Today’s edition of Red Bank oRBit welcomes the Newark Black Film Festival back to Monmouth County — while bidding a bittersweet buh-bye to the person who’s been most instrumental in making it happen here for the past three years.

We’ve long known Terri Thomas (right) as a driving force behind the nonprofit Black Box Asbury Park group, and in particular the annual Women’s Arts Festival it’s been staging each year. For four years now, pretty much anyone involved in the local arts scene has identified this actress/ activist/ advocate/ editor/ opera singer as Community Arts Director for the Red Bank-based Monmouth County Arts Council. When we got word that Terri will be leaving the Shore for Eugene, Oregon at month’s end, we just had to look her up for an informal interview on her future plans, as well as the State of the Arts in the post-Terri era.

Also today, an appreciation of one of the Shore’s quirkiest crannies of creative energy — the Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts, and its founding father Douglas Ferrari. We’ve got a look back at last week’s big Fifth Anniversary party for SICA, as well as a look ahead to this weekend’s opening reception at the former cannery turned uncanny ideas factory. It’s all here, suitable for framing and on view ’round the clock in Red Bank oRBit!