For my research project, I plan to learn more about the Glasstown Arts District in Millville, New Jersey. I would like to focus on the district’s Third Friday events in particular, and incorporate some more general information about the Arts District into the article to flesh it out. I am interested in researching and writing about the Arts District because I used to enjoy going to the Third Friday events when I was in high school. The development of the Arts District has benefited the city by bringing artists and new businesses to the area and providing citizens with a sense of community and social and cultural events. I remember several locations in the Arts District that would make for engrossing, detail-rich descriptions that would pull readers into the writing and would encourage them to visit the Arts District if they haven’t already done so. A discussion of the historic Levoy Theatre, which is in the process of being renovated, would bring attention to an important cause. Reviewing several of the shops and restaurants would appeal to people who are interested in visiting the Arts District. Although I am not sure what specific publication would be interested in the article, I’m sure that either a local publication or a magazine or journal that focuses on attractions in the larger area might be interested in it.
Although the scholarly sources I would use for this project would be limited to more background information, like the effects of creating arts districts in communities in general, I would have plenty of opportunity to gain information through in-person and electronic interviews. I could interview some of the artists, one of the people involved with the Levoy Theatre restoration project, some of the business owners, and even some of the gallery coordinators. Of course, it would also be necessary to attend a couple of Third Friday events in person. Although I don’t know the names of the people I should interview yet, I think many people involved with the Arts District would be willing to help me. If I were to get the article published, even in a local paper, it could encourage more people to attend the events and help the businesses and artists financially.
Although I frequently visited the Arts District in high school, it’s been a few years since I’ve attended a Third Friday, and over a year since I attended any other Arts District events. What I remember is more of the atmosphere, the feeling of excitement and creativity, than any concrete information about the Arts District. I know many things have changed since my last visit; some of the places that I frequented are unfortunately no longer in existence, and I’m sure new galleries and businesses have moved in. Although the topic is not new to me in the sense that I know nothing about it, it is new because what little knowledge I had, through experience, is not really up to date anymore. Because this research would require so much interaction in the form of interviews, and because I don’t know any of the people I would have to interview, this project will challenge me as a writer and as a person. I’m not at all extroverted, but if I am to get the interviews I need to write this article, I will have to go out of my way to track down the best people to interview and convince them that they should make the time to talk to me. Although this topic is local, I feel like it has implications for a much larger audience. Millville is hardly the only city investing in an arts district. Philadelphia is one of the larger ones, but many other, smaller cities like Millville are also investing in the arts. Cities that have already begun this process can learn from reading about the strengths and weaknesses of Millville’s district, and cities who are considering investing in an arts district can decide if it would help their community.
