all about us
Mike Sodano and Nancy Sabino offer an insider’s view on WHY ART in and around their city of Asbury Park NJ MATTERS. Go behind the scenes to learn the secrets of how THIS seaside community – and other similarly populated cities – stay vital.
The couple will look at first-person stories of creative survival and understanding to reveal the conditions that illustrate how the arts thrive, especially in times of financial and global challenges. The ideas that are uncovered will hopefully shine a light on the tools needed to make any city great.
Former owners of popular downtown movie theaters and arts destinations, Mike Sodano and Nancy Sabino will deliver lively analysis, commentary and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes an arts-centric city grow and thrive. Delivered in an entertaining mixed media documentary format, this “best practices” approach will examine the history and process of how the arts become the economic engine of a city by those who have contributed to that success. Where does the common ground intersect between art and city management?
The pandemic shut down arts and commerce throughout the world. Michael and Nancy, sidelined by forces beyond their control, look beyond the isolation of 2020 to peer inside the impact on local arts communities. What happens to the spirit and economy of a city when its entertainment industry is off-line for a year and tourism grinds to a halt? Is resurgence naturally bound to occur and what can help it? How will the community that has been so carefully and lovingly cultivated return to celebrate and patronize the arts that so many depended upon? After a year without, what are audiences seeking now that may be different from what was? Extending beyond the city limits, the hosts will also visit other small to mid-size arts-centric cities to talk with local leaders and visionaries to showcase ways the arts are adapting to help drive economic resurgence.
The arts are said to unleash the best in a healthy community, promoting and supporting its citizens, bringing in fresh thinking and innovation that encourages a city to evolve. Creativity is a hidden treasure in cities – when it is brought to the surface, the rewards should be explored and shared. ArtsRule tells the stories of arts-centric communities and the key ingredients to those successes.
We look forward to sharing what we learn to be a valuable resource for artists and arts-centric cities.