LOCAL ARTS

The Local Arts Grants,administered in Morris County by the Arts Council of the Morris Area, provide funding to local arts organizations from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.  The program offers grants for general operating support and for special projects to qualifying Morris County arts organizations.  Applications are reviewed by an independent panel and funding awarded on a yearly basis.  For more information or to request an application, contact Kadie Dempsey, Community Arts Director, by email kdempsey@morrisarts.org or, to download the application forms, the interim report forms and the ADA checklist click the links below.

1. LAP Full Application Excel Financials, LAP Application

2. Mini Grant Guidelines & Application FY 2010 and Local Arts Mini Grant Project Budget FY 2010

3. ADA plan Checklist.
 

***If you have any difficulty downloading or accessing these forms, please email Kadie Dempsey at kdempsey@morrisarts.org to request an email copy of same.

 

 LOCAL ARTS ORGANIZATION PROFILE
Creative Heartwork


New Jersey’s first healing arts center dedicated to children who have experienced trauma, loss, illness or disabilities, Creative Heartwork was founded by Karen Carbonello, a tireless advocate for utilizing the power of the arts to heal children. Drawing upon her background as a sociologist and former director of a child advocacy center in Morristown, Carbonello embraced an extremely sensitive population, and, with great care and sincere compassion has created a safe and nurturing environment in which to heal. Through her guidance and her vision, she has managed not only to make a difference in the lives of the children she serves but also to inspire and encourage their life-long relationship with the arts.

In June of 2001, Carbonello founded Creative Heartwork as a non-profit organization whose mission is not only "to improve the lives of children experiencing painful challenges by providing healing programs utilizing the arts but also to foster and promote greater awareness of the healing benefits of the arts and their ability to mitigate the risk factors facing many children and adolescents." For the next four years, the organization rented space for its programs in churches and public buildings throughout Morris County. The hope to someday have a permanent home became a reality in the Spring of 2005 when Carbonello, her staff and board celebrated the grand opening of a wonderful new facility in Morris Plains.

       
              

Reception                                                Children’s Reception  

             

Art Studio                                             Puppet Theatre and Stage

Dedicated to improving the lives of Morris County children ages 4-17 who have experienced trauma, loss, serious illness or disability, the creative arts therapists and teaching artists at Creative Heartwork offer different programs designed to encourage youngsters to reexamine their experiences, channel their emotions, enhance resiliency and foster healthy adjustment to circumstances beyond their control. Creative Heartwork offers a variety of art therapy workshops currently held once a week for a 90- minute to two-hour duration. Each series is co- facilitated by a master’s level, board certified creative arts therapist and a trained and talented artist. Through these experiences, children at Creative Heartwork learn the feeling of accomplishment and the personnel rewards that come from the completion and the process of making art.

Workshops include photography, glasswork, African drumming, dancing, songwriting and performance, mural painting, culinary arts, poetry and more. The children often enter this haven skeptical, fearful and tired of traditional therapeutic methods. As one young boy, who has been transformed through his newly-found talent as a photographer, put it, "I was tired of people asking me questions. As soon as I came to Creative Heartwork, I knew it would be different than the other places that I have been. Here I do things, I learn, I create, I laugh and have fun. I have found a way to express myself through my artwork. Now I know what direction I want my life to go in."

Reaching higher ground, Quilt

In the Spring of 2005, Carolyn Ward, then Executive Director of the Arts Council of the Morris Area  presented Karen Carbonello with The Josephine Margetts 2005 OUTSTANDING ARTS ADVOCATE Award for her work in creating "a place where these special children can be honored and cherished…A place where a heavy heart can become unburdened through the power of love and the power of the Arts." In recent weeks, Creative Heartwork was also awarded an Arts Council of the Morris Area/Dodge Partnership grant to support three therapeutic arts series, "Comic Relief" (animation), "Between the Lines" (bookmaking) and "If these walls could talk" (mural painting) for 27 teens ages 14-17, who have experienced trauma or loss.

A visit to the Creative Heartwork website, www.creativeheartwork.org provides an inspiring overview of their offerings, details on the varied programs, photos and, most poignantly, the quotes from the youngsters themselves:

Quotes from the children:

  • "I always thought I had talent, I just didn't know where to grow it."
    -S. age 7
  • "I've been in a lot of programs but yours make me feel better about everything."
    -M. age 10
  • "Take a picture of me doing this (making glass beads) so I can remember this feeling."
    -M. age 16
  • "All day long in school I can't concentrate; here, I can make art for hours and the time just flies."
    -J. age 15
  • "Everyone here is so nice, the projects and music are so much fun -- you should tell every kid not to miss this chance."
    -B. age 12
  • "I know where loved ones go after they die...they float into the hearts of everyone that loved them."
    -T. age 9
  • "Ten weeks wasn't long enough, I blinked and it was over."
    -K. age 8
  • "Therapy? Tell me this isn't therapy! I've been in therapy my whole life and this just can't be therapy-I'm likin' this too much."
    -L. age 9

Reaching those who never responded well to traditional therapy, Creative Heartwork uses the arts as the keys to unlock inner strengths and help to heal the most vulnerable among us.

Contact information:

Creative Heartwork, Inc.   Phone: (973) 889-0809
Email:
Karen@creativeheartwork.org or cre8iveones@aol.com
Website: www.creativeheartwork.org

Morris County Local Arts Grantees for 2010
Grantees include organizations from theatre, music, and visual arts. The groups are selected by an independent panel on the basis of artistic merit, organizational effectiveness, fiscal responsibility, responsiveness to community needs and outreach efforts.

Art in the Atrium in Morristown.  Visual art showcase of African-American art during Black History Month.  (973) 386-9825 www.artintheatrium.org.

Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey (renamed) in Madison.  The orchestra provides an opportunity for musicians of various levels and professional interests to explore and perform the music primarily of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. (973) 538-7562  www.Baroqueorchestra.org.

Blackwell Street Center for the Arts in Denville. This arts group features exhibits and art-related programs throughout the year at a variety of locations. The exhibits present to eclectic work of the members' styles and media as well as curating and jurying a significant student show (with nearly 300 works) at the Atrium Gallery each March-May (973) 267-2847 www.blackwell-st-artists.org

Chatham Community Players in Chatham.  Community theatre offering  6 productions yearly. (973) 635-7363  www.chathamplayers.org

Community Children's Museum in Dover. A children's museum focusing on art, science and culture through hands-on exhibits and programs for children ages 10 and younger..  (973) 366-9060. www.communitychildrensmuseum.org.

Coro Lirico in Morristown.  A unique choir specializing in performing concert opera in the Morris Area and in New York City. (908) 541-0850  www.corolirico.org.

Creative Heartwork, Inc.  in Morris Plains. Creative arts therapists and teaching artists offer different programs to improve the lives of Morris County children ages 4-17 who have experienced trauma, loss, serious illness or disability, to enhance their resiliency and foster healthy adjustment to circumstances beyond their control. (973) 889-0809  www.creativeheartwork.org

First Night ® Morris County in Morristown.  New Jersey's largest non-alcoholic, family friendly New Year's Eve celebration of the arts, with 90 events in 26 venues in and around the center of Morristown. (973) 455-0708  www.firstnightmorris.com

The Folk Project in Morristown, Mendham, Boonton, etc.. is a not for profit folk music, storytelling and dance organization which sponsors/organizes a wide variety of folk activities in the northern NJ area. The Minstrel is a Friday night concert series held at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship (Info: 973-335-9489); Swingin' Tern is a contra and square dance series held twice a month at the First Presbyterian Church in East Hanover (Info: 973-822-2137). www.folkproject.org.

Harmonium in Morristown.  Classical chorus dedicated to the performance of both standard and lesser-known works of all periods, both a cappella and with chamber orchestra. The chorus also offers outreach, commissions and annual high school choral composition contest (973) 538-6969 www.harmonium.org.

The Jumpstart Fund in Morristown. An educational arts consulting firm that employs the arts to boost the confidence and cognition of children and families at risk in New Jersey (973) 540-1142 or mailto:jumpstartss@aol.com.

Macculloch Hall Historical Museum in Morristown. An 1810 Federal brick mansion tracing 150 years of one Morristown family with 10 period rooms of 18th and 19th century fine and decorative arts. A gallery of political works by Thomas Nast and other exhibits change each year. Open year round. Gardens open free to public.(973) 538-9428  www.maccullochhall.org.

Madison Arts and Culture Alliance, Inc. in Madison. A coalition of arts organizations, cultural institutions, colleagues and friends dedicated to encouraging collaborations among the wide ranging cultural offerings in the "Rose City." www.madisonartsnj.org

Masterwork Chorus in Morristown.  A not-for-profit organization dedicated to enriching and supporting the cultural life of the community through professional level performances and the promotion of music education.  (973) 455-7008  www.masterwork.org.

Morris Music Men in Chatham. The premier barbershop chorus in Morris County, a chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society (973)887-808-8697 or www.morrismusicmen.org.

Morris County Teen Arts Festival at County College of Morris in Randolph.  Annual event includes performances and workshops in visual arts, dance instrumental and vocal music, video, theater, and creative writing, showcasing the talents of young artists.  (973) 328-5072  

Morristown Neighborhood House/ Performing Arts Program in Morristown. Provides families and youth with a community based support system. The Performing Arts Program's goal is to develop in young people an awareness of the arts and the artistic process through music, dance and drama (973) 538-1229  www.neighborhood-house.org.

Museum of Early Trades and Crafts in Madison. Enhancing the understanding and appreciation of America's past by presenting and interpreting the history, culture and lives of ordinary people through educational programs, preservation, stewardship of its collection and demonstration of trades and crafts of NJ from its earliest settlement 9973) 377-2982 or www.metc.org 

Music at Morristown United Methodist Church in Morristown.  Music at Noon and Abendmusik concert series offer wide variety of live music to community (973) 538-2132  www.morristownumc.com.

New Jersey Foundation for the Blind in Denville. A private, nonprofit organization which serves the blind and visually impaired populations of New Jersey and offers programs including some in the arts and creativity. (973) 627-0055.  www.njffb.org

New Jersey Jazz Society in Chatham. Dedicated to the performance, promotion and preservation of jazz, the group stages concerts, publishes Jersey Jazz Monthly, awards scholarships to NJ college jazz students, conducts Generations of Jazz programs in local schools, inducts members into American Jazz Hall of Fame. (908) 464-5900 www.njjs.org.

Women's Theater Company in Parsippany. A nonprofit professional theater offering a creative, educational environment for emerging and established women theater artists (actors, playwrights, etc.) to practice their craft. (973) 316-3033 www.womenstheatercompany.org.

  

Local Arts Grant Program is administered in Morris County by the Arts Council of the Morris Area & has been 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.