Performing Arts Center Honored

COURT HOUSE – The Middle Township Performing Arts Center was honored recently with a special award for its support of the arts in Cape May County.
The South Jersey Cultural Alliance chose The PAC as its annual honoree for the prestigious Paul Aiken Encore Award. The award was presented at a reception and ceremony at the Landis Theatre in Vineland. The PAC was nominated by Cape May County’s cultural and heritage commission for hosting the county’s annual art receptions and exhibits for several years, including this year, at its facility.
Kay Aspell, managing director of The PAC who accepted the award at the ceremony before many involved in South Jersey’s arts world, said the exhibits have been viewed by thousands of PAC visitors during the years the arts center has hosted them.
The Paul Aiken Encore Award is named in honor of the founder and past president of the South Jersey Cultural Alliance. It was his vision that inspired the founding of the organization and the Encore Awards.
The SJCA is a service organization with one hundred twenty members, representing non-profit arts, historic and cultural organizations. Its mission is to strengthen those areas in the eight counties of South Jersey through collaborative efforts.
The PAC, now in its twentieth year, has the double mission of serving the educational needs of Middle Township and providing cultural programming for all of Cape May County.
The awards event was sponsored by PNC Arts Alive, a five year, $5 million initiative that supports visual and performing arts groups in greater Philadelphia and southern New Jersey with the goal of increasing access to and organization of, the arts.