By Anthony Noto
Staff Writer
Local arts groups in Middlesex County were awarded a total of nearly $190,000 in grant money by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts this year.
Branching from the U.S. Department of State, the council serves as the largest contributor to arts in the state of New Jersey.
Various theatre, choir and dance performances, along with other commissions spanning the county, are made possible in part by funds from the council and its panel of private professionals.
"Our commissioners, according to their rank on the panel and a formula based on the amount available, decide how much money is rewarded to each group," said Bethany Widrich, the art services coordinator.
The South Plainfield Cultural Arts Commission received its total request of $1,350 - which will go towards a diversity program at four different schools, relating African-American heritage through storytelling, songs, rhymes and instruments.
Middlesex County Plays in the Park came close to receiving their requested amount, which was a total of $10,370. The funds will help pay for captioning and sign language interpreters for hearing-impaired patrons of musical theatre.
Other organizations received a considerably lesser amount than requested.
The Monroe Township Cultural Arts Commission said it would use its $7,100 grant award to bring the Princeton Symphony Orchestra to the Richard P. Marasco Center for Performing Arts, despite the fact they had requested nearly three times the amount.
The Public Relations Committee of Middlesex Borough is presenting the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra this July and requested over $20,000 to be allocated for artists' fees. The NJSCA awarded them $3,500. The committee could not be reached for comment at press time.
And even though the Rutgers Film Co-op in New Brunswick asked the NJSCA for $30,000, it was awarded just a little over $11,000. The requested funds will go toward several state film festivals, including the Jersey Fresh Media Screening, which screens work by New Jersey-based artists.
The commission has been awarding projects for 20 years.
"We hope to grow and continually reach out to cultural groups in Middlesex County," Widrich said.
She added state funding cuts have not affected the amount of grant dollars available.
"We can support as many county programs as possible," she said. "Anyone that is incorporated as a non-profit is allowed to apply."
While many non-profit organizations may apply for grants, submitting an application does not guarantee funding.
Five organizations were denied grant money this cycle, including the Borough of Carteret Mayor's Charity, the Indo-American Literary Academy, the Middlesex County Vocational Technical Academy Theatre Department, the NAACP Metuchen-Edison Branch and the Mount Zion Church Journal Club.
The NAACP grant was declined due to the fact the project does not take place within the 2007 grant cycle, according to the NJSCA Log of Grant Recipients. The log also stated the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission plans to assist the group through other means.
The Middlesex County Vo-Tech grant was denied because it is the second application from the school and the grant-funded program contained no public component, the log stated.
Carteret's grant request was similarly denied, as there was too little information provided for the panel to assess, according to the log.
The Mount Zion Church Journal Club's grant request was denied because the project requiring funding is not rooted in the arts. Still, the program was referred to as "a worthy endeavor."
The NJSCA encourages and gives financial support to artists and projects, working especially close with cultural groups, as well.
Despite the varying amounts of each award, the NJSCA still expects the combined efforts of each project to move benefit the state's economy every year. By attracting millions of audience members, they look forward to helping the arts flourish and to improve the quality of living in each community.
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