By Raymond Tyler
When I received an invitation to attend Stockton University’s Regional Arts Summit, the kick-off event for the inauguration of the new Stockton University President Joe Bertolino, Ed.D., I was honored.
For more than 40 years Stockton University has been a key influence on my artistic life. Few people in the local arts community have been a supporter and contributor to the arts at Stockton University as long as I have.
The very first time I visited the campus was approximately 1983. My family and I attended the one-year anniversary of the Ebony Ensemble Choir under the direction of our dear friend, Beverly Vaughn, professor of music.
Last year, 2023, marked 40 years since that first experience at what was then a Stockton State College program. I was already a young creative (16 years old), but that concert began my relationship with the arts programs at Stockton.
Since 1983 I have attended concerts, parties, and various visual arts receptions. I went from producing mix tapes in my bedroom to producing radio shows on FM 91.7 WLFR for the world, all from the campus of Stockton University.
My radio show, “The Light,” is broadcast there every Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. where I am currently producing The Third Annual Atlantic City/SJ Poetry Festival live on the air.
In 2022 I curated several art shows in the lobby of Stockton University’s Performing Arts Center. I have met Spike Lee and sang with The Persuasions. I have worked with Michael Cagno to found the series Black Art Matters, which is currently running at The Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University.
On May 5 I am curating A Space For Your Health: Conversations on Health at the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey, located in The Arts Garage of Stockton University in Atlantic City. I could do a column every week about how Stockton University has been a major part of and influence on my journey as a professional artist.
So being asked to attend President Joe Bertolino’s Regional Art Summit was indeed an honor and an event that did not disappoint.
On Monday morning, April 8, hundreds of artists from the past, present and future of Stockton University attended the invite-only event, which was hosted by Ian Marshall, dean of arts and humanities.
The summit started with a breakfast reception in the Fannie Lou Hamer Room at Stockton University’s Atlantic City Campus. Under the direction of Beverly Vaughn, several of Stockton University’s students played classical jazz numbers as the guests arrived. The Regional Art Summit began with a dance performance from current students which was an exciting sample of ballet at its finest.
Following the dance, Joe Bertolino, Stockton University president, addressed the gathering and explained that it is his intention to make the Regional Arts Summit an annual event.
We were then treated to a keynote address from John Schreiber, president and CEO of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). The Regional Arts Summit also included informative panel discussions led by Ian Marshall, Michael Cagno, Emari DiGorgio and Erin O’Hanlon. The day ended with an hour-long mural tour on Atlantic City’s historic jitneys.
The South Jersey area has been blessed to see the arts at Stockton University grow by leaps and bounds. I can say after Monday’s Regional Arts Summit that we should all be excited for the Joe Bertolino era.
