The Office of Cultural Affairs of Jersey City and NJCU Announce Partnership and Creation of the ‘Cultural Asset Map of Jersey City’

The Office of Cultural Affairs of Jersey City and New Jersey City University (NJCU) announce their partnership on the creation of a Cultural Asset Map of Jersey City.  The genesis of this initiative was a result of discussions of NJCU’s Arts Advisory Board as to how NJCU could partner with arts and cultural stakeholders to positively impact the vitality of the arts in Jersey City and the region.

The Cultural Asset Map of Jersey City will collect and synthesize useful data about Jersey City working artists and established arts organizations. This data will be an analytical tool to identify existing assets and needs, mobilize resources, drive policy, and connect and inform stakeholders across the region. The resulting data may also be used as a basis for public-facing informational and promotional materials, such as tourist maps and events calendars.

The Cultural Asset Map of Jersey City will provide:

A website with an interactive map that will identify existing cultural organizations and their locations, performance/exhibition facilities, and arts service organizations. This website will include information about populations, demographics, and Jersey City neighborhoods, and function as a much-needed informational hub about ongoing arts and cultural activities.

An assessment of gaps in Jersey City’s current cultural assets, identified through surveys completed by artists and arts organizations, and evaluated by the consulting team and steering committee.

Proposed roadmaps to pinpoint where future investments would have the greatest impact in terms of supporting existing artists and arts organizations; allowing for new arts organizations, facilities and artists to flourish; serving the broadest and most diverse populations of Jersey City, and ensuring access to the arts throughout the many neighborhoods of Jersey City.

"Jersey City has continued to serve as a creative hub for the region, one that values arts and culture, supports creative organizations, and encourages the growth of our arts communities," says Mayor Steven M. Fulop. "I am proud to partner with NJCU and the Jersey City Arts Council on the creation of a Cultural Asset Map that will work to highlight our City's most creative and colorful assets, while helping us identify how and where we can continue to invest in arts and culture."

A Steering/Implementation Committee has been formed to provide leadership, guidance, insight and expertise to this endeavor. The members of the Steering/Implementation Committee are:

• Christine Goodman, Director, Jersey City Office of Cultural Affairs
• Sophie Penkrat, Jersey City Art and Studio Tour Producer and Marketing Specialist, Jersey City Office of Cultural Affairs
• Rolando Lavarro, Jersey City Council President
• Jason Kroll, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, New Jersey City University
• Jeffrey Rosenstock, Consultant, New Jersey City University
• Vanessa Quijano, Jersey City Economic Development Corporation
• Alvin Pettit, Director, Bethune Center
• Shane Smith, Public Information Officer, Jersey City Free Public Library
• Ann Marley, Jersey City Public Schools, Supervisor of Visual Art

A Cultural Partner Committee is also being formed to gain input from existing arts organizations and to benefit from their networks to ensure maximum participation in this process.

Leading this Committee will be Robinson Holloway, representing the Jersey City Arts Council.

“As a public university, nurturing and promoting the arts in the Jersey City community is one of our top priorities,” says President Sue Henderson. “We see the cultural vitality of Jersey City and the opportunities that exist here, and want to ensure NJCU does all it can to contribute to the success of our City. A thriving arts and cultural community is not only a creative force, but an economic one as well.”

To announce and inform constituents about the Cultural Asset Map project, the Jersey City Office of the Cultural Affairs and NJCU will hold a Town Hall meeting at City Hall, 280 Grove Street, on Thursday, May 31 at 6:00 p.m. Town Hall meetings will be held throughout the duration of the project; all meetings will be open to the public.