Arts & Culture: Cultural and Heritage Commission Celebrates Teen Arts Festival at RVCC with over 900 Attendees

BRANCHBURG, NJ – The Cultural and Heritage Commission celebrated the creative talent of students across Somerset County at their 2024 Teen Arts Festival on May 16. Nearly 900 students and teachers from 12 Somerset County schools attended the activity-filled festival at Raritan Valley Community College.

The Somerset County Teen Arts Festival is an annual arts-in-education program providing the county’s middle school and high school students, aged 13-19, with the opportunity to showcase their skills across seven artistic disciplines. In addition, students had the opportunity to participate in 28 workshops or masterclasses, taught by talented and diverse artists, that included everything from woodworking and papermaking to acting and dancing.

Some popular workshops included:

• Talk About Art with the Savannah College of Art & Design – with Aimee Dolich, Senior Assistant Director of Admissions
• Handmade Papermaking from Recycled Fabric – with Frontline Arts
• Classical Ballet – by the Roxey Ballet Company

The festival enlisted the expertise of 34 professional artists, many of whom represent art organizations within Somerset County, to help students embrace their creativity and artistic strengths, while also providing constructive feedback and recommendations for growth.

Students displayed their visual artwork in the RVCC Art Gallery, submitted original film and creative writing samples, and presented over 60 performances in vocal music, instrumental music, dance, and theater.

Students that particularly excelled in their artistic discipline and showed immense skill, talent, and creativity were nominated by adjudicators to participate in the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival, held from June 4 to 6 at Middlesex College.

Additionally, two talented students were selected to participate in the Teen Arts New Jersey - Visual Arts Traveling Exhibition. Their artwork will tour through New Jersey from Aug. 2024 to May 2025.

Brigid Moffitt – Grade 11
Title of Piece: “Exotic”
School: Bridgewater Raritan High School

Kripa Ramesh – Grade 8
Title of Piece: “Blue Portrait”
School: Hillsborough Middle School

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