The New Jersey State Council on the Arts believes that the arts are a critical and necessary part of our lives. To that end, we understand that access to the arts is vital to the overall health and well-being of New Jerseyans. As more organizations throughout our state create or formalize work at the intersection of arts and health, the Council reaffirms our belief that the arts improve health and well-being through the programs we provide, and we will continue to convene and connect stakeholders across sectors to expand the reach of the arts to meet people where they are.

• We will continue to fund existing programs to strengthen participants’ well-being, with a focus on older adults and those who struggle with location-bound isolation.
• We will expand opportunities for providers and artists to learn and network with each other through the Arts and Health Roundtables, as well as free professional learning opportunities.

We hope continued engagement and conversation will remove silos and allow for rich partnerships that serve both sectors and ensure the well-being of individuals, families, and communities across New Jersey.

For questions about the Council's ongoing work in this area, contact Andrew Binger or Samantha Clarke.

ArtsPay NJ is a collaborative project which addresses issues of pay equity, staff retention, and sector sustainability in the NJ arts and cultural community. The Council supported the initiative’s first and second round of data collection, reports and tools, including statewide surveys and a public, interactive website dashboard of compensation, benefits, job satisfaction, and demographics of arts workers in NJ. Key findings include pay gaps among gender and race, access to health insurance, and more. This project is coordinated in partnership with the arts service organizations of New Jersey: ArtPride NJ, Arts Ed NJ, Dance NJ, NJ Theatre Alliance, NJ Association of Museums, and South Jersey Cultural Alliance.

For questions about this program, contact Lindsay Dandeo or Diane Felcyn.

The Council’s roster includes organizations with diverse areas of focus and a wide range of organizational capacity. Recognizing this diversity and the organic cohorts that come together, the Council created “Communities of Practice” to help organizations with similar traits or missions share best practices, concerns, and ideas in order to build opportunities and strengthen the field as a whole. To date, COPs have been developed around high-capacity organizations, arts education organizations, teaching artists, service organizations, and those seeking to build financial capacity. Each COP is supported by Council staff.

For questions about this program, contact Tammy Herman.

Cosponsored with the Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), this program is aimed at gaining a comprehensive understanding of the financial health and trends of the nonprofit arts industry and assisting organizations in achieving greater financial health. NFF provides Audit Review & Financial Summaries (ARFS) based on a thorough assessment of grantee financial health, and provides workshops, webinars, and small group financial leadership clinics for grantees to build foundational knowledge around financial management tools.

For questions about this program, contact Tammy Herman.

In 1992, the Council joined with the New Jersey Theatre Alliance to create what is now called the Cultural Access Network to serve organizations and individuals statewide. Since its inception, the Cultural Access Network has been a multifaceted resource for cultural organizations in making their programs, opportunities, and facilities accessible to individuals with disabilities, and in being compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

For questions about this program, contact Lindsay Dandeo.

In 2018, the Council and the NJ Historical Commission partnered with the NJ Departments of Human Services (DHS) and Health (DOH) to launch NJ’s first Families First Discovery Pass program. This program provides families and individuals enrolled in state assistance programs (SNAP, WFNJ, and/or WIC) with free or highly discounted admission to arts and history organizations, venues, and programs statewide. FFDP offers broad access to cultural experiences for residents and helps cultural organizations engage and build new audiences.

For questions about this program, contact Chris Benincasa.

Established in 2019 and led by the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the New Jersey Arts & Culture Administrators of Color is a network of professional arts administrators of color created to advance efforts related to equity, diversity, and inclusion within New Jersey’s arts community. The Council is a founding partner of the initiative, working with the Alliance and ArtPride New Jersey to build a community that affords members the opportunity to develop personal and professional connections, share resources, and foster emerging leaders.

For questions about this program, contact Jessica Gaines.

State of the Arts, the Emmy Award-winning weekly, half-hour television show, debuted on NJN Public Television in 1981, and aired as a coproduction of NJN and the Council until 2011. Now airing as a cornerstone program of NJTV Public Media NJ, the new episodes are coproduced by the Council and Stockton University, in partnership with PCK Media. State of the Arts goes on location with creative personalities and productions and is recognized as one of the premier arts programs on public television, with more than 30 Mid-Atlantic and NY Emmys to its credit.

For questions about this program, contact Michelle Baxter-Schaffer.