For the 11th edition of its beloved ARTeriors series, the Atlantic City Arts Foundation has unveiled The Ministry of Arteriors, a new pop-up gallery and group art show that proves art can breathe life into any corner of the city. Each year, the foundation selects a vacant commercial space and turns it into a one-of-a-kind group show, shining a spotlight on local creativity while inviting the public into a reimagined environment.
This year’s transformation may be its most immersive yet. Open to the public every Friday and Saturday from 12 to 5 p.m. through Dec. 13, visitors can walk through the doors of a once-ordinary storefront ministry building in Atlantic City and find themselves in an entirely new world. That’s the magic of ARTeriors.
The Ministry of ARTeriors brings 10 artists together under one roof, each given space to showcase their skills and transform an unused building into something fresh, immersive, and visually impressive.
This edition is hosted on a block of Pacific Avenue known as Farmers Row, at the site where C.R.O.P.S. (Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces) will operate a food distribution hub to further their mission of fighting food insecurity in Atlantic County. The nonprofit aims to increase access to nutritious local food by creating spaces for community members to grow produce and participate in gardening education and farmer training. C.R.O.P.S. is developing the food hub in partnership with CARING, Inc., Reed’s Organic Farm, Chelsea EDC, and the Green Coalition of Atlantic City. The Arts Foundation hopes the gallery will draw even more attention to this area and all that’s happening while also showcasing how art can help transform cities. In fact, the overall goal of the ARTeriors series is to highlight the power of art to reactivate vacant commercial spaces in transition.
“ARTeriors demonstrates the capacity for art to breathe life into underutilized spaces and create accessible platforms for artistic expression. It proves the vital role that art and creative placemaking play in the revitalization and renewal of Atlantic City, and the power of art to enhance urban environments. A healthy city has clean and safe streets, and art galleries,” said Michael Atkins, Executive Director of the AC Arts Foundation.
The 10 artists featured in this branch of ARTeriors each bring something unique. Everywhere you turn, there’s something new to admire from compelling installations, surprising details, and creative interpretations that make the experience feel alive.
The AC Arts Foundation brought together a community panel of city residents and workers to select which artists would be featured in this edition of ARTeriors. More than 50 applicants were reviewed, with the group determining who would best fit the space. Atkins shared that artists weren’t instructed to strictly follow a “ministry” or “faith” theme, but he feels the final collection strikes a good balance between some artists interpreting the concept directly, while others drew inspiration from Atlantic City itself.
Atkins also shared that the community response so far has been incredible. He and others involved see The Ministry of Arteriors as a way to highlight the transformation happening along Farmers Row and hope the gallery’s success sparks even more efforts, storefront activations, and creative projects.
“There are a ton of ideas and suggestions on what people think Atlantic City needs. There are big proposals and so many things trying to happen right now, but my message is that we need art galleries too,” Atkins said. “We need places that can allow this level of creativity and places for artists to meet. We’re showing here that this is a successful art gallery, and my message through the AC Arts Foundation is always that we need art spaces to help this city grow.”
The Ministry of ARTeriors is located at 2601 Pacific Ave and is ready for visitors. With artists from South Jersey as well as New York and Philadelphia, there are countless ways to immerse yourself in different creative perspectives. From furniture pieces to AC-inspired sculptures and paintings, you could spend hours exploring, learning about each artist, and appreciating the creativity spread throughout the space.
The art takes on a wide range of themes, and each artist’s process adds to the depth of the installations. One featured artist, Belinda Manning, remarked on her experience creating a piece for the show. “As I age, the challenge of creating what I think I want becomes more difficult. To be still and allow the creation to evolve…to come through, is one of the things I have learned with this installation. It was humbling. Because I work with the end in mind, I knew this installation could only be done in community, using a cross section of community (at least what I could gather in less than two weeks!). None of us could own it. It had to evolve in ways that the community made it happen, in concert. We had to support each other, [and] ask for help. All of these things were a challenge. We employed many ‘seeds of peace’ (i.e., cooperation, forgiveness, acceptance, humility, generosity) to create this installation, focused on seeding peace in our community. It can only happen working together. And courage is key.”
“This art is here and now, but not forever. That’s one reason ARTeriors is so special; it’s ephemeral,” said Tina Notaro, Program Manager at Atlantic City Arts Foundation. “Participating artists have the chance to take risks and experiment. Having only two weeks to install something that will only exist for a month, it creates pressure while at the same time alleviating it. This program is truly a testament to the creative spirit and what is possible when vision meets action. Anyone who visits this iteration of ARTeriors will be enchanted and inspired by what they see.”
