Cultural Commission Can Open Up Edison Arts Scene, Officials Say

EDISON, NJ — The township will have greater latitude to seek state funding to enrich the local arts scene under an amended administration ordinance creating a Cultural Arts Commission.

The Township Council adopted the change at its Feb. 15 meeting, and the action was described as a "legacy moment," according to Tony Massaro, chair of the Cultural Arts Committee, formed a year ago.

According to the ordinance (2206-2024), there's a need to "take on more significant cultural arts projects by securing funds from the state and through various fundraising projects to aid the township in connecting and engaging a culturally diverse population while enriching the township’s local art scene."

The commission form replaces the Cultural Arts Committee, and will be able to raise funds and accept donations. Members of the committee will be reappointed to the 11-member commission.

Lois Tarr, vice chair of the cultural committee, also praised the action.

"There's no end to what we can do as a commission. There is a lot of diversity in the town and people need to see this diversity," she said.

The ordinance set forth the members of the commission, terms and other administrative aspects of its work. You can read the full ordinance here.

Massaro said, in public comments at the meeting, that the Cultural Arts Committee has "been in business" for a year and has set many of the procedures it runs by in that time. And it also has developed a town hall gallery that involved lots of thoughtful - and volunteer - labor on the part of the committee.

The change to a commission is a subtle but important one, he told the council.

Under the ordinance, the commission's members shall advise the mayor and/or the council liaison of those "programs, grants, legislation, polices and practices they deem in the best interest of fostering cultural preservation, growth and development."

These can cover a variety of cultural endeavors, such as performances or art projects.

It is also given the task to "seek to secure funding from the state and through various fundraising projects to establish and improve programs, projects and events," all to "foster the enrichment of the township’s artistic community," the ordinance says.

The Cultural Arts Committee has been tasked with developing venues that will "explore and enhance the various customs and traditions of our Township by promoting exhibits, cultural activities, and creative opportunities encompassing that broad range of cultural and ethnic diversity," its mission statement says.