By Sandy Riddle
After two long-awaited years, Monmouth Arts returned in person to hold two days of festivities to celebrate Monmouth County’s youth in the arts.
For the past 17 years, Monmouth Arts has brought together student artists from across Monmouth County to participate in the annual Monmouth Arts Teen Arts Festival.
The festival provides the county’s young and developing artists with a welcoming environment to showcase their skills and hear valuable critiques from professional artists.
Teens between the ages of 13 and 19 compete in their artistic disciplines, participate in fun and interactive workshops, peer performances and exhibitions.
This year’s festival was held in person at Brookdale Community College on March 17-18. The festival celebrated the talent of nearly 2,000 student artists and featured workshops with content based on this year’s theme of community.
We were so excited to welcome students back for an in-person festival this year. To showcase the extraordinary talents of all the Monmouth County students is always wonderful to see.
After two years of not being in person due to COVID, it was extra special to be reunited with the creative energy and collaborative enthusiasm of all the participants. It was truly infectious.
Monmouth Arts would like to thankfully acknowledge this year’s sponsors – the Grunin Foundation, Freehold Raceway Mall, New Jersey Natural Gas and PNC Bank – for their ongoing support.
Dunkin Donuts of Colts Neck and Brandywine Living at the Sycamore donated breakfast to fuel our team, volunteers and students.
Prize sponsors for our contests were Rook Coffee, Red Bank RiverCenter, the ShowRoom Cinema and Jenkinson’s Boardwalk.
Thank you to Hatteras for printing the program journal and all journal advertisers who placed an ad.
A long list of skilled workshop instructors, adjudicators and volunteers ensured that every student enjoyed their festival experience.
Lastly, a very special thank you to Brookdale Community College for serving as our gracious host and for their constant support of the young artists across Monmouth County; this festival could not have been possible without their help.
To view a full album of photos from the festival, visit the Monmouth Arts Facebook Page.
Monmouth Arts is a leading, independent 501c(3) arts advocacy organization that delivers needed programs and services to artists, member organizations and arts affiliates to ensure the arts thrive in and throughout Monmouth County.
As Monmouth County’s official county arts agency, its mission is to enrich the community by inspiring and fostering the arts.
Monmouth Arts’ programs are made possible in part through funding from the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. For more information, visit www.monmoutharts.org.
Sandy Riddle is the Arts Education and Events Manager for Monmouth Arts, which is based in Red Bank.