SJ Cultural Asset Map Project (CAMP)

The South Jersey Cultural Asset Map Project is so much more than a map! It is the tangible, visible result of SJCA’s extensive outreach, engagement, data sharing, and partnership across sectors and the state.

South Jersey has many artists, historic sites, and cultural organizations, but only one central directory listing them all – SJ CAMP. This inclusive and robust register and an interactive map of cultural assets help artists, arts & history organizations, tradition bearers, cultural community groups, and cross-sector partners convene, collaborate, and connect with each other and with SJCA. These connections create opportunities for shared learning, collaboration, and collective advocacy that strengthen the cultural community from within.

SJ CAMP isn’t a short-term project; it’s a perennial tool SJCA uses to collect and share data from across the field. The more data we can collect, the better we can tell the whole story of arts & culture in South Jersey to visitors, patrons, and potential funders. SJ CAMP will grow and evolve based on community-expressed needs. The possibilities are endless!

Phase 1:

• Create a strong foundation for SJ CAMP and expand SJCA’s communication network by collecting data sets from statewide partners and community members.
• Establish a cultural asset database with “known data” as well as conducting research and outreach to connect with other cultural assets.
• Prioritize outreach to individuals and organizations from historically under-represented communities.

Phase 2:

• Increase communications with the expanded SJCA cultural asset network to engage, inform, and encourage applications for available funding.
• Launch New SJCA Website with enhanced SJ CAMP directory, map, and resources.
• Launch SJCA Connects Givitas Platform to provide a dedicated, always accessible, digital space for connecting with cultural colleagues to ask for or offer advice, resources, and information to help support your work. Our greatest resource is each other!
• Award Arts & Culture Connectors Fellowships. A local artist/cultural professional in each South Jersey county will be awarded a stipend, professional development, and a mini-grant to seed a community initiative utilizing the tools and network developed during the fellowship.

Phase 3:

• Survey cultural assets to gather additional data and gain a deeper understanding of the strengths and challenges in the South Jersey Cultural Community.
• Analyze survey data and build additional SJ CAMP map layers and story maps.
• Expand local outreach and convenings in each county to gather data about emerging needs and interests in the field and foster collaboration, communication, and resource sharing
• Co-Create Directory and Resources dedicated a historically excluded and oppressed communities, specifically, those who self-identify as Black, LatinX, Asian Pacific Islander, Indigenous, and/or a Person of Color, LGBTQ+, or a Person with a Disability. By highlighting and connecting these artists and organizations throughout South Jersey, we hope to encourage collaboration across the field, open lines of communication, and improve access to funding in support of our diverse and vital cultural assets.