Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 10 10 Jersey Shore Arts Center BEACHCOMBER " L e t u s t ak e a j o u r n e y do w n t h e S h ore t o s ee w h a t w e c a n f i n d… " Their Mission Since first opening its doors in 2000, the Jersey Shore Arts Center (JSAC) in Ocean Grove has positively impacted the community by provid- ing affordable arts-related programs, events, professional opportunities, and work and performance spaces for artists and arts-related teachers. With all types of art, and a place where everyone is welcome, the JSAC is an important hub at the Shore for artistic engagement and experiences. "We are both a historical organi- zation and an arts organization," says Executive Director Nichole Nappi. "The Ocean Grove Historic Preservation Society maintains the building and is the parent organiza- tion of the JSAC." The Society's mission is two-fold: to save and restore the beautiful and historic building known as the old Neptune High School and to operate the JSAC in support of local artists and art educators. "We're not just a performance venue space or rehearsal or studio space, we are a community space," says Nappi. "We cater to the entire spectrum of artists, from the up-and-coming dancer to the person working in their basement painting. We encounter all sorts of artistic lev- els and experiences." 125 Year History Built in 1896, Neptune High School opened in 1897 with Lida courtesy of Jersey Shore Arts Center The Jersey Shore Arts Center in Ocean Grove. Doren serving as New Jersey's first female principal and superintendent. The edifice was celebrated as an "Architectural Splendor" at the 1906 World's Fair. The building was used as a high school until a new school building opened in September 1960, and it continued serving the school district in various ways until it was vacated in the 1980s. Unfortunately, the building's condition deteriorated as a result of years of neglect. Retired telephone executive Herbert Herbst (1926-2017) moved to Ocean Grove with his wife in 1991, and his dedication to the community led him to creating the Ocean Grove Historic Preservation Society in 1995 and facilitating the purchase of the building in 1997. Herbst's bold quest was to not only save the badly dam- aged building but to transform it into a future home for the cultural arts at the Jersey Shore. Thus the Jersey Shore Arts Center was born. The structure's restoration was completed in phases and includ- ed major structural, electrical, and plumbing work. In 2000, the first floor opened with newly renovated classrooms, restrooms, lobby, office space, and a 450-seat theater. Over the years, the building's other areas were restored, with the third-floor rehabilitation completed in 2014. Herbst remained at the helm of the JSAC until his death in 2017. Under the guidelines for historic preservation in Ocean Grove, building improvements and restoration must adhere to specific rules to retain its status as a historic site. "We are still improving our signage and still in the process of getting our building acces- sibility project up and running," says Nappi. "After that, we hope to add air conditioning to the Palaia Theater." Adding air conditioning would allow the JSAC to host events in the Palaia Theater year-round as opposed to the current schedule of September through June. "That's one of our major goals, then we will be able to go an entire season without going dark in the summer months," she says. While the pandemic negative- ly affected every industry, the arts industry was one of the hardest hit. Nappi said that the JSAC's surviv- al was in part due to pivoting and continuing programming on some sort of level over the past two years. "It was scary. I knew once we got to A worker paints the moulding in the Palaia Theater during its restoration. courtesy of Jersey Shore Arts Center

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