Carteret, NJ – Mayor Dan Reiman’s administration joined with the Central Jersey Arts Council (CJAC) and the Pathways Program at Carteret High School to provide teens and community members with summer arts experiences over the course of three workshops. The program, called “Art in the Park,” had an estimated 180 participants with varying degrees of artistic experiences and ages.
A group of teens from the Pathways Program spent five weeks working with professional visual artist, Sara Wolfe. They created their own artist books, paintings, collages, drawings, and cards and learned how to lead community art programming for the public. As part of their training, teens organized and led three public workshops for the community of Carteret. This dedicated group plans to continue the amazing work they started this summer by leading more workshops throughout the year in a variety of public spaces throughout Carteret. Pathways Program is a school based youth services program which offers an array of services and experiences that assist in keeping our youth safe and healthy while successfully transitioning to adulthood.
“This summer’s Art in the Park program was a huge success for all involved!” said Lindsay Erben, the Executive Director of CJAC. “Art is a universal language and an excellent tool for bringing families and communities together. In addition to serving their community, the teens also gained valuable leadership, communication, and organizational skills. Programming like this proves that when everyone works together, we can truly create something great for everyone.”
Local parents were thrilled with the addition of the program to this year’s summer recreation program. “This is an incredible program!” said Hina Iqba, a local mother and a teacher. ”My daughter absolutely loved it when she came for the first workshop and she insisted that we come back for the next workshops. Art in the Park brought the teens and the younger kids in our community together in a way that I have never seen. I am so grateful to Mayor Reiman’s administration and CJAC for using the power of art to make our community a better place.”
CJAC, a non-profit organization, founded in 2014 and located in Carteret, connects communities with the arts. It fosters partnerships between artists, institutions, educators, and the general public by providing the necessary resources and support to ensure that everyone has access to the arts in Central New Jersey.
“We’re fortunate to have such a talented group of teens that are giving back to the community through the arts program,” Mayor Reiman said. “This is just one of many examples of how we’re promoting the arts town-wide. We are happy to have made this commitment and to financially support CJAC and their educational opportunities here in Carteret.”In addition, Mayor Reiman was recently joined by County Freeholder Ronald Rios, to announce that the Borough has received a $6 million grant from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund. The funds will be utilized towards the reconstruction, and expansion of the former Ritz Theater located on Washington Avenue. The initiative to promote arts in the Borough will help bring Carteret’s diverse population together.
