Arts & Entertainment
Grant Awarded to Center for Contemporary Art
Bedminster non-profit receives funding from Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster was awarded a first-time grant for 2012 from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
According to the center’s executive director, Elie Porter Trubert, “The Dodge Foundation was impressed by the ways in which The Center is working to re-imagine the programming offered and to increase its significance to the community.” The grant was for $10,000, Trubert said.
The center, located on Burnt Mills Road, was originally known as the Somerset Art Association (SAA) until late 2010. According to the website, the organization was founded in 1970 in Bernardsville “by a small group of dedicated artists who envisioned a place where they could gather, work and share ideas.”
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They initially focused on art instruction and soon began to organize exhibits, lectures and bus tours to museums in the tri-state area. As membership grew, they moved from their original rented facility to an historic 1912 schoolhouse they renovated in Bedminster. In 2010, they changed their name to "The Center for Contemporary Art."
Today, they have grown from a local art association into a regional art center open year-round with an important community outreach component, a studio art school for adults and children and an extensive exhibition program. They also offer one-on-one mentoring, birthday parties for kids, and workshops for scout badges.
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“We are a 41-year-old organization that has been challenged to reinvent itself under already difficult economic conditions,” said Porter Trubert. “The fact that The Center for Contemporary Art has received the endorsement of the Dodge Foundation could not be more significant. We are thrilled to be counted among New Jersey’s finest non-profit arts organizations.”
The center’s mission is, “To provide a vibrant, contemporary cultural center through arts education, exhibitions and community outreach that will inspire creativity and enhance people’s lives.”
For information about the Center for Contemporary Art located at 2020 Burnt Mills Road, Bedminster, visit their website at ccabedminster.org
