Morris County Proclaims October Arts & Humanities Month

The Morris County Board of County Commissioners proclaimed October 2022 “Arts and Humanities Month” last Thursday during a work session meeting in Morristown.

Commissioner Director Tayfun Selen read parts of the formal resolution as he presented the framed proclamation to Tom Werder, Executive Director of Morris Arts. 

Werder was joined by Weusi Baraka, Director of Arts in Community for Morris Arts; Dave Sipple, President of Morris Music Men, and Jenna Castano, Director of Marketing and Communications for Morris Arts.

Director Selen presents a proclamation to Tom Werder of Morris Arts.

“Tonight, Morris County will resume an annual practice [...] interrupted by the pandemic. The Board of County Commissioners will formally recognize the month of October [as] Arts and Humanities Month by virtue of the proclamation I now hold,” said Director Selen. “It says in part, that we honor arts and humanities because they have come to embody much of the accumulated wisdom, understanding, and imagination amassed over the centuries by humankind and have allowed us to explore ideas, express emotions, and better appreciate the diverse and many cultures around the globe,” the director added.

Many organizations, nonprofits and small businesses involved in the arts and humanities benefited from the Morris County Small Business Grant Program, which was launched on Valentine’s Day and closed to applications last month. 

Designed to assist small businesses and nonprofits still impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, 723 grants had been approved as of Sept. 30, although many applications submitted by that deadline are still under review.

Jenna Castano, Dave Sipple, Tom Werder, and Weusi Baraka posing with the proclamation in the Morris County atrium, where Morris Arts are currently sponsoring the "Through Women's Eyes" exhibit - the works of five women artists now on display and available for viewing by the public for free.

Among the grants were more than 40 approved for groups such as the Growing Stage in Netcong, the Morris County Art Association, the Morris Museum, the Denville String Band, the All Children’s Art Center, The Barn Theatre, the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey and, of course, The Morris Arts.

The Morris Arts have been actively promoting the arts in Morris County for nearly 50 years and that work is noted in the proclamation presented last Thursday.

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