Arts Build Communities is a new initiative designed to help leaders of New Jersey’s communities and arts organizations make better and more cost-effective decisions about community and economic development related to arts and culture.

We will do so by:

• Creating an online knowledge center and annual Cultural Vitality Index for the state of New Jersey.
• Providing training and continuing education to public officials and their advisors, representatives of arts organizations, civically-engaged creative professionals, and others who work to enhance the social and economic well-being of New Jersey’s communities.
• Providing technical assistance to communities and arts organizations in community and economic development, management and strategic communications.

We aim to provide audiences with the knowledge they want on issues that matter most to them.   To that end, we:

• Are led by an ABC Council that includes leaders of organizations impacting arts, communities and neighborhoods throughout New Jersey.
• Will engage public officials and their advisors, representatives of arts organizations, and others to determine how best to use program resources.
• Will invite audience members to be involved in a variety of ways as ABC grows.

This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.