed the Count Basie Theatre in honor of jazz icon and Red Bank native William “Count” Basie.

In 1999, Monmouth Arts and the Basie separated into two nonprofit organizations so that each organization could better focus on its individual mission. Today, through a variety of programs and services, Monmouth Arts continues to enrich the community by inspiring and fostering the arts throughout Monmouth County.