Ventnor City representatives, from left, Colin Fuentes, Sue Van Duyne-Hunter and Diane Birkbeck accept a $1,000 OceanFirst award for the ongoing mosaic project behind the Ventnor City Cultural Arts Center.
ATLANTIC CITY The South Jersey Cultural Alliance awarded Ventnor City a $1,000 cash award following its participation in the Arts Tank Creative Placemaking competition held May 29 at Stockton University's Noyes Arts Garage. The competition was part of a full-day conference on creative placemaking that included how to finance projects, a networking luncheon and a tour of Atlantic City.
Five municipalities, including Ventnor, Camden, Runnemede, Washington and Woodbury, competed in front of an audience of creative placemaker sharks that included artists, cultural leaders, local officials and planners.
Creative placemaking uses arts, history and culture to engage a community in addressing a local challenge, SJCA Executive Director Karen Pinzolo said. This kind of cultural development can ignite revitalization to strengthen the southern NJ region.
Monetary awards were co-sponsored by OceanFirst Foundation and the National Consortium for Creative Placemaking.
Washington Township took the top prize of $5,000 for its submission, Paint the Town to increase wellness, connection and pride in the community. In a surprise move, all finalists received $1,000 from OceanFirst Bank, which felt that all projects were worthy of support.
According to Pinzolo, Ventnor resident Diane Birkbeck presented the city's plan to complete a mosaic on the wall surrounding the Ventnor Cultural Arts Center.
Mosaic at the rear of the Ventnor City Cultural Arts Center.
You should be proud of the work that has already been accomplished on the mosaic, she told Mayor Beth Holtzman in correspondence announcing the award.
Pinzolo said the work would draw people to the site and offer residents and tourists a contemplative gathering place.
The funds will be used to complete the project.
For more information, see sjca.net/artstank.
