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For Immediate Release
March 13, 2008
Media Contact
- Allison Tratner
- 609.292.4524
- allison@arts.sos.state.nj.us
A Blueprint for a Better New Jersey Through the Arts
Leaders Gathered to Launch the Refreshed Arts Plan NJ
(Trenton, NJ) Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells was joined today in Trenton by nearly 200 prominent state and local leaders for the launch of the updated Arts Plan NJ – a Plan that lays out strategies to harness the power of the arts to build a better New Jersey.
"The arts play a vital role in addressing nearly every item on the civic agenda and have proven to be critical to the advancement of economic development, education, tourism, healthcare and building quality communities statewide,” noted Secretary Wells. Arts Plan NJ provides a blueprint for all sectors in NJ to discover how to connect the arts to their agenda in the most effective way. As illustration of the impact of the arts, a video presentation highlighted the following:
Children involved in the arts outperform children who are not involved and score higher on standardized tests
Audiences spend on average $29 in the local economy in addition to what they spend on admissions
In Millville utilization of the arts in its downtown revitalization strategy has led to 83 new businesses, a decrease in storefront vacancies from 50% to 8%, and over $23 million in new investments
Inclusion of the arts in healthcare shortens post-operative recovery time and need for pain medications and reduces risk factors in older adults
Today’s event was the culmination of a three-year planning process to refresh the Plan (initially adopted in 1998) that included the input of nearly 1,000 New Jerseyans from all walks of life. “Arts Plan NJ is a Plan created by the people of New Jersey for the people of New Jersey, “ said New Jersey State Council on the Arts Executive Director, Steve Runk. “Through this comprehensive planning process we are confident that all sectors will find relevancy to their work in the goals and strategies of the Plan. Putting the Plan into action will result in enhanced communities throughout our state.”
Taking action – endorsement – is the next step, as noted by Runk of the Arts Council, one of the five partners who led the planning process. The other partners include the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, ArtPride NJ Foundation, New Jersey Network Foundation, and New Jersey Theatre Alliance. Endorsing the Plan means adding your name to a growing list of supporters and committing to specific action steps for its advancement. Goals and strategies of the Plan are laid out on the newly designed website www.artsplannj.org allowing individuals, businesses and organizations to choose which Plan goals most closely align with their own. Establishing new collaborations and partnerships among endorsers is the next phase, and many have already gotten on board.
“The arts community is one of New Jersey’s most important assets,” said William Dressel, the Executive Director of the New Jersey League of Municipalities as part of his online endorsement. “The NJ State League of Municipalities is committed to helping municipalities harness the power of the arts as communities seek to increase quality of life, bring people downtown, attract businesses, boost property values, strengthen tourism, improve education, help at-risk youth, and encourage civic engagement. The arts address almost every priority on the municipal agenda. Arts Plan NJ is a road map for local officials to connect with the arts community and reap its rewards.”
Other inaugural endorsers of the Plan represent many sectors: Philip Kirschner, NJ Business and Industry Association; Mary Ellen Peppard of the NJ Chamber of Commerce; Jay Doolan, NJ State Department of Education; Mary M. Reece, NJ Principals and Supervisors Association; Jean Holtz, New Brunswick Development Corporation; Cari Tarica, NJ After 3; and Lyn Saunders, Matheny Medical and Educational Center.
To show support and endorse Arts Plan NJ visit the new web site: www.artsplannj.org
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