Public Asked to Vote for Favorite Arts Groups

(Trenton, NJ) – Not all voting ended in November! JerseyArts.com invites the public to vote for their favorite nonprofit arts groups in its first annual People’s Choice Awards. The categories range from theater and performing arts center, to museum and gallery, to symphony and dance company (along with many more – there are 15 in all). The Jersey Arts Marketers (JAM), a regional network of cultural institutions throughout the state, nominated their peers for the online poll with the provision that they could not nominate themselves. Those receiving the highest number of nominations in each category made it onto the final list and public vote will determine the winners.

The online poll is not considered scientific nor does it intend to make any evaluations as to artistic achievement or excellence, instead it is simply designed to give the public a voice in determining the most popular arts institutions in New Jersey. Jim Atkinson, Program Manager for Discover Jersey Arts, the project charged with coordinating the awards, explains, “These are not ‘Best Of’ awards, that’s why we're calling them ‘People’s Choice’, because ultimately the public will decide who wins.” Arts organizations are taking the voting seriously however, doing what they can to garner the bragging rights that will go along with winning. Many are posting messages on their web sites, emailing their patrons, even making pleas at performances for their audiences to get out and vote. “It’s all in good fun,” says Ed Kirchdoerffer, Director of Marketing at The Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts in Morristown, one of those nominated in the Favorite Performing Arts Center category. “Still, we would love to win bragging rights and intend on getting our audiences behind us.”

The public has until midnight, December 30, 2008 to cast their ballot. One lucky voter will be selected at random to receive a $100 Jersey Arts Gift Card, honored for purchases at more than 40 cultural locations statewide. Winners will be announced on JerseyArts.com on January 8, 2009.

JerseyArts.com is the official website of Discover Jersey Arts, a cosponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and ArtPride New Jersey Foundation. The site provides a comprehensive cultural event calendar, online arts directory, podcast, membership program, and a variety of other resources aimed at increasing the awareness of and participation in the arts in New Jersey.

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