Enter X•it Artzene ! A fresh new arts magazine:

Monmouth County Arts Council (MCAC) reaches out to promote the arts

MCAC wants everyone to know more about the Monmouth County arts scene – “The board and staff have recommitted themselves to promoting our dynamic art scene – to do that MCAC initiated a new public information campaign called Monmouth Arts. Beginning the end of April, Monmouth County residents will be introduced to our new web site, monmoutharts.org, and our new Magazine, X•it. We are excited about doing more to promote the arts in Monmouth County,” said Executive Director, Mary Eileen Fouratt

On Thursday May 8, 2008 MCAC will celebrate the launch of its new arts magazine, X•it Artzene and its all new web site monmoutharts.org at Becker Guerry Advertising on Tindall Road in Middletown. Jennifer Anderson, and Judy Zocchi, MCAC Board members and event organizers said, “The launch party is a fun way for us to thank all our supporters. We are so proud to share this with everyone. X•it and monmoutharts.org will give well deserved visibility to the wealth of talent and treasures in our area.”

X•it is an entirely mission driven publication: As a non-profit whose mission is to enrich the lives of MC residents by inspiring and fostering the arts, MCAC is in a unique position to know what’s going on and to tell area residents all about it. Moreover, because X•it is owned and published by a non-profit, any X•it proceeds will go right back into MCAC to further promote the arts.

X•it is a free magazine and can be found across Monmouth County in coffee houses, restaurants, libraries, local shops and art venues. The magazine will also be available for download at the Arts Council’s new website, www.monmoutharts.org. The new website, will include interactive features like forums and a blog to strengthen the arts scene and build community among artists and arts patrons.

Feature Articles in X•it will include X•it Art , explorations of places and spaces found from any Monmouth County exit ramp off the GSP. In Strange Places celebrates the unconventional and looks to linkages that might not be obvious. Legends and Legacies honors the creative continuum and the features the perspectives of different generations of artists. Check It Out connects a vast network of arts organizations and events across the county.

Tracy Challenger-Cole, Associate Publisher of X•it and MCAC Board member, recalled how the magazine started, “Starting a new magazine was challenging - but I think our success was made possible by a combination of the right people at the right time with the right idea – I’ve experienced this kind of convergence on only a few occasions in my lifetime – it’s very exciting - it seems X•it was an idea whose time had come. We just needed by make sure we didn’t get in its way.”

The Monmouth County Arts Council is a not-for-profit organization that enriches the lives of Monmouth County residents by inspiring and fostering the arts. Published by MCAC, X•it artzene will support its mission of promoting and strengthening the arts in Monmouth County!

Monmouth County Arts Council’s programs are made possible through funding from the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, through the County Historical Commission, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment of the Arts.