Young Professionals Encouraged to Attend Arts Events
Jersey Arts Generation NEXT Series Combines Culture and Social Networking

(Trenton, NJ) Arts groups are teaming up this fall with the New Jersey Young Professionals network to attract new (and younger) audiences by providing social networking opportunities in conjunction with their performances and exhibitions. Coordinated by the statewide Discover Jersey Arts initiative, organizers believe this series of Generation NEXT events will appeal to younger audiences by presenting culture as an affordable, alternative “night out” option. Tickets to all Generation NEXT events are priced at $25.00.

The series kicks off on September 25, 2008 at 7pm with The Photography of Kunié Sugiura at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey in Summit. The evening begins with an exclusive wine and cheese reception prior to a docent tour of the center's Contemporary Views exhibition featuring the work of world-renowned photographer Kunié Sugiura. After touring the exhibition, Generation NEXT ticket-holders will head into the darkroom under the direction of Joan Pamboukes, a professional photographer and teaching artist with the Arts Center, to learn how to create their own work of art.

On November 1, 2008 the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark presents The Movie Music of Spike Lee and Terence Blanchard. Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard and legendary filmmaker Spike Lee join forces as Blanchard leads both his quintet and a chamber orchestra in a concert devoted to the acclaimed jazz scores and R&B-tinged songs he created for seven of Lee's feature films – Bamboozled, Jungle Fever, Clockers, Malcolm X, 25th Hour, Inside Man, and the acclaimed PBS documentary, When the Levees Broke – all accompanied by a montage of images culled from those films. Blanchard will be joined by Grammy winner Patti Austin, rising singer-guitarist Raul Midón, and neo-soul sensation Bilal as guest vocalists. Generation NEXT ticket-holders are invited to attend a “Prelude Crafts Fair” prior to the performance as well as a post-performance discussion on the role of music in film presented by WBGO-FM. The evening wraps up with a cocktail reception at the Theater Square Grill. The crafts fair begins at 7pm and the performance follows at 8pm.

The Generation NEXT fall series concludes with a performance by the ground-breaking dance troupe, Pilobolus at New Brunswick’s State Theatre on November 6, 2008. Acclaimed for their remarkable physicality, humor, and highly original and visually compelling works, Pilobolus redefines the boundaries of contemporary dance. Their performances during the 2007 Academy Awards brought down the house, and now audiences have the chance to see them live. The evening begins at 7pm with a pre-performance "Insights" discussion of Pilobolus' place in the unfolding story of modern and contemporary dance presented by Mary Pat Robertson of the American Repertory Ballet. Following the performance, Generation NEXT ticket-holders are invited to an exclusive post-performance cocktail party at the theatre.

“The goal for all of us involved is to provide the audience with a complete cultural experience rather than just a discounted ticket,” states Jim Atkinson, Program Manager for Discover Jersey Arts. He adds, “We believe these events provide an interesting alternative night out, including the opportunity to mingle with other young professionals and to become part of the artistic process, at an affordable price.”

Complete details on the series, as well as tickets to all Generation NEXT events, are available online at JerseyArts.com/GenNext.

Generation NEXT is a program of the Discover Jersey Arts initiative – a cosponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and ArtPride New Jersey Foundation dedicated to increasing the awareness of and participation in the arts in New Jersey – working in partnership with the New Jersey Young Professionals – a social networking group of young professionals in New Jersey ages 21-39. Ticket-holders must be 21 years of age or older to attend a Generation NEXT event.

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*** Editor’s Note For additional information regarding individual events please contact the following:

The Photography of Kunié Sugiura at Visual Arts Center of New Jersey (Sept. 25, 2008)
Contact: Laura Notaro, Communications Coordinator, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
908.273.9121 x17 | lnotaro@artcenternj.org
view artist's images >>

The Movie Music of Spike Lee and Terence Blanchard at NJPAC (Nov. 1, 2008)
Contact: Pearl Wise-Crawley, Director of Sales and Promotion, NJPAC
973.642.8989 | pcrawley@njpac.org
watch Terence Blanchard clip from 'Mo Better Blues' >>

Pilobolus at State Theatre (Nov. 6, 2008)
Contact: Kelly Skinner, Director of Public Relations, State Theatre
732.247.7200 x542 | kskinner@statetheatrenj.org
watch Pilobolus video from 2007 Academy Awards >>