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coLAB Arts, SCLSNJ Awarded $75,000 Grant From the National Endowments for the Arts
About Blog Post
May 20, 2021
by Pressroom
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded coLAB Arts and the Somerset County Library System of New Jersey (SCLSNJ) a $75,000 Our Town, creative placemaking grant. The award is one of 63 nationwide grants which support projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into local strategies to strengthen communities.
“As the country and the arts sector begin to work towards a post-pandemic world, the NEA is proud to announce this Our Town funding,” said Ann Eilers, NEA acting chairman. “These awards will support cross-sector partnerships such as the one led by SCLSNJ and coLAB Arts that demonstrate the power of the arts to help communities create a better future for themselves.”
The grant funding will allow for the creation of two new artist residencies at SCLSNJ branches. The resident artists will be trained in oral history, digital archival work, and curriculum development. This training will prepare the artists to host community events and artistic workshops each month at the Manville and Somerville branches.
“We have discovered that our Libraries - both the digital and physical locations - are a truly necessary and vital resource for our communities,” said Brian Auger, county library administrator. “We take pride in our many partnerships with local organizations such as coLAB Arts since they help us further our vision of enriching lives, expanding knowledge, and strengthening communities. By integrating additional community partners, the arts, historical collections, and collective memories; we are further enhancing the 21st century Library - what it is, what it was, and what it will continue to become. I couldn't be more excited by this new NEA-supported opportunity.”
The grant’s long-term goals include further engaging with community members creatively through the arts; creating arts objects that represent the community, it's vibrant cultures, and histories; fostering open communication and engagement between community members; and preserving the creations, memories, and histories of Somerset County residents.
“coLAB Arts is deeply thankful to the NEA for continuing to support this impactful creative work in our community,” said Dan Swern, co-founder and producing director of coLAB Arts. “coLAB Arts’ Artist Residencies and partnerships continue to advance innovative opportunities for employing artists and integrating their practice into local social advocacy and community development.”
Swern continued, “Additionally, coLAB Arts is incredibly grateful for its new partnership with SCLSNJ, an agency that is already at the forefront of the state in using its archival practice to share the stories of its county residents.”
"We are thrilled to partner with coLAB Arts in Somerset County,” said Rebecca Sandoval, technical services manager at SCLSNJ. “coLAB Arts has a tremendous reputation for engaging the community in creative and meaningful ways, and fostering and developing artists within that community.”
Sandoval continued, “One of SCLSNJ's strategic priorities is to create meaningful interactions and connections, and we hope by having two artists creating and engaging in our branches, that they will do exactly that. We can't wait to share the artists' creations via our online digital collection.”
Explore SCLSNJ’s historical community memories archives: SCLSNJ.org/CommunityCollection.