Red Bank has State's Favorite Arts District

The votes are in, and for the second year in a row Red Bank’s arts district is tops in the State.

As part of Discover Jersey Arts People’s Choice Awards, voters were asked to weigh in on a number of topics, including which of New Jersey’s arts district they liked best. Facing competition from the likes of towns like New Brunswick and Millville, Red Bank took the top spot easily for the second time in the three-year history of the People’s Choice Awards.

Jonathan Elliott, marketing and communication manager of Discover Jersey Arts, said the awards are designed to encourage the public to vote on their favorite community-related art-centric items, like favorite opera company or favorite performing arts center, among others.

It’s also an accomplishment for the winning communities.

“It’s a great feather in the cap for those who win in their respective categories,” he said. “We’ve also seen organizations take advantage of second and third place finishes. We do see that organizations take (finishing highly in voting) as a point of pride.”

Red Bank has, in many ways, developed the blue print by which towns looking to revitalize their own downtowns have followed for years. Officials hoping to develop arts districts in places like Asbury Park and Millville, among other locales, often speak in reverential terms when it comes to Red Bank.

The luster developed here more than a decade ago still remains, it seems.

Of the nearly 4,000 votes cast for favorite arts districts, Red Bank took in 942 of them. New Brunswick finished second with 712 votes, followed closely by Montclair’s 697 votes.

Red Bank Councilman Ed Zipprich said the borough appreciates the recognition and that the goal is to not only maintain, but also expand on the successes of its arts district.

“We are pleased and honored that even in these trying economic times, Red Bank holds on to its ‘hipness,’” he wrote in an email. “The council members and I are determined to help the business district remain vibrant, especially during these difficult times.”

The People’s Choice Awards, which requires organizations and communities be nominated for each category, has grown significantly in participation in the past three years. In its first year more than 2,600 ballots were cast.

This year, nearly 6,300 ballots, covering the 15 categories, were cast.

“We were sort of surprised with the speed that votes were cast,” Elliott said. “We had 1,000 ballots in the first day.”

Discover Jersey Arts is co-sponsored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and ArtPride New Jersey.

The category winners come from all over the state, as far north as Newark for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and as far south as Cape May for the annual Cape May Jazz Festival.

Small towns also received recognition with category wins, like Appel Farms in Elmer, Salem County, which won for favorite place to take a class in arts for kids.

“New Jersey gets ribbed a lot for being between Philadelphia and New York City and gets made fun of for not having its own identity, but that’s clearly false,” he said. “New Jersey – from top to bottom in every county – has something arts related that people can enjoy. That’s really reflected in the winners.

Though they did not win, the Count Basie Theatre and Two River Theatre Company placed high in their respective categories. Elliott said most organizations don’t finishing outside of first place as losing, but as getting them closer to a reachable goal.

“I think the best possible thing about not winning is that it’s possible for organizations to see the results and say ‘next year this could be ours,’” Elliott said.

For a complete list of categories and winners, visit the Discover Jersey Arts page.