NJPAC gives a standing ovation to Ann Marie Miller
Thanks for nurturing our creative community and ensuring that our state’s nonprofit arts sector gets the support it deserves Bravo!
Count Basie Center for the Arts, 99 Monmouth St, Red Bank, NJ 07701
Friday, February 16, 2024
5:30-7:30 PM:
Reception in Ann Marie’s Honor at The Vogel at Count Basie Center for the Arts
8:00 PM:
Laura Aden
Sharon Harrington
Sharnita Johnson
John McEwen
Adam Perle
Marcy Peterson
Adam Philipson
John Schreiber
Committee Chair
Allison Tratner
New Jersey Symphony presents Respect: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin at Hackensack Meridan Health Theatre at Count Basie Center the Arts
ArtPride New Jersey, along with members of the Planning Committee, planned this heartfelt celebration, a tribute to Ann Marie Miller’s unwavering dedication to the arts and her profound impact on our community. We toast Ann Marie in recognition of her professional career and the indelible mark she has left on the cultural landscape of New Jersey.
Adam Perle, President and CEO of ArtPride NJ, eloquently encapsulates Ann Marie’s immeasurable contributions: “ArtPride New Jersey joyfully celebrates the remarkable retirement of Ann Marie Miller, an unwavering champion of the arts in our beloved community. Her 28-year journey has been nothing short of extraordinary, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural tapestry of New Jersey.”
"If you are going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can‘t be erased."
Maya Angelou
Ann Marie, thank you for being an icon of advocacy and leaving your lasting mark on our state's arts community.
You lifted us up and made us stronger!
With much gratitude and appreciation,
Supporting Theatre Engaging Audiences
Ann Marie Miller is a woman of many diverse titles and a single job description: Protector of Creativity.
That designation originally was given by the ancient Greeks to the goddess Athena, who was revered for her skills in spinning and weaving. Not for nothing, Ann Marie is a fiber artist herself and about to tie the knot on a remarkable career that has led from education and theater development to grants administration and arts advocacy.
New Jersey, the non-profit where, throughout 28 years, she has contributed mightily to the state’s robust cultural tapestry.
“She uses every opportunity possible to talk about and demonstrate how the arts, the business of the arts, and also the artists themselves, lift up all of our communities,” says John McEwen, Executive Director of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance. “She finds a way to weave together all of these constituents and shows them how they’re connected and how they make an impact in all our unique communities within the state.”
ArtPride is the locomotion behind the New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ ability to disperse millions of dollars each year to artists and serves more than 300 arts organizations. Need assistance with budgeting? Stymied by the complexities of Trenton’s hierarchy? Seeking advice to launch a public art project? ArtPride New Jersey answers and connects the call.
“There is no one in the State of New Jersey who has more consistently, successfully, and articulately advanced the need for arts funding by cities, the state and the federal government than Ann Marie,” emphasizes John Schreiber, President and CEO of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and a member of ArtPride’s Governance Committee. “Her creativity, persistence and knowledge have been essential to the growth of the non-profit arts sector in New Jersey.”
As ArtPride’s Executive Director, beginning in 1995, Ann Marie and her small band dealt with challenges that ranged from enhancing arts programs in schools to representing the Garden State at pro-arts rallies and conferences in Washington, D.C.
When she became ArtPride’s Director of Advocacy & Public Policy in 2015, Ann Marie prioritized her mission to cultivate young, upcoming talent in advocacy and legislative action while still relying on relationships that took her years to build.
“Ann Marie was a mentor to all of us as we were getting into this field,” recalls ArtPride President and CEO Adam Perle. “Then she was willing to share that knowledge with the next generation of up-and-coming folks and got them involved, whether it was through the Governor’s Award for teen artists or teaching college students about advocacy.
“Selflessness was a big part of it. Ann Marie doesn’t operate with ego,” he adds. “It’s not about her or glory in the outcome. She asks, ‘What is the impact?’ and ‘How are we making change for the better?’ She gives of herself without asking in return.”
Paul McRae, Assistant Director of New Jersey Ballet and Chair of ArtPride’s Board of Directors, calls his colleague “a proven leader and coalition builder.” “Although her legacy will live on in the many young advocates and arts leaders she has mentored, I’m grateful for her guidance and friendship over the many years of working alongside her.”
He adds, “Her dedication to the value of the arts community’s economic impact on the larger state economy has set ArtPride New Jersey apart nationally as a leading service and advocacy organization.”
With each changing of the guard in Trenton and Washington comes the cyclical opportunity to interact with a new electorate and to champion the value of ArtPride as a resource for socioeconomic development and education.
“Because of her long history, that wonderful consistency and historical perspective, Ann Marie moves the work forward by the successes and lessons of the past,” says McEwen, who was introduced to Ann Marie when she was the Grants Coordinator of the state arts council in the ‘80s. Their paths also merged in the Nineties, during his tenure at the Paper Mill Playhouse and hers at the McCarter Theatre Center, where each worked in development.
There was some head-smacking along the journey, as in 2003
Congratulations to Ann Marie Miller!
We applaud your tireless advocacy on behalf of the New Jersey arts community and wish you all the best in your retirement.
With gratitude, Your friends at Mayo Performing Arts Center
MayoArts. org
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ
when the McGreevey Administration redlined $18 million in arts funding in a state still reeling from 9/11. (“We are a creative bunch in the arts, and you can be sure we’ll mount a creative campaign to restore those funds,” vowed Lawrence P. Goldman, founding leader of NJPAC, to The New York Times.) In response, Ann Marie and her team tirelessly raised legislative support and helped strategize the Hotel and Motel State Occupancy Fee, a dedicated stream of revenue for the arts, historical heritage and tourism.
About a decade ago, with backing from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, ArtPride’s Board of Directors began a conversation on expansion. Perle, a former Princeton marketing guru, took the helm at ArtPride, while Ann Marie trained a laser-focus on advocacy, education and public policy. Their reorganization goals were tested with the crippling effects of the pandemic in 2020; the astounding result of fighting for the health of the arts was a near doubling of the state arts council’s grants program from $16.3 million to $31.9 million (FY2022).
COVID recovery continues to tear at the non-profit arts community, Ann Marie observes, and ArtPride is still researching eligible funding under the American Rescue Plan. Artisin LLC in Newark – a strong ArtPride ally that provides customized planning and organizational services to artists and cultural institutions – had responded to artists and entities debilitated during 9/11 and later Hurricane Katrina; Artisin used those experiences to illuminate its work with ArtPride during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, then COVID.
With immense gratitude and admiration, Mary Sue Sweeney Price and Sherri-Ann Butterfield, Co-Chairs of Branch Brook Park Alliance, honor Ann Marie’s unparalleled contributions and enduring legacy.
www.branchbrookpark.org
“I developed a closer relationship with Ann Marie because she’s boots on the ground,” remembers Artisin President Susan Schear. “She’s always looking for some kind of solution for what needs to happen.
“Ann Marie is the information highway and the primary data source. You can call her and get the information from end to end. … She knows who to call for the answer. I don’t know anyone in the arts in the state who can really talk at that level.”
Through phone briefings, workshops and the eventual emergence of Zoom meetings, a collective was formed to focus on emergency preparedness and how to move the arts sector forward amid disaster. Even when Ann Marie’s presentations didn’t relate directly to her business, Schear notes, she was eager to attend them in order to convey next-steps to her network of clients, organizations and advisory committees.
“It’s getting better, but it’s not getting better fast enough,” Ann Marie says of the post-COVID world. She’s concerned about artists not earning a living wage, audience numbers, and runaway inflation. Always constant is the nagging dilemma of convincing people that the arts are a life-affirming necessity and not a pastime of the privileged.
A dyed-in-the-wool Springsteen fan, Ann Marie posted this quote from E Street Band “consigliere” Steven Van Zandt immediately after hearing it on “60 Minutes”: “We’re the only country in the world that thinks art is a luxury. Everybody else in the world understands that art is an essential part of the quality of life.”
Again and again, studies reinforce the correlation between the arts and academic achievement and no one knows that better than Ann Marie.
The State Theatre New Jersey Board of Trustees and Staff
offer sincere thanks to
for all her work to ensure the arts in New Jersey remain a vibrant part of our community and lives. Congratulations on all your achievements and thank you for being an Icon of Advocacy.
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ • STNJ.ORG
A graduate of East Brunswick High School, where a trio of dedicated art teachers advised her, Ann Marie (née Makoski) was dazzled by the fashion illustrations run by glossy magazines and newspapers. She majored in arts education at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia and taught for a spell in the Freehold Township School District.
It was in college that she began creating woven tapestries. Some of her more recent pieces are award winners and have been exhibited at such institutions as the Monmouth Museum and the Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster. Her work in the Garden State has been crucial to studies nationwide that gauge the impact of the arts on economic prosperity. Taking her home of Hightstown as a for-instance –where Ann Marie is active in the arts at the community level –tourists attending a gallery show, a garden tour, or a local edition of PorchFest are more than likely to spend on meals and shopping as well. The multimillion-dollar entertainment industry in New Jersey is a dynamo that regenerates dollars into jobs, beautifies downtowns, and supports tourism – a few obvious benefits.
Ann Marie is well-practiced in explaining the multi-faceted vitality of the arts in straightforward terms.
“We really try hard to remind everyone that from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed, you’re making decisions that have some relationship to the arts. Whether it’s the food you make look good, what you choose to watch on TV, the music you choose to listen to, the clothes you select and where you go shopping.
“Everything is related somehow to the arts.”
Ann Marie Miller, thank you for helping creativit� thrive in New Jersey through your passionate advocacy, insight, and suppor�!
Congratulations to a nationally recognized icon of advocacy, Ann Marie, from your friends Carol and Harold!
Our Protector of Creativity has a shelf’s-worth of honors and here are just a few: the Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award from Americans for the Arts; Moore College’s distinguished alumni award; an arts management fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the John Cotton Dana Award of the New Jersey Association of Museums.
She is half of a Jersey cultural power couple – through her marriage to arts consultant David Miller – and an utterly proud Mom to Michael.
Topping Ann Marie’s wish list for the future of ArtPride New Jersey is the desire for more high school and college-level students to champion the arts through advocacy. She recalls how teenagers immersed in musical theater effectively articulated ArtPride’s mission during meet-and-greets in Washington.
“They’re SO good because they’ve been taught to communicate in public speaking; they ‘get’ those skills. They’re the best and (the rest of us in attendance) can shut up!” Ann Marie quips, then wonders aloud, “They may not end up on Broadway, they may be doing something else, but how do you keep them as advocates?”
Ann Marie is modestly astonished by her successes, but thanks to her drive, the arts thrive.
“It’s something new every day,” she says of her profession. No responsibility is insignificant, whether it entails fielding an inquiry or maintaining a dizzying calendar. “And it’s all based on trust,” she adds.
Adam Perle couldn’t put it more succinctly when he maintains, “New Jersey is a better, more beautiful, and intriguing place to live, work, and visit because of Ann Marie Miller.”
In the words of Bruce Springsteen, “See you up the road.” n
ArtPride thanks all our sponsors for making this event possible!
Springsteen Sponsorship
Basie Sponsorship
Thank you, Ann Marie, for your many years of dedication to the arts in New Jersey. Your passion and accomplishments will live on in everything we do.
ArtPride New Jersey advances, promotes, and advocates for the arts as essential to the quality of life of every citizen and to the economic vitality of our state. Collaboration and Advocacy
ArtPride actively collaborates with partners in diverse sectors, including tourism, education, healthcare, and community development. Additionally, we engage with legislators and leaders at all levels of government to underscore the indispensable role of the arts. By fostering these connections, we aim to ensure that the arts are recognized as essential assets to New Jersey’s economic prosperity and overall quality of life.
As the largest arts service organization in the state, ArtPride proudly serves a diverse membership of over 300 arts institutions. Our reach extends across the entire spectrum of the arts, from expansive performing arts centers to intimate neighborhood galleries. We represent both nonprofit and commercial entities, fostering a comprehensive and inclusive arts community in every corner of New Jersey.
In partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, we invite you to dive into the heart of New Jersey’s pulsating cultural scene. Our dynamic JerseyArts. com platform is your gateway to an exhilarating world where nearly 80,000 art enthusiasts go to learn what’s new and now in New Jersey. We bring you a kaleidoscope of engaging content and arts events that paint our state’s cultural landscape with vibrant colors. Join us in this artistic journey and be part of the excitement that makes New Jersey’s arts scene truly unique!
Ann Marie Miller, thank you for your steadfast commitment to the arts and profound influence on our community.
We honor you and acknowledge your accomplished career and the lasting impression you made on the cultural fabric of New Jersey.
With gratitude and love, The ArtPride Board of Trustees
Paul McRae, Chair Assistant Director New Jersey Ballet
Linda Harrison, Vice Chair Director & CEO Newark Museum of Art
Isha Vyas, Vice Chair Division Head, Division of Folklife and Cultural Heritage Arts Institute of Middlesex County
Mike Stotts, Treasurer Executive Director Paper Mill Playhouse
Gabriel van Aalst, Secretary President & CEO
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Allison Larena, Immediate Past Chair President & CEO Mayo Performing Arts Center
Heather Barberi Executive Director Grunin Foundation
Carin Berkowitz, Ph.D. Executive Director
New Jersey Council for the Humanities
Carol Cronheim
Former Acting Secretary of State State of New Jersey
Alexander R. Diaz Executive Director bergenPAC
Carlos Fernandez, Ph.D. Director, Center for Latino Arts and Culture
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Kayla Kim Votapek Executive Director
The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists
Cliff Matias Executive Director
Redhawk Native American Arts Council
Marjorie Nathanson Executive Director
Hunterdon Art Museum
Tracey O’Reggio Clark Executive Director
New Brunswick Cultural Center
Noreen Scott Garrity Grants Manager
WXPN-FM
Sara Scully Executive Director
Hopewell Theater
Anthony Smith Executive Director
Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District
Cori Solomon Santone CEO Center Stage Solutions
Sean Striegel Independent Promoter
Anita Thomas Executive Director Carolyn Dorfman Dance
Lynne Toye Executive Director
New Jersey Arts & Culture Renewal Fund
Mary Sue Sweeney Price Director Emerita Newark Museum of Art
Barry Taylor Former President Wheaton Arts
Michael Zuckerman
Former Executive Director Cape May MAC
Ann Marie, Thank you for all you have done for NJ arts.
Cheers to you, Ann Marie!
your retirement be extraordinary as career that led you o this moment.
With heartfelt congratulations, Heather Barberi
Sung in French with projected English supertitles
Directed by Stefanos Koroneos
Artistic Director Joseph Pucciatti conducts the Boheme Opera NJ Orchestra and Chorus
Featuring members of the Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre Tickets:
Kendall Hall Performance Theater
The College of New Jersey
March 15
Friday 8:00 pm
Sunday 3:00 pm March 17
“You can’t start a fire without a spark.”
Thank you, Ann Marie, for nearly
four decades of being our Arts-Spark!
We love you,
Wendy, Sharon, Elizabeth, Julie Ellen, & Laurie
“Tramps like us, baby we were born to run!”
- Bruce Springsteen
The poet Robert Pinsky wrote: I think art is not
Thank you, Ann Marie, for being at the core of New Jersey’s arts and cultural community for the past 30+ years!
Your leadership at the helm of ArtPride, and the Government Strategy Committee, has centered our work, improved our great state, and brought the beauty and benefits of the arts to all New Jerseyans.
With much love and gratitude –Sharon Harrington and Carol Cronheim
well-deserved retirement!
From council members and staff of the New Jersey Arts Council
Congratulations Ann Marie on your well-deserved retirement, and thank you for an incredible career advocating for the arts. You are truly a New Jersey icon!
JIM KENNEDY SKYE CONSULTING LLC
The design for this evening’s event was inspired by, and included, Ann Marie’s original work of textile art entitled ‘Wedget’ (August 2023)
PLEASE SCAN TO DONATE IN ANN MARIE’S HONOR
The Hyde and Watson Foundation
