There is no shortage of creativity and culture in the state's largest city.
There is the Newark Museum, which houses art from all over the world and puts on events like the Newark Black Film Festival, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District and over 60 arts organizations, as well as independent artists scattered throughout the city.
Because of that collection, Newark -- as part of the Newark, NJ-PA Metro division, was recently named the ninth most vibrant arts community in the entire country -- according to the SMU National Center for Arts Research and their Arts Vibrancy Index.
"Just a quick train ride away from New York and with affordable housing, Newark is a desirable place for artists to live, as evidenced by the ranking on independent artists per capita in the top 3% of communities," the research concluded.
The research credited organizations such as Newark Arts and the Newark Arts Education Roundtable for creating a welcoming atmosphere for the arts and maintaining a creative culture.
"Newark Arts is dedicated to bringing the transformative power of the arts into the lives of those who live in, work in, and visit Newark through programs, advocacy, promotion, education, and coordination," according to the Arts Vibrancy Index.
The Index examined over 900 communities across the country and looked at how artists and arts organizations, their communities and government funding influences the production and consumption of arts and culture in the community.
"We couldn't be more gratified that the city of Newark is being recognized as a hotbed of America's arts and culture, and that Newark Arts is a driving force behind that recognition," said Newark Arts executive director, Jeremy Johnson, in a blog post.
Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jatmonavageNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook