After a general salute to holiday cheer to the various groups in the room — local officials, supporters, artists and staff — Jeremy Grunin, chair of the Count Basie Center for the Arts, Board of Trustees, addressed the biggest issue in the art community.
“I do want to take a second to just call your attention to how important this moment in our history is for the arts,” he told a group of approximately 500 who gathered Monday night for the Basie Center’s annual holiday party.
“I don’t need to tell the folks in this room that the arts have been, and continue to be, under assault on a variety of different levels. We’ve seen pictures of that even in just the last week. No further commentary needed.”
None was required.
Support is.
As we head into 2026, if you’re thinking of doing some last-minute giving, perhaps consider your local arts center.
The Basie Center in Red Bank certainly is worthy of support (here’s how you can do just that). But Grunin and Basie Center CEO Adam Philipson would be the first to encourage donors to support any arts facility in their area.
If the greater Monmouth County area is your home, perhaps consider the Basie Center, which has a host of activities planned in conjunction with their 100th anniversary, which they are taking 16 months to celebrate. (Arts folks and math often don’t mix.)
Of course, the impact of an arts community lasts longer than an event or a calendar year. At the Basie Center, they are actively working with the next generation of talent, both in their specially built studios and classrooms at the Grunin Arts and Education building and in area schools.
Who knows, they may be helping to not only inspire but also develop the next Count Basie.
The state has so many incredible arts outlets.
BINJE profiled efforts at the State Theater and NJPAC this year, but that’s just a small sampling of the good work that is taking place up and down the state.
The arts, of course, is more than just live music.
Just last week, BINJE profiled the return of the Cranford Theater. The Pivot Theatre Company, in Monmouth County, is doing great work in musical theatre. And the Atlantic City Arts Foundation is showing how art can be used to stimulate the economy and the community.
Just to name a few.
The state is doing its best to help. Earlier this month, the N.J. Economic Development Authority announced $15 million in awards aimed at helping revitalize commercial corridors through the arts.
Money, of course, matters.
So, whether you are a large company (Hackensack Meridian Health is a key sponsor at the Basie Center) or an individual, your support is appreciated.
The arts are under attack. The 500 or so at the Basie Center were fighting back.
Philipson certainly was grateful.
“It means so much to us to see you all here with us, to celebrate, to be part of this incredible community that we have built together,” he said.
Let’s ensure it stays strong.
