All in Festivals

Mercer County Inspires the Next Generation of Artists With Teen Arts Festival

Mercer County Inspires the Next Generation of Artists With Teen Arts Festival

Chris Lillja
Article, Festivals

The Mercer County Teen Arts Festival is an annual event that serves as a celebration of the artistic talents of teenagers from Mercer and across the state. This festival, typically held in the late spring, aims to foster the creative development of young artists through a diverse range of workshops, performances, and exhibitions. It provides an invaluable platform for students aged 13 to 19 to showcase their skills in various artistic disciplines and to gain recognition and feedback for their work.

A Love Letter to Asbury Park: The APin3 Film Challenge

A Love Letter to Asbury Park: The APin3 Film Challenge

Chris Lillja
Article, Film, Festivals

Sponsored by the Asbury Park Arts Council (APAC), the APin3 Film Challenge is not so much a “film festival” as a community filmmaking challenge in which budding directors and filmmaking teams create a 3-minute short film highlighting aspects of, and shot entirely within, the city of Asbury Park. The challenge asks filmmakers to include a supplied theme and line of dialogue, a prop native to Asbury Park, and one specific location within the city – the prompt keeps all the contestants on a level playing field. With its rich history and coastal allure, the city provides ample material for gripping narratives and documentaries. In essence, the APin3 Film Challenge aligns perfectly with Asbury Park’s artistic legacy and the potential for cultural celebrations that use the film short in unforgettable ways.

Celebrating 24 Years of Wheaton Arts' "Festival of Fine Craft"

Celebrating 24 Years of Wheaton Arts' "Festival of Fine Craft"

Shen Shellenberger
Article, Festivals, Kids & Family, Visual Arts

If you’re looking for something special to do on the first weekend of October (Oct 7 and 8 from 10 AM to 5 PM) how about an outing to Wheaton Arts in Millville for the annual “Festival of Fine Craft?” On any given day, WheatonArts is a place where creativity, culture, and history flourishes. And during the crowd-favorite festival, the place positively shines.

The “Festival of Fine Craft” showcases more than 125 artists and craftspeople, displaying and selling their handcrafted works, including clay, fiber, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, painting, and more.

And while you are strolling through Wheaton’s 45-acre campus, you will have the opportunity to see and participate in a wide range of craft demonstrations and hands-on art-making activities.  

There are also two exhibitions on view now at WheatonArts. In the Museum of American Glass, visitors will see “Amber Cowan: Alchemy of Adornment,” and the Down Jersey Folklife Center is presenting “The Good, The Bad, and the Funny: Ritual & Mask Dance of Latin America.”

The festival also features a Beer and Wine Garden, specialty food truck and food vendors, live music, and the nothing-quite-like-it Glass Pumpkin Fundraiser.

Inaugural "Jersey City Art Week" Premieres This October

Inaugural "Jersey City Art Week" Premieres This October

Zachary Klein
Article, Festivals, Visual Arts

Hudson County’s Jersey City is known for its vibrant arts scene. There are many events celebrating the diversity of local artists throughout the year, however, this year local officials have taken the celebration of visual arts one step further and have created the first ever Jersey City Art Week, which will run Oct. 12-15 in various neighborhoods throughout the city. This event combines the already existing Art Fair 14C and Jersey City Art and Studio Tour and puts them under one umbrella; one that city officials hope will bring even more visitors in to explore what Jersey City has to offer.

Middlesex County Debuts Cross Community Jazz Festival

Middlesex County Debuts Cross Community Jazz Festival

Shen Shellenberger
Article, Music, Festivals

It’s September. The trees are losing their leaves. The temperature is dropping. The season of enjoying outdoor music performances is wrapping up. And we are reluctantly stashing our beach chairs in the garage for another year.

 But wait! Just when you thought it was time to make the summer-to-fall transition, along comes four fabulous days of FREE MUSIC in five Central New Jersey towns – Edison, Metuchen, New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, and Woodbridge – to delight your ears and lift your spirits.

 The idea for the festival was the result of an aha moment among the organizers – Edison’s Mayor and Council, Perth Amboy Artworks, New Brunswick Jazz Project, Woodbridge Arts, Metuchen Arts Council, and Friends of Metuchen Arts. 

 “We had discussed doing something together,” Bill Brandenburg of Woodbridge said, “and somewhere in the conversation the idea of a jazz festival came up.”

The first-ever Middlesex County Jazz Festival will kick off at Papaianni Park in Edison on September 28, followed on September 29 by an evening concert at the Historic Perth Amboy Ferry Slip. Saturday will offer two shows – an afternoon concert on Livingston Avenue in front of the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) and an evening show on Halsey Street at the Metuchen Station Lot 6. The festival will come to a close on Sunday at Parker Press Park on Rahway Avenue in Woodbridge.

Newark Arts Festival 2023 To Celebrate 50 Years Of Hip Hop And Cross Cultural Perspectives

Newark Arts Festival 2023 To Celebrate 50 Years Of Hip Hop And Cross Cultural Perspectives

Carolyn M. Brown
Article, BIPOC Voices, Festivals, Visual Arts, Music

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, with celebrations planned nationwide. Keeping the momentum going this fall is New Jersey’s largest city, as the Newark Arts Festival (NAF) 2023 will feature arts and culture events spanning all five wards of Newark from Wednesday, September 27 through Sunday, October 1. The free four-day festival is produced by Newark Arts in association with The Newark Museum of Art and is expected to attract thousands of artists, collectors, aficionados, and creatives.

A signature event at this year’s Newark Arts Festival is a celebration of 50 years of Hip Hop on Saturday, September 30 at 8 p.m. in The Newark Museum of Art. This one-night-only experience, called “Strings and Stanzas,” and sponsored by Audible, will honor not just the music genre, but also Newark-area pioneers who paved the way in Hip Hop. Some of the famed rappers who hail from Newark include Redman, Lords of the Underground and Rah Digga.

Afternoon Delight: Artworks' "Art All Day"  

Afternoon Delight: Artworks' "Art All Day"  

Chris Lillja
Article, Festivals

A vibrant celebration of creativity and culture at "Art All Day" comes September 16th in Trenton, New Jersey! This annual event promises an exhilarating journey through Trenton's diverse artistic landscape, showcasing the talents of local and regional artists across various mediums. From studio tours to live painting, music, and a unique film festival, participants will be treated to an eclectic mix of experiences. In partnership with the River Days Festival in South Riverwalk Park, this day promises a blend of art, community, and cultural immersion, epitomizing Trenton's commitment to its rich artistic heritage.

FilmOneFest a Celebration of Short Films and Abundant Talent

FilmOneFest a Celebration of Short Films and Abundant Talent

Chris Lillja
Article, Film, Festivals

Film short aficionados and art lovers will be thrilled to know that FilmOneFest, the highly regarded annual short film festival, will take place once again in the charming Bayshore town of Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. Presented by the Atlantic Highlands Arts Council, the event will take place on Saturday, July 22, 2023, at the Atlantic Highlands Marina from 5-11 p.m. FilmOneFest challenges filmmakers to tell their stories in under two minutes. The organizers encourage, support, and reward the art of the short filmmaker with film awards including Jury & Judge, Audience Choice, and Young Filmmakers.

Attendees can expect an unforgettable experience as they immerse themselves in short films from around the world, where every frame counts. The festival is presented against the backdrop of the Atlantic Highlands Marina, overlooking Raritan Bay and the majestic New York City skyline.

Pow Wow Both Cultural and Competitive

Pow Wow Both Cultural and Competitive

Shen Shellenberger
Article, Festivals, BIPOC Voices, Dance, Music

There are two kinds of Pow Wows, the competitive and the traditional. "The competitive is, of course, one where the singers and dancers compete in different categories and ages for prizes," said Tyrone "Dancing Wolf" Ellis, "and the traditional is more about coming to dance to educate as well as to pray."

The Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation 42nd Annual Pow Wow will be held Saturday, June 10, and Sunday, June 11, at the Salem County Fairgrounds, 735 Harding Highway in Woodstown. The gates open at 10:00 a.m., with the Grand Entry happening at noon. 

“Our Pow Wow is competitive, with both dancers and singers vying for prizes,” Ellis said.  Regardless of the type of Pow Wow, he said "It is an opportunity for our people to gather as a family, to see each other and spend time together, and a way for us to enlighten the public and raise cultural awareness."

North2Shore Festival Brings the World to NJ, and NJ Together

North2Shore Festival Brings the World to NJ, and NJ Together

Chris Lillja
Article, Festivals, Film, Music

The North2Shore (N2S) festival represents something new for the Garden State. Perhaps inspired by the wildly successful South by Southwest festival (SXSW) in Texas, it seeks to bring together a truly diverse range of people, including locals and visitors from different backgrounds. It presents an excellent opportunity to see huge stars, meet new people, and connect with each local community. (Many of the events are free to attend, but tickets or reservations may be necessary.) Hosted by three great cities, Atlantic City (June 4–11), Asbury Park (June 14–18) and Newark (June 21–25), the festival promises an unforgettable experience filled with cultural enrichment, live music, technology, film and a vibrant community atmosphere. 

Connecting With Cows, Meeting Cute, and Finding Humanity Within the War in Ukraine – the 28th Annual New Jersey International Film Festival

Connecting With Cows, Meeting Cute, and Finding Humanity Within the War in Ukraine – the 28th Annual New Jersey International Film Festival

Ilene Dube
Article, Film, Festivals

The 28th Annual New Jersey International Film Festival includes feature length films, documentaries, shorts, animated films and works that defy categorization. This year’s festival will be a hybrid, and will take place Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from June 2-11.

Getting a film into the festival is competitive. For the 2023 lineup, 35 out of 711 works from around the world were selected by a panel of 30 judges made up of media professionals, journalists, previous winners of the festival, students and academics.

Seven of the films are by New Jersey filmmakers or were shot in the Garden State.

The 43rd Annual New Jersey Governor’s Awards in Arts Education To Honor Over 100 NJ Students and Educators

The 43rd Annual New Jersey Governor’s Awards in Arts Education To Honor Over 100 NJ Students and Educators

Carolyn M. Brown
Article, Festivals, Dance, Film, Music, Theater, Poetry & Literature, Kids & Family

Over 100 students and arts educators will receive the state’s most prestigious award in arts education at the 43rd Annual New Jersey Governor’s Awards in Arts Education celebration June 2 and will be livestreamed via YouTube, Facebook, and the Governor’s Awards website at www.njgaae.org. This event is free and open to the public.

Over the past four decades, the Governor’s Awards has highlighted New Jersey’s most talented youth. Students of artistic disciplines as varied as dance, music, poetry, visual arts, speech, debate and theater have walked across the awards stage to receive their medal.

This year, the annual Governor’s Awards ceremony will be held as the culminating event of the inaugural Arts Ed NJ Day which will also feature the first-ever Gathering Ground Arts Education Call to Collaboration (C2C), networking opportunities, award-winning performances on various stages, an interactive photo booth, alumni guest speakers, pop-up advocacy activities, Live Red Carpet Countdown to the Awards, and a statewide student visual arts exhibit.

The C2C will bring together over 250 educators, nonprofits leaders, artists, teaching artists, school board members, parents, students, businesspeople and legislators.

New Jersey Folklife Festival Bridges Tradition and Innovation

New Jersey Folklife Festival Bridges Tradition and Innovation

Ilene Dube
Article, Music, Festivals

As we stroll through our neighborhoods at dinner time and the aromas of garlic, cumin, fenugreek, chilies, cabbages and tomatoes waft through the air, we are reminded that one in five people in the state is from somewhere else. Each community that settles in New Jersey brings with it a wealth of folkways. The New Jersey Folklife Festival has been celebrating this for nearly half a century. 

The free, outdoor, nonprofit event, sponsored by the American studies department at Rutgers University, will take place on Rutgers’ Cook/Douglass campus Saturday, April 29. There are two 20x40’ audience tents for shade or rain, but festivalgoers are welcome to bring lawn chairs. There is a shuttle bus for those arriving by train or parking elsewhere. 

The main stage will include folk musicians medukha, Jackson Pines, Sean Tobin, Laki Bali and Yeimy Gamez Castillo. 

The heritage area, in partnership with The Arts Institute of Middlesex County, includes a Foodways tent featuring the cuisines of Peru, Afghanistan, Mexico and others. Local chefs will share recipes and food traditions and free ingredient kits will be distributed to families through the REPLENISH food pantry network. 

There will be food vendors to sate appetites for the above-named cuisines, and a Craft Path with a juried selection of craft vendors. 

The 21st Garden State Film Festival

The 21st Garden State Film Festival

Christopher Benincasa
Podcast, Film, Festivals

This year’s Garden State Film Festival kicks off Thursday, March 23, and will be serving up a four-day weekend of more independent films and one-of-a-kind events than even the most die-hard moviegoer could take in. 

Since the first festival in 2003, GSFF has provided opportunities for aspiring filmmakers and actors to network with industry pros and have their work showcased in one of the country’s most iconic cities – New Jersey’s Asbury Park.

Five venues there, the Jersey Shore Arts Center in Ocean Grove and the Cranford Theater will host a weekend of films.

Jersey Arts recently spoke with Garden State Film Festival’s Executive Director Lauren Concar, festival founder Diane Raver, Associate Director of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission David Schoner, Director of Communications for New Jersey Public Broadcasting Service Debra Falk, feature screenplay winner Kelly Byrne, and festival host Sophia Lucia about what to expect this year.

First Night Morris County Offers an Arts-Oriented, Family-Friendly New Year’s Eve

First Night Morris County Offers an Arts-Oriented, Family-Friendly New Year’s Eve

Laurie Granieri
Article, Festivals, Opera, Music, Film, Kids & Family

Billed as the largest in New Jersey, First Night Morris County offers plenty of sparkle.

This year, the festival comprises 200 artists, 70 cultural events, 50 on-demand films, 21 venues, a 4-hr Children’s Fun Festival, trio of art exhibits, 2 fireworks displays, and a livestream from Mayo PAC.

Performances include theater, comedy, storytelling, tap, reggae, rock, jazz, classical and opera.

Activities unfold in everyday spaces as varied as churches, Morristown High School, the Hyatt Regency and the County Administration Building.

Now that’s something to celebrate.

NJPAC’s Kwanzaa Festival Celebrates Unity and Culture With Arts and New Community Partners

NJPAC’s Kwanzaa Festival Celebrates Unity and Culture With Arts and New Community Partners

Laurie Granieri
Article, Festivals, Dance, Music, Visual Arts, Poetry & Literature

When Newark’s New Jersey Performing Arts Center opens its doors on Dec. 17 for the annual Kwanzaa Festival and Marketplace, the gathering will mark a kind of homecoming.

The free event, at the heart of NJPAC’s community programming for more than a decade, will take place in person for the first time since 2019. This is also the first time that NJPAC will partner with several of its neighbors to present the festival, including The Newark Museum of Art, Newark Arts, Newark Symphony Hall and the Newark Public Library, as well as the City of Newark.

The festival, running from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., will feature performances by step teams and a marching band, a wide variety of art and craft activities for children and families, storytelling, face painting, Adinkra-stamping, drumming, and dance classes, as well as the traditional lighting of the Kinara, or the candelabra.

Hip Hop Icons Chuck D, Rakim and Speech to Perform With Jazz Great Christian McBride at the 11th Annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival

Hip Hop Icons Chuck D, Rakim and Speech to Perform With Jazz Great Christian McBride at the 11th Annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival

Carolyn M. Brown
Article, Music, Festivals, Poetry & Literature

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) welcomes the 11th Annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival Nov. 8 – 20, 2022. This year’s program offers events combining jazz luminaries with artists known for R&B, poetry, hip hop, tap, and so much more.

Performers include Chuck D (Public Enemy), Rakim (Paid in Full), and Speech (Arrested Development), poets and spoken word artists Nikki Giovanni, Jessica Care Moore, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and The Last Poets, musicians bassist Christian McBride, saxophonist Javon Jackson, trumpeter John Faddis, and the Maria Schneider Orchestra, singers Fantasia and Jazzmeia Horn, and a joint performance by vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and tap artist Savion Glover.

Also featured are the future of jazz — young poets from NJPAC’s City Verses program, the New Jersey Music Educators Association (NJMEA) All-State Jazz Band and NJMEA All-State Jazz Choir, and competitors in the Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition.

The festival’s namesake, James Moody, was a legendary saxophonist and flutist who was born in Savannah, Georgia, but raised in Newark.

“Jazz is the purest form of expression for an African American musician,” says McBride, NJPAC’s jazz advisor and the festival’s musical director. “The purest thing you can do inside of your culture is to be a jazz musician. With all the educational outreach that has been happening at NJPAC, that legacy is not just being preserved but built upon.”

A Chat With Evelyn Colbert About Montclair Film, Its Festival and Tribute to Daniel Craig

A Chat With Evelyn Colbert About Montclair Film, Its Festival and Tribute to Daniel Craig

Gina Marie Rodriguez
Film, Festivals, Podcast

Evelyn "Evie" McGee Colbert is an arts advocate, a film producer, and one of the founding board members of Montclair Film, a nonprofit that produces a festival that “connects global filmmakers with audiences in a diverse, culturally vibrant community” and more, “presenting … year-round programs that engage, entertain and educate through the power of visual storytelling.”

The 2022 festival is in its 11th season and it opens Friday, Oct. 21 at the Wellmont Theater with a special screening of “The Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” starring Daniel Craig. Friday, Oct. 28 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, Montclair Film will present its 2022 Tribute to the “James Bond” star who will then discuss his life and career with “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert.

In this discussion with host Gina Marie Rodriguez, Evelyn shares what audiences can expect from Montclair Film, the 2022 festival and the “Evening with Daniel Craig + Stephen Colbert.”

The Montclair Art Museum Holds an Indigenous Peoples Weekend

The Montclair Art Museum Holds an Indigenous Peoples Weekend

Carolyn M. Brown
Festivals, Film, Music, Article, BIPOC Voices, Kids & Family

The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) will honor the artistry and contributions of Indigenous peoples with a series of workshops, performances and art-making activities with an Indigenous Peoples Weekend Oct. 7 – 10.

The Lenape are the Indigenous people of New Jersey and MAM is inviting adults, children and families across the state to join them in recognizing Native American history and heritage here in Lenapehoking (homelands of the Lenape).

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