Sunday, March 31, 2002




Corporate sponsorship is essential if the arts are going to grow in South Jersey. That's why it's so encouraging to see an expanding list of businesses involved in the upcoming arts summit.

The fourth annual Business/Arts summit next month in Camden promotes partnerships between corporations and South Jersey cultural institutions. Panel discussions will include talks about corporate support for the arts and how communities support and benefit from the arts.

Weatherman Willard Scott and cultural leaders from South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina and Ohio will be at the summit.

Fleet New Jersey, the Armand Corporation, St. Lawrence Cement and Valero Oil Refining are among the new corporate sponsors for the two-day event to be held April 25 and 26 at the South Jersey Performing Arts Center in the Tweeter Center on Camden's waterfront.

In addition to being important to a community's quality of life, the arts can boost the economy:

•Every dollar spent on the arts translates into $2 in total regional spending, a Rutgers report indicated.

•The state reports that N.J. cultural organizations account for more than $700 million of the state's economic activity.

•At Philadelphia cultural events, about one out of every four people in attendance is from South Jersey.

•About 11 million people attend arts events in New Jersey each year.

Clearly, when the arts are thriving, South Jersey businesses will benefit.

South Jersey arts organizations don't have the corporate base their North Jersey counterparts have when it comes to raising money. That's why it's so important that South Jersey entities step forward and do what they can to support the arts. The business and arts summits over the years have done much to show the important role the arts play in a community - from both a quality of life standpoint and one of economics.

Here's hoping the fourth such summit is equally successful in building a thriving arts scene in South Jersey.