Art House's $500,000 Reopening Campaign

Thank you for your interest in supporting Art House Productions' Reopening Campaign! We're grateful you're here to learn more.

Our new, two-story, state-of-the-art new home, designed by nationally recognized theater architects Auerbach Consultants, consists of a theater, a visual arts gallery, dressing rooms, and office space in an adaptable-use facility that will allow us to produce a wide range of programming year-round. It provides for the flexibility needed to meet the expanding needs of artists and audiences, contributing to the vibrancy, growth, and development of Jersey City and the greater region. It will enable Art House to build on our decades-long history as a beacon for the arts and as an economic boon to Jersey City as our patrons spend money locally, creating more jobs and more tax revenue for our city.

Art House Productions plans to triple its audience numbers in this new space, bringing in approximately 30,000 people annually to experience arts events. In addition, we will make space available for business, nonprofit, and commercial rentals as a new source of revenue to support our programs.

The mission of Art House Productions is to inspire, entertain, and challenge audiences with ambitious performing and visual arts programming; provide arts education to promote lifelong learning to diverse communities; and celebrate the power of the arts to illuminate humanity. Art House provides a home for innovative artists to develop new work, presents emerging and under-recognized artists who are making significant contributions to their respective fields, and serves as a safe space for established artists to take creative risks.

Art House Productions was founded shortly after September 11, 2001 by Christine Goodman, a community leader and professional performing artist, out of the desire to connect a devastated Jersey City community through art and dialogue. Since then, Art House has dedicated its efforts to presenting diverse, inclusive, and accessible programming across many artistic disciplines, playing a pivotal role in shaping Jersey City’s cultural identity and serving as a driver of urban economic development.

The 99-seat black box theater is fully equipped with the most energy efficient LED lighting and audio theater technology, including a 16’x10’ retractable screen and 10k projector for film screenings, and soundproof control booth that overlooks the space. The theater will house a multitude of events including plays, comedy shows, film festivals, music performances, dance, and more. Equipped with movable risers and seating, it can be arranged into a proscenium, alley, thrust, or arena configuration. 

The visual arts gallery is designed to accommodate rotating fine art displays of various media with maximum flexibility and infrastructure that allow for overhead rigging, lighting, video, and sound support. Brilliantly curated by Andrea McKenna, it features local and regional artists. Each exhibition commences with an opening reception, allowing guests to meet with the featured artist and mingle with other local artists and art lovers. The gallery is visible from the street, inviting pedestrians to engage with the art and welcoming them inside.

The support spaces include administrative and staff offices, dressing rooms, a green room area, and a multi-use lobby which is also visible to passers-by. These are all linked to the performance spaces through the AV system.

The Art House Reopening Campaign seeks to raise $500,000 by September 2023 to meet the immediate needs of our new space, to support our current programs, and to expand our programming with even more performing and visual arts events, symposiums, educational programs, and thrilling immersive, multimedia arts experiences. 

Key areas of need include:

• $200,000 to present and produce performing and visual arts programs to launch the new space in 2023-2024
• $200,000 to support Art House's expanded operations and capacity building including equipment purchases needed to add a security system to protect our space
• $100,000 to build back our community arts education programs to engage more youth and adult students

To date, we have commitments for the reopening campaign from 180 Morgan Street Developers ($100,000) and generous individual philanthropists ($60,000). 

Art House has received $100,000 in funding from an important American foundation that prefers to remain anonymous. This brings our current reopening campaign contributions to $350,000. We are now 70% of the way to our $500,000 goal!

In addition to the grant funding, the foundation has challenged Art House to raise $50,000 in new donor pledges by February of 2024. If we're able to unlock this challenge, the foundation will match an additional $50,000 in support. 

Our upcoming season features inspiring programming such as:

• 10 to 12 visual arts exhibitions in the Art House Gallery with monthly opening parties 
• JC Fridays: free, quarterly arts festivals held at the start of every season: March, June, September, and December 

To learn more about the Art House Reopening Campaign please watch the video below: