Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle has been reappointed by Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto to serve another term as an ex-officio member of the New Jersey State Council of the Arts.
“The benefits of the arts are almost limitless. They have the ability to transcend cultural and racial boundaries, improve academic achievement and foster independence and collaboration,” said Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen). “I’m grateful to the Speaker for this reappointment and look forward to serving another term on the council to help promote these benefits.”
The council was created in 1966 and consists of 17 members and three ex-officio members. The council’s mission is to improve the quality of life in New Jersey by helping the arts flourish through arts education, artist’s services, community arts development, folk arts, cultural facilities development, community cultural planning and arts marketing.
With annual appropriations from the legislature, as well as federal grants from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), the council designs and carries out a dynamic program of financial and technical support services for New Jersey artists and non-profit organizations. The council annually supports thousands of public arts events in every corner of the state, which reaches millions and helps stimulate enormous economic activity for New Jersey.
Vainieri Huttle noted that in 2012, New Jersey spent $16 million on arts education, development, and promotion. That funding leveraged $325 million in economic activity across the state, including the creation of 17,000 jobs.
“That is the kind of return we need to get our economy back on track,” added Vainieri Huttle. “In addition to the enormous educational and cultural benefits, the arts are also key to rebuilding our state economy and supporting local businesses.”
In addition to her ongoing support of the arts in New Jersey, in 2003 Vainieri Huttle also helped establish the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood.