Two items got my attention recently that are relevant to Rahway given the mayor’s plans to make it “All About the Arts.”
Continue reading Recent studies paint bleak picture for the arts
Tag Archives: Rahway Arts
Concerts the clear choice for arts center
So judging by the most recent blog poll, y’all want concerts at the Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC).
The question becomes what kinds of concerts are you most interested in? Obviously, UCPAC has plenty of concerts throughout the season, but what kinds of concerts would you prefer? There’s also the question of what two voters consider to be “other.” Magic shows?
With now more than 250 readers subscribing by email and the average number of daily visitors creeping toward 200, I thought for sure we’d hit triple digits on the number of votes. After posting it, I realized I could’ve been a little more creative and added more options. I blame myself mostly; I just copied what we used in the last UCPAC poll. We could have added some other offerings, like kids’ shows or dance, for instance.
“What would you like to see at the Union County Performing Arts Center?”
Concerts, 43 percent (22/51 votes)
Comedy, 23 percent (12/51)
Movies, 19 percent (10/51)
Plays/Musicals, 9 percent (5/51)
Other, 4 percent (2/51)
Results weren’t radically different from when we asked this poll question two years ago, but for about twice as many votes and a more decisive margin for concerts.
Fundraising aims to boost arts center lineup
A $150,000 fundraising effort to target more high-profile programming at the Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) has commitments of at least $90,000 as of last month. Mayor James Kennedy said the board of trustees at its last meeting gave approval to the executive director to pursue a handful of performances.
“It’s designed to have a decent rate of return to put on performances,” he said during a brief interview following his State of the City address this month.
There have been some additional verbal commitments for fundraising and other possibilities as well, the mayor said during a follow-up interview last week.
The center’s board is leaning toward musical performances and with several new board members, “there’s a new level of energy you can feel,” Kennedy said, adding that there’s been a recent emphasis on new board development.
Perhaps it’s time to bring back an old poll question, “What would you like to see at the Union County Performing Arts Center?” If you can believe it, it’s been two years (!) since we posed that question, with but a couple dozen faithful readers responding. Then there was this poll from April 2008 after UCPAC renovations were completed, which seemed to present a recurring theme among RR readers: Improve the programming. So…
“What would you like to see at the Union County Performing Arts Center?”
- Concerts
- Standup comedy
- Plays/musicals
- Movies
- Other
Arts space for old Woolworth building
A multi-purpose arts space will fill the former Woolworth building, 1433 Main St., at least for the near future.
The property was acquired by Landmark Companies, developers of Park Square, but has been leased to Rahway Cafe and Stage for two years until they come up with a plan for it. Eric Harvitt of Landmark Companies said they’re still deciding on concept proposals for the property.
The approximat
ely 6,000-square-foot space will be used for practice/rehearsals, showcases and receptions while the front area will be open all the time as a cafe/lounge and retail area selling the works of local artists, according to general manager Marc Calamares.
“We figured the space would be perfect for our purpose, and would also coincide in the direction in which the city wants to move,” said Calamares, who expects to open before the end of this month.