Artists, arts entrepreneurs, nonprofit arts organizations, creative businesses, and residents virtually attended the Monmouth Arts 2021 Annual Meeting on Wednesday, January 27th. The event, entitled “Celebrating 50 Years, ” kicked off Monmouth Arts 50th Anniversary and honored the Monmouth County arts community’s resiliency and creativity.

Monmouth Arts staff, led by Teresa Staub, Executive Director, shared new arts programming and events to celebrate the 50th Anniversary and an overview of programming over the past year.  Alice Berman, Former Monmouth Arts Board Chair and Former President of the Jewish Heritage Museum; Mary Eileen Fouratt, Program Director at the New Jersey State Council of the Arts and Former Executive Director of Monmouth Arts, provided an overview on the history of Monmouth Arts. The evening’s keynote speaker was Allison Tratner, Executive Director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Member arts organizations approved Karen Zabarsky, Vice President, Design and Branding at Kushner, and Michelle Knox, Adult School Program Coordinator and Artist, as new Board Members.

Following the meeting, the Monmouth Arts Board unanimously elected David Stout, President of Brookdale Community College, as their new Chairman of the Board, succeeding Joe Barris, who held the position for the past three years. “Our Board of Directors and staff are thrilled to have Dr. Stout as the Chairman of the Board,” said Teresa Staub, Executive Director of Monmouth Arts. “Dr. Stout possesses all the qualifications and expertise to grow Monmouth Arts into a more successful arts organization”.

“I am honored to join the leading nonprofit arts agency in Monmouth County. Building on the work of my predecessors, I am committed to leading the efforts to collaborate with community and cultural organizations to further arts education and provide artists equitable access to community assets and resources,” said Dr. Stout.

Dr. Stout is currently the President of Brookdale Community College and a lifelong resident of Monmouth County. As President, he has enacted strategies to predict and influence enrollment trends, address facility needs, analyze and control expenditures, update major institutional strategic plans, build financial reserves, and develop programs that address the needs of Monmouth County residents.

The College continues to build arts programs on the campus. “Arts Education provides a pathway to college,” Stout said.  In addition to the Brookdale Performing Arts Center, the College campus is home to the RockIt Academy, Garden State Film Festival, and the Monmouth Museum. “providing a home for these arts organizations, enriches the lives of our students and enables more opportunities to educate.”

Dr. Stout serves the College as chair of the internal governance system and is president of the Brookdale Faculty Association. He has served as a Freeholder appointed member of the Monmouth County Mental Health Board and member of the Monmouth County Human Services Needs Assessment Steering Committee. He holds a Masters Degree in Psychological Counseling and a Ph.D. in Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine.

Monmouth Arts is a leading, independent, 501c(3) arts advocacy organization that delivers needed programs and services to artists, member organizations and arts affiliates to ensure the arts thrive in and throughout Monmouth County. As Monmouth County’s official county arts agency, their mission is to enrich the community by inspiring and fostering the arts. The programs of Monmouth Arts are made possible in part through funding from the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.