Monmouth arts scene: Now playing in your living room Arts council, Brookdale team up for monthly cable show on the arts BY KATHY HALL Correspondent Host John Bukovec interviews Robyn Ellenbogen (third from left), director of education for the Monmouth County Arts Council, and participants in the council’s Teen Arts Connection program, (l-r) Grace Chung, Sharline Rosales and Luke Holle, during a segment of “Arts in Monmouth County.” When Monmouth County Arts Council (MCAC) Executive Director Mary Eileen Fouratt looked at her agency’s new five-year plan, the idea of producing a monthly television show on the arts seemed unattainable. MCAC, Monmouth University and the Monmouth County Planning Board had worked with ArtsMarket, a national consulting firm with expertise in cultural development, to create the plan titled “A Blueprint for the Arts, the 2005-2010 Cultural Arts Plan for Monmouth County,” which focused on fostering and facilitating ongoing cultural development throughout the county. “A major goal in ‘Blue Print for the Arts’ was to increase the visibility of the arts,” Fouratt explained. “One of our ‘out-there’ dreams was to have a TV show, but we hadn’t gotten anywhere with it.” Shortly after the plan was presented at Monmouth University in April, Fouratt received a call from Cheryl Cummings, executive director of Brookdale Television (BTV). Located on the Lincroft campus of Brookdale Community College, BTV produces and broadcasts telecourse and public affairs programs 24 hours a day, seven days a week on Comcast Cable Channel 21. Brookdale students work as camera operators, technical directors, lighting grips and stage hands under the supervision of media professionals. “She [Cummings] had gotten a copy of the plan and said, ‘We can help you with this,’ ” Fouratt said. Brookdale had been producing a monthly arts program titled “Creative Conversations.” “They liked the concept but were having a problem lining up the guests,” Fouratt explained. “That part was easy for us.” A co-production partnership was formed, in which Brookdale took care of the production details and got the show on the air and MCAC provided the guests and helped with the content. Lisa Cureton, membership director for Brookdale Public Radio, 90.5 The Night, produces the show. John Bukovec, Brookdale Drama Department faculty member and host of “Creative Conversations,” is the host. “Arts in Monmouth County” is part of MCAC’s marketing strategy, which also includes a new glossy magazine titled “State-of-the-Art,” a Web site [www.monmouthartscouncil.org] and weekly e-mail “blasts,” which provide listings of arts events throughout the county. “The goals for ‘Arts in Monmouth County’ are to get the word out about what we are doing, further our reach into the community about the services offered by the arts council, as well as being able to publicize some of our member groups and the cultural offerings they have,” said MCAC board President Peter J. Lyden III. “This show provides another avenue where people can find out about the arts council and connect with the Web site. It will hit people who are channel surfing or who watch it on purpose,” Fouratt added. “Arts in Monmouth County” is repeated every Monday and Saturday at 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Brookdale Television. A new half-hour show will be produced each month. Non-Comcast subscribers may contact MCAC for VHS copies of the programs that can be borrowed or watched at the council’s Red Bank office. January’s episode, an introduction to the Monmouth County Arts Council, features Fouratt and Terri Thomas, MCAC’s community arts director. MCAC is one of only three county arts councils organized as private nonprofits rather than as a part of county government. (Morris and Sussex counties are the other two.) “We are a private, nonprofit organization that is supported by the Board of Chosen Freeholders, the state arts council, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and other foundations,” Fouratt said on the program. Member groups, which consist of nonprofit arts organizations and other nonprofits that have arts programs, elect the board of directors that governs the agency. Individuals, who may join MCAC as nonvoting members, receive access to programs and workshops, and a subscription to “State of the Art.” “We are a wide umbrella for anyone interested in the arts” Fouratt said. “If you think of yourself as an artist, you should be part of the arts council.” February’s program explores MCAC’s educational programming and features Robyn Ellenbogen, MCAC arts education director, and three students from MCAC’s Teen Arts Connection, Sharline Rosales, who is now attending Brookdale, Luke Holle from Red Bank Regional High School, and Grace Chung from Monmouth Regional High School. The Teen Arts Connection is open to 13- to 19-year-old artists in any discipline. The program will also provide information on the upcoming Teen Arts Festival co-sponsored by MCAC and Brookdale. Although the first two shows of “Arts in Monmouth County” are in the “talking heads” format, future programs will include clips of performances. “We want to be able to show the art,” Fouratt said. “That requires a little bit more planning in getting the filming done ahead of time. “We want to look at the arts in the broadest sense of the word. We want to hit lots of different disciplines and lots of different aspects of what the arts are in Monmouth County,” she added. “Priority would be given to member groups, but if there’s a broader arts or business arts event, we want to explore it.” Ideas for upcoming shows include a survey of the county’s theater community from amateur to equity, an overview of local arts groups’ educational programs, how the arts help with economic development and tourism, and a look at the vast variety of ethnic and cultural festivals in the county. Municipal arts programs will also be promoted. Brookdale students also benefit from the programming partnership. “Brookdale television prides itself on being an hands-on training facility for its students,” Cureton explained in an e-mail. “The creation and the production of ‘Arts in Monmouth County’ help BCC to provide students, in many cases, with television production skills that can be immediately transferred to the marketplace.” Cable companies can provide three different types of access channels as part of their programming, according to Lyden, who is senior director, franchise and government affairs for Comcast, in addition to serving as MCAC board president. Public Access channels are set aside for anybody who wants to provide content with the cable company setting the technical rules. Government access channels are programmed by local government, and educational access channels are turned over to an educational institution. In addition to the Brookdale channel, Comcast provides community college channels in Ocean and Mercer counties. “In our franchise negotiations with the municipalities, we provided for a educational access channel as well as a public access channel.” Lyden explained. “This is something we weren’t obligated to provide, but the colleges expressed an interest and some of the towns also said they were interested in us providing this to the local community colleges.” As of 2005, Comcast had 75,000 subscribers in Monmouth County, according to Lyden. Cable show viewership is not measured by ratings, but Fouratt is “amazed” at how many people say they saw her on TV and are learning about the county’s arts resources. “There’s just such a range,” she said, “It’s not all high-brow stuff either. Some of it is very accessible. We’ve got it all.”