ArtSpace takes over the storefront previously occupied by the Basie’s Carlton Lounge. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
See CLARIFICATION below
By JOHN T. WARD
Just doors away from one of America’s most storied marquees, the nonprofit organization Monmouth Arts unveiled a new home for fostering art dubbed ArtSpace Wednesday.
Monmouth Arts Executive Director Teresa Staub addressing attendees at the opening. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
Several dozen representatives of arts organizations and local government attended a reception marking the formal debut of the space, within the Basie complex of performance and education venues on Monmouth Street.
ArtSpace was previously used as the Basie’s Carlton Lounge for small receptions. (“Carlton” was a nod to Walter Reade’s Carlton Theatre, the name of the motion-picture-and-vaudeville house when it opened in 1926.)
The single-room space, with a serving counter, will be utilized as a venue for networking, cultural programs, art exhibitions and creative workshops, all in keeping with Monmouth Arts’ mission to foster community through the arts, said executive director Teresa Staub.
The organization “has been committed to fostering a thriving arts community for over five decades,” said Staub. “This venue provides an opportunity for artists, residents and visitors to Monmouth County to connect, explore and enhance their creative capabilities.”
Programming will include offerings such as “Artful Experience” how-to workshops, mixers, visual arts exhibits and folk music performances.
“Riffs & Waves,” an show of shore-themed works by photographer Connor Kane, will kick things off with a free public opening reception scheduled for Friday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The exhibit continues through May 29.
The wood-floored room provides “an amazing upgrade” from cramped office space Monmouth Arts previously occupied a few doors away in the Basie complex, said arts education and events director Sandy Riddle.
It shares the ribbon of transom windows that grace each of the former storefonts flanking the theater’s traditional lobby, bringing in ample natural light, even on a rainy afternoon like the one on which the opening was held.
Monmouth Arts’ administrative offices remain at the Courts of Red Bank complex on Maple Avenue, where it has been based since August, 2022.
Clarification: This post originally identified the new facility as “ArtSpace 99,” following the branding used by Monmouth Arts. On Thursday, an organization representative informed redbankgreen that it has decided to drop the “99” from the name “to avoid any confusion” as it works with the Basie and the borough “to establish an official address for the space, which currently lacks one.”
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