Monmouth Arts

On October 19, the second annual Monmouth Arts Folklife Showcase brought our community together for an unforgettable day of vibrant performances and cultural expression. The Freehold Mall came alive with an amazing lineup of performances, bridging our diverse community through the universal languages of dance, music, and storytelling. We were privileged to showcase remarkable talent, including the Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey, the Redhawk Native American Arts Council, the Pipes and Drums Band of the Atlantic Watch, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, Baiano-Capoeira Sol Nascente USA, the Peruvian Community of Freehold, Fitzgerald School of Irish Dance, and Portuguese-American singer Julia Machado. This year’s Folklife Showcase was a powerful reminder of the incredible diversity that makes Monmouth County so special. Each cultural tradition shared is a unique thread in the rich fabric of our community, reflecting the beauty, history, and values of those who call this area home.

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, December 7th when we’ll be hosting a special benefit pop-up sale of original lunch bag artwork by local children’s book author and illustrator Mike Ciccotello. All proceeds will go to The Source at Red Bank Regional High School, which maintains supports the mental health and well-being of its students in many ways, including a fully stocked pantry for students and their families. Mike, also known as “Mr. Mike,” will have 50 bags on display, each with an original drawing done in his signature style; bags are $20 and are frameable. Many of the the drawings are based on clever ideas submitted by his friends and fans - follow @ciccotello as he creates new bags each week! Don’t miss this chance to grab your own original lunch bag art and help support a great cause. A representative from @thesourcerbr will also be at the event to share more about the organization’s important work. See you Saturday, December 7th from 1:00 - 5:00pm! ArtSpace, Monmouth Arts’ gallery and community space is located at 99 Monmouth Street in Red Bank, next to the Count Basie Center for the Arts.

Please welcome our latest nonprofit member! The Red Bank Theatre for Young Audiences provides local teens an opportunity to perform at no cost and presents pay-what-you-can, quality theatre for local children and families from which to experience the gifts of live theatre. On November 2nd, the Red Bank Theatre for Young Audiences, an outreach program of the United Methodist Church of Red Bank, will be presenting the short play, Charlie Brown & the Great Pumpkin. This comedic and touching show follows Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy and others as they celebrate Halloween, while Linus forgoes celebrations to wait in a pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin. The stellar cast features teens from a variety of schools in Monmouth County and is directed by Melissa Moore Reimertz. The audience is invited to wear Halloween costumes, and will also have a chance to meet and greet the characters after the play. Interested in becoming a member of Monmouth Arts? We offer memberships for nonprofit organizations, creative businesses, artists, arts supporters, and students. Check out our membership page at https://lnkd.in/eQhNNT6

Bill German, author of “Under Their Thumb - How a Nice Boy From Brooklyn Toured with the Rolling Stones and Lived to Tell About It,” told his true account of his life on tour with the Rolling Stones at a standing-room-only author talk on Thursday night. We were thrilled to have the event hosted and sponsored by Kane Brewing Company. Stay tuned for our next Artful Experience fundraiser! @kanebrewing

✨TOMORROW! Don't miss out on Monmouth Arts' 2nd Annual Folklife Showcase!✨ Join us tomorrow afternoon as we celebrate the diversity of our community’s arts, culture, and heritage at the Monmouth Arts Folklife Showcase! 🗓️ Saturday, October 19 🕐 1:00 - 4:00 PM 📍 Freehold Raceway Mall This event is FREE and ALL are welcome! Enjoy dance, music, and educational presentations from local organizations such as the Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey, the Redhawk Native American Arts Council, the Pipes & Drums of the Atlantic Watch, Baiano-Capoeira Sol Nascente USA, the Peruvian Community of Freehold, and MORE!

Join us November 1st from 6-8pm for the opening reception of The Charles Sills Memorial Group Art Exhibit: Terra Incognita (An Unknown Land). We are pleased to be showcasing this year’s group show at the Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank. The exhibit features the work of 50 members of Monmouth Arts, who represent the creative spirit of Monmouth County. Stop by to view the artists’ varied interpretations of the Terra Incognita theme and enjoy a cocktail reception and live music. The exhibit, guest curated by George Bates, is on view until December 2nd. Now in its seventh year, the Monmouth Arts annual member exhibit was renamed in 2022 in memory of Dr. Charles Sills, who was a painter, sculptor, collector, and supporter of the arts.

Monmouth Arts is pleased to announce the ArtHelps Local Arts Program Awards for Fiscal Year 2025, through a partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. These competitive grants are awarded to local nonprofit arts organizations that provide high quality art programs and events to residents throughout Monmouth County each year. Monmouth Arts is awarding more than $155,000 to a total of 29 organizations for general operating and special project support; the total also includes eight Mini Grants of $500 each that will be available in 2025 for arts projects by small and emerging organizations. Eligible recipients of ArtHelps grants include Monmouth County nonprofit arts organizations and community groups with arts programs that provide excellent arts events that are accessible and beneficial to the public. Monmouth Arts congratulates the 29 recipients for 2025: Arcadian Chorale, Art Alliance of Monmouth County, Asbury Park African American Music Project, Asbury Park Arts Council, Asbury Park Dance Festival, Asbury Park Music Foundation, Atlantic Highlands Arts Council, Brookdale Community College Foundation, Company of Dance Arts, Creative OPERAtions, Guild of Creative Art, Heart of New Jersey Chorus, Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey, Holmdel Theatre Company, Indie Street Film Festival, Jazz Arts Project, Jersey Shore Arts Center, LongFellow Deeds, Monmouth Civic Chorus, Monmouth County Diversity Alliance, Pipes & Drums of the Atlantic Watch, Premier Theatre Company, Red Bank Chamber Music Society, Red Bank Parks and Recreation, Red Bank Theatre for Young Audiences of the UMCRB, Shrewsbury Chorale, T. Thomas Fortune Foundation, The Allentown Village Initiative, and the Wooden Walls Public Art Project. Grant applications were evaluated based on Monmouth Arts’ updated funding priorities, which include promoting cultural equity, diversity, and inclusion; forging partnerships and collaborations among individuals or organizations; broadening public participation; advancing and advocating for arts education in schools and life-long learning; and preserving and conserving art forms and cultural heritage. Congratulations to all!

✨ Monmouth Arts is thrilled to present the 2nd Annual Folklife Showcase! ✨ Join us as we celebrate the diversity of our community’s arts, culture, and heritage at the Monmouth Arts Folklife Showcase! 🗓️ Saturday, October 19 🕐 1:00 - 4:00 PM 📍 Freehold Raceway Mall This event is FREE and ALL are welcome! Enjoy dance, music, and educational presentations from local organizations such as the Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey, the Redhawk Native American Arts Council, the Pipes & Drums of the Atlantic Watch, Baiano-Capoeira Sol Nascente USA, the Peruvian Community of Freehold, and MORE!

Please welcome our latest nonprofit member! Theater Q Asbury is a new LGBTQ+ focused theater company that will kick off its inaugural season October 10-13 at the House of Independents in Asbury Park with "Zanna Don’t – The Reboot!" which is the revisal of a 2003 Off-Broadway hit musical. The creator is staging this production for Theater Q which is a complete overhaul of his original play that lovingly flips the script on American history. Tickets are $20.00 and can be purchased at www.theaterq.org or in person at Rebel Supply on Cookman Ave in Asbury Park. Theater Q Asbury will follow up "Zanna Don’t – The Reboot!" with "...what the end will be" in March by Mansa Ra, a powerful intergenerational comedy that explores the dynamics of three generations of Black gay men living under one roof. In April David Saffert and Jillian Snow take the stage with their Liberace and Liza Minnelli tribute show "After-Hourz.” The season closes in June with "TL; DR:Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix," a fun, free-wheeling musical about queer iconography. Interested in becoming a member of Monmouth Arts? We offer memberships for nonprofit organizations, creative businesses, artists, arts supporters, and students. Check out our membership page at https://lnkd.in/eQhNNT6 or the link in our bio!

Join us Thursday, October 10th from 5:30 - 8pm for the opening reception of Sarah Fishbein’s “Perfect Brokenness” exhibit. Sarah’s large-scale glass mosaics blend 60s romance comics with themes of women's empowerment. The pieces are painstakingly created to shed light on the complexity and resilience of women, celebrating both their struggles and triumphs. The exhibit will be held at ArtSpace, Monmouth Arts’ gallery, and community space in Red Bank. The role of women and their inherent power is a constant question for Fishbein. How do women break through the layers of repression and perceived powerlessness? Fishbein’s goal is to awaken women to the man-made cages that confine them and to explore the hidden strength that all women carry within. The “Perfect Brokenness” exhibit explores the multifaceted lives of women from many angles — showcasing the masks they wear, the battles they fight, the joys they cherish, and the love they fiercely believe in. The opening reception is free and open to all. Fishbein is the fourth artist this year to be showcased at ArtSpace. All artists who are chosen to exhibit at ArtSpace are members of Monmouth Arts. “Perfect Brokenness” is on view from October 10th to December 1st. Regular gallery hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00 - 4:00pm; also available by appointment. ArtSpace is located at 99 Monmouth Street, next to the Count Basie Theatre Box Office. For more information, please contact Connie Isbell, Membership and Community Engagement Director, at connie@monmoutharts.org.