Pictured: Artists creating paper out of military uniforms at a Combat Paper workshop with Frontline Arts

Art is a powerful way of bringing communities together, and State of the Artshas encountered countless stories over the years of artists encouraging others. Join us as we reflect on New Jersey’s supportive, inspiring, and creative art world.

Throughout December, we’ve shared features on Mudgirls, People and Stories/Gente y Cuentos, Say it with Clay, and Queen Nur, all offering profound stories of gratitude, community, and inclusiveness. Let’s continue with a deeper dive into State of the Arts’ collection.

Community-powered public art projects are the perfect vessel for a call to action—in our 2021 story “A New View of Camden,” six large-scale artworks were installed on lots often used for illegal dumping. As Camden resident and artist Kimberly Camp, who curated the project, put it, “Art can bring a sense of civic pride and encourage civic engagement around any urban issue.”

We also saw this engagement happening at coLAB Arts in New Brunswick. “We realized that the most impactful work that we were creating was art that had a direct connection with the New Brunswick community and the advocacy organizations working here,” Dan Swern, co-founder of coLAB arts, explains.

One of the projects featured in our 2017 visit was a volunteer effort to clean up local waterways with the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership, with artists crafting sculptures from the trash to “create greater awareness of our watershed and the need for community involvement to restore its health.”

Art also has the power to heal. In our 2015 feature “Fog of War,” veterans find strength through expression, writing and reading poetry with Warrior Writers and creating visual art with Combat Paper at Frontline Arts. The latter project turns military uniforms into handmade paper. “It’s therapy, it’s craft-making, it’s community building, it’s storytelling. It’s a whole array of things,” David Keefe, co-founder of Combat Paper noted in our feature. “But the larger picture is we’re really trying to engage the public—to bridge that gap between veteran and civilian.”

As we make our way into a new year, one thing is for sure: communities will continue to find support and inspiration from New Jersey’s local artists.