Hello friends of the Strand! I wanted to let all of you know that my application is now in the hands of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA). This was my first application of this type, and I must say – it was cumbersome, but I think this project is a great fit for their program and I worked hard to prove our case.  I have no doubt that your participation in this petition will have a powerful impact on the ‘positive benefits for the community’ scoreboard. The only weak spot in the application is that the NJEDA wants to know very specifically where the balance of ALL remaining funds are coming from.  As you can imagine, financing a 2-million-dollar renovation for the sake of the arts, in a 100+ year old building with no heat or plumbing, under active litigation, and suffering ongoing water damage (also part of the litigation), is tricky business.  So, in this section of the application I asked for an approval contingent on our anticipated outcome of the lawsuit, and a little time to finalize the Founding Funder Group. The Founding Funder Group will finance a short-term construction loan for the structural renovations, and we will run a community fundraising campaign for the lighting and broadcast equipment as we get closer to opening. Since the day I started this process, my heart and my head have been fully committed to the vision. I believe we can build a sustainable art house supported by corporate clients mid-week, giving us the ability to produce new and innovative programing for our community, every weekend.  We’ve begun to put together an advisory board of some very smart and diverse community members who really helped me pull the pieces together to make this application sing, and I want to thank all of them. My sweet husband Tom has also supported this grand vision through thick and thin, and I’m happy he helps keep me steady through it.  And YOU – all of you! Your support is the best kind of medicine for the days when the ugly bits grow heavy and I’m in need of inspiration.  I’m excited to return that gift to all of you - with music, art, theatre, comedy, and community.  I will keep you posted here.

If you have questions or want to offer assistance in some way, please feel free to email me at kelly@kellysullivanfineart.com.  We also have a small website up for the Strand at www.StrandArtsNJ.com . Thanks again. Enjoy the beautiful day. Kelly

Photo Credit: Stephen Harris