Formed in 2011 and led by Monmouth Arts, the MoCo Arts Corridor Partnership is a creative placemaking initiative that brings artists, arts groups, municipal art councils, creative businesses, local and regional tourism offices, the County Economic Development, Tourism and Planning Offices, and NJ Transit together to establish coastal Monmouth County as a cultural destination. The 41 towns from Matawan to Manasquan are rich with over 50 arts organizations both large and small and include the major arts hubs of Red Bank, Long Branch, and Asbury Park as well as smaller towns with active grassroots arts groups.

One of the strongest partnerships to come out of MoCo Arts Corridor Partnership is one with New Jersey Transit. Their North Jersey Coast Line connects the entire Corridor and runs to New York City, providing safe, reliable, convenient, and effective transit service to the entire state. NJ Transit has been a critical partner from the start by bringing thousands of people to the MoCo Arts Corridor.

In the summer of 2013, NJ Transit surveyed the ridership on the North Jersey Coast Line, including weekend travelers, resulting in the implementation of weekend express trains from New York City during the summer of 2014, making it faster and more convenient to visit the area via train.

In 2014, Monmouth Arts and NJ Transit formalized our partnership with an agreement to provide $120,000 in pro bono marketing to promote performances, exhibitions, and community arts events all along the Corridor. NJ Transit distributed 41,000 MoCo Arts Corridor rack cards on train seats in North Jersey and New York City, displayed them in major train stations, and featured MoCo on its website, its social media outlets, and on its telephone hold message.

What does the MoCo Arts Corridor do for NJ Transit? The MoCo arts groups provide discount offers to NJ Transit riders, displays the NJ Transit logo is on printed materials, and features NJ Transit on the MoCoNJ.org mobile website.

The partnership between Monmouth Arts and NJ Transit for the MoCo Arts Corridor works because it meets goals of both organizations: NJ Transit’s to connect New Jerseyans to employment, education, healthcare, and recreational opportunities; and Monmouth Arts’ to raise the visibility of the arts organizations and artists in our region.

The MoCo Arts Corridor was featured as “a great example of a regional collaboration” and “a beacon for creative placemaking planning, intervention, and sustainable development at the United Nations in 2014 at a panel on the Role of Art and Education in the Reduction of Conflict and the Building of Communities, by the Center for Creative Placemaking, Bloomfield College.

As this partnership continues in 2015, it will raise the visibility of the MoCo Arts Corridor as an arts destination, celebrate the 1,200 artists and 75 arts groups in the region, engage the community, and market arts activities to both residents and visitors. In a region still recovering from Hurricane Sandy and very dependent on tourism, this partnership is critical to achieving the MoCo Arts Corridor Partnership’s mission to cultivate a place that provides a quality experience for artists, residents, and visitors; reflects diversity; provides physical and financial accessibility; fosters livable communities; and contributes to the local economy.