Montclair Jazz Fest, Wellmont Arts Plaza Earn ‘Excellence’ Awards

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The Wellmont Arts Plaza and the Montclair Jazz Festival earned some big praise from a statewide nonprofit as part of its annual awards series for 2022.

Downtown New Jersey (DNJ) recently announced the winners of its Downtown Excellence Awards, which celebrate initiatives that have “made a major or sustained impact on downtown economic development” in the state.

“With each passing year, we are more and more impressed by the dedication and creativity of downtown organizations and their partners in providing services, engaging new audiences, and promoting economic development,” DNJ executive director Courtenay Mercer said.

The Wellmont Arts Plaza captured an award for “Built Project Excellence.” According to the DNJ:

“The Wellmont Arts Plaza in Montclair, NJ, is the heart of Montclair’s Wellmont Arts District and is the result of a true public-private partnership. The 15,000 square foot plaza is the centerpiece of the Seymour Street Redevelopment Plan, which includes 250 residential units, abundant retail and office space, and three parking garages. The plaza was developed by closing Seymour Street to cars and transforming it into a pedestrian plaza. Centered on the historic Wellmont Theater, the plaza was designed as a flexible space that is enjoyable for day-to-day use. It can host events at a variety of scales, and accommodates the patrons of the 2,000-seat theater as they wait to enter. The main feature in the plaza is the ‘performance stair,’ which allows for casual seating and serves as a stage for outdoor performances, whether spontaneous or programmed. The plaza has a catenary overhead lighting system, hard and soft landscaping elements, outdoor furniture and seating, permanent sculptures, and a large mural.”

The group added:

“During the ribbon cutting ceremony, Mayor Sean Spiller referred to this transformation as a new destination for the arts and one of Montclair’s ‘proudest accomplishments.’ The plaza was made possible through the collaborative efforts of Ironstate Development, Brookfield Properties, Arterial LLC, Marchetto Higgins Stieve Architects, Minno and Wasko Architects, Bohler Engineering, Montclair Township, and Smith Maran Architecture + Interiors.”

MONTCLAIR JAZZ FEST

Meanwhile, Jazz House Kids, Montclair Center BID and BDP Holdings LLC earned a “Catalyst Event” award for the 2021 Montclair Jazz Festival.

According to the DNJ:

“The Montclair Jazz Festival has been a successful staple of the community’s music scene since 2010. What made the 2021 festival different and special, was that it was held for the first time in the heart of downtown Montclair. Capitalizing on the robust following the event had built over its 10-year run, the 2021 festival attracted 20,000 visitors who spent about $500,000 downtown in a single day. Thanks to the generosity and support of Essex County and working with the Township of Montclair, the festival was able to close a half-mile of Bloomfield Avenue, the town’s main artery, to place stages, vendors, and enough room for attendees. Road closures of this scale are no small feat! Essex County Commissioner and lifelong Montclair resident Brendan W. Gill said, "the 2021 Montclair Jazz Festival was a magical event that captured the spirit of Montclair’s reputation as a diverse and inclusive community that embraces art and free expression. Essex County was thrilled to support this great event.”

“The fact that the community took an established and popular event and moved it downtown so the benefits would be extended to their small businesses, really impressed our awards jury,” Mercer said.

“In recognizing the Jazz Festival with a Downtown Excellence Award, we hope other communities will see the positive results in Montclair, and begin to rethink their events in similar ways,” Mercer added.

The Montclair Center BID said last year’s festival brought $500,000 to the downtown area.

“This award means so much to us,” said Melissa Walker, founder and president of Jazz House Kids. “The 2021 festival brought us back together again after many personal sacrifices and hardships everyone experienced. Last year's event indeed took a village and required vision, collaboration, execution and trust.”

“Its far-reaching impact touched over 35,000 fans, families, and neighbors and served as an economic driver to local businesses and has now been rebroadcast on SiriusXM Radio, reaching over 1,000,000 people and putting Montclair, New Jersey, on their radar,” Walker added. “This is placemaking at its best.”

The award inspired a wave of congratulations from local community leaders, including:

Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller – “The Montclair Jazz Festival has always been a great draw, bringing in visitors from all parts of the region for some of the best jazz performances in the area and beyond. Last year’s festival was truly special – three months of live jazz concerts in downtown Montclair, with the festival culminating in a grand finale extravaganza right on Bloomfield Avenue in the town center. Jazz House Kids, the Montclair Center BID and BDP Holdings must be lauded for their tremendous efforts organizing the festival. The festival’s Downtown NJ Excellence award is truly well deserved.”

Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill – “Congratulations to Jazz House Kids, Montclair Center BID, and BDP Holdings LLC on receiving the Tools of the Trade Excellence for a Catalyst Event award for the 2021 Montclair Jazz Festival. The festival was a magical event that captured the spirit of Montclair’s reputation as a diverse and inclusive community that embraces art and free expression. Essex County was thrilled to support this great event, and on behalf of my colleagues on the Board of Commissioners and all of Essex County government, I once again offer congratulations to Jazz House Kids, Montclair Center BID, and BDP Holdings LLC on this well-deserved award.”

Robert Jackson, Essex County Administrator and former Montclair Mayor – “This Excellence Award is a tribute to the hard work of Jazz House Kids, the Montclair Center BID and BDP Holdings as well as the partnership of the Township of Montclair and the County of Essex. Among Montclair’s great resources are the energy and dedication of its artists. No wonder that one of the most successful -– if not the most successful—initiatives to recover from the pandemic was led by the joyful sound of live music. I am so pleased that Downtown NJ recognized this transformative celebration of creativity and community.”

Montclair Center BID Executive Director Jason Gleason – “The Montclair Jazz Fest brought in over $500,000 of business to our downtown in a single day. Working together with Jazz House Kids and BDP Holdings as well as the Township of Montclair and Essex County, proved that a vibrant community working together can accomplish great things. It was such a triumphant moment to come out of 18 months of the pandemic to create this extraordinary bit of magic downtown. We are grateful to downtown New Jersey for believing in this event as much as we do.”

David Placek, Managing Partner of BDP Holdings LLC and a presenting sponsor of the Montclair Jazz Festival – “The Montclair Jazz Festival embodies everything that is unique and amazing about Montclair. The event brought some of the world's most extraordinary jazz talent to the streets of Montclair for all to see and hear for free. More than 25,000 people from Montclair and beyond gathered together to enjoy the music, the food and, most of all, each other after many months of being isolated due to the pandemic. If that doesn't say community, I don't know what does. I want to congratulate Melissa Walker, Christian McBride and the whole team from Jazz House Kids and the Montclair Jazz Festival on this well-deserved recognition.”

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