NOW SHOWING: A recent grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation will continue to help support The Arts Council of Princeton’s exhibitions and gallery-related programming. ACP installs exhibits in Taplin Gallery, throughout the Paul Robeson Center, on the building’s terrace and exterior spaces, as well as in partnership with the Princeton Public Library, on their second floor. (Photo Courtesy of the Arts Council of Princeton)

Just in time to celebrate Princeton’s Fourth ArtWalk on Thursday, August 2, the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) learned that it had received a $20,000 grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

“We love Dodge,” said Arts Council Executive Director Jeff Nathanson. “It’s been a very loyal supporter of the ACP for many years.” This ongoing support does not preclude having to go through the application process every year.

The Dodge Foundation describes itself as source of funding for New Jersey arts non-profit organizations that “pursue and demonstrate the highest standards of artistic excellence in the performing and visual arts.”

“It’s really an organization that has taken a very progressive view and has provided some very important leadership,” Mr Nathanson observed. In addition to recognizing less traditional non-profit organizations, he reported that Dodge “actually takes steps to encourage us and other grantees to minimize the use of paper. They told us to send our acknowledgment for the grant via email.”

The ArtWalk, a self-guided evening of drop-in visual art activities in downtown Princeton from 5 to 8 p.m., is the result of a collaboration between the Princeton University Art Museum and the Arts Council of Princeton, along with seven other Princeton art organizations. This year’s ArtWalk has been designed with children and families in mind, and will include special activities like a scavenger hunt sponsored by the Historical Society, hands-on art making with the Arts Council of Princeton, and a BBQ sponsored by the Princeton University Art Museum.

Supporting Exhibits

Mr. Nathanson and incoming Development Director Jean Durbin described the Arts Council’s plans for the Dodge grant as supporting “gallery related programs.” Although the most visible exhibit space is the Taplin Gallery on the main floor right off the entry lobby, exhibitions are mounted elsewhere in the building throughout the year. The Dodge gift provides support for all of them.

“Every year we to try to present up-to-date exhibitions and related educational programs,” said Mr. Nathanson. These include panel discussions for adults, and hands-on workshops with school groups who are given an “up close and personal” tour of a gallery exhibition by an artist, followed by an opportunity to create some of their own art. The Arts Council also regularly collaborates with area institutions like the Princeton Public Library, and is among the participants in the upcoming six-month long series of exhibitions and events known as “The Fertile Crescent: Gender, Art, and Society.”

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, which recently awarded the Arts Council a citation of excellence, is another “important source” of financial support. Mr. Nathanson noted, however, that the Arts Council’s “annual budget is considerably greater than the total of the money we get from the two grant sources. We have individual contributors, corporate sponsors, other foundation grants, and membership fees that all feed into the budget to run programs.” The Arts Council basically “does not get taxpayer funding,” he added.

Other area recipients of Dodge grants this year were The McCarter Theatre ($75,000), and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra ($10,000).

“Burn the Mortgage”

Mr. Nathanson and Ms. Durbin were also happy to report that The Arts Council of Princeton had received “a very generous anonymous pledge of $750,000” towards its ‘Burn the Mortgage’ Campaign, being held in conjunction with the Council’s 45th anniversary.

“The campaign’s goal is to pay off the ACP’s $2 million mortgage so that the funds used for hefty monthly mortgage payments can instead be used to pay for creative programming costs,” said Mr. Nathanson. “Achieving the goal means the ACP will be much better positioned to maintain and grow the ACP’s innovative programming, which substantially enriches the community. With this anonymous gift, there is now only $750,000 remaining to raise in order to successfully complete the ‘Burn’ campaign. The ACP hopes to raise these funds through the collective efforts of its members and donors with an aggressive campaign push between now and December 31.”