The New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) awarded Matheny − a Somerset County-based hospital and school for people with developmental disabilities − $72,732 for its arts program, according to Matheny.

Arts Access, located in Peapack, is in its 13th year of making art, including music, theater, poetry, painting and more accessible to people who often have “complex” medical needs and limited mobility.

Founded by the Matheny family who wanted better for their son, it also trains health care professionals, educators, and offers a variety of services to people with disabilities such as life skills training, therapy and wheelchair repair. Its participants come from across the state.

Read more here or at at northjersey.com.

July 12, 2023, Peapack, NJ— The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced more than $103 million in recommended grants in the second major grant announcement of fiscal year 2023. Organizations in all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions will carry out arts projects in three NEA funding categories: Grants for Arts Projects, Our Town, and State and Regional Partnerships.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to support a wide range of projects, demonstrating the many ways the arts enrich our lives and contribute to healthy and thriving communities,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “These organizations play an important role in advancing the creative vitality of our nation and helping to ensure that all people can benefit from arts, culture, and design.”

Matheny has received a $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects. Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) is the National Endowment for the Arts’ largest grants program for organizations. Matching grants range from $10,000 to $100,000, and are recommended for organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.  Matheny’s grant will support a multidisciplinary arts showcase featuring original work created by artists with disabilities.

Eileen Murray, Director of the Arts Access Program, said “We are honored and thrilled to have the generous support of the NEA for our Full Circle event. The funds will support our artist with disabilities to display and perform their creative masterpieces. No one understands the power of art better than the NEA, and we are so gratified that they appreciate and acknowledge the impactful art that is being created in Arts Access.”

Full Circle 2023: Reemergence, the Arts Access program’s biennial showcase of its talented artists, takes place on November 4th in the Robert Schonhorn Arts Center on the Matheny campus in Peapack. It consists of professional performers, designers, and curators who work alongside Arts Access artists to help bring their visions to life. Light refreshments will be provided. Desserts are donated by CocoLuxe Fine Pastries in Peapack. To purchase tickets, go to artsaccessprogram.org. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news

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About Matheny’s Arts Access Program: Arts Access, celebrating its 30^th year, gives people with developmental disabilities the tools necessary to create fine art. Assisted by professional artist-facilitators, the artists use specialized systems and methodologies that have been designed to enable individuals across the full spectrum of disability to clearly communicate their ideas. The fruits of their creativity – acrylic paintings, digital art, choreography, poetry, plays, essays and more – are highlighted at Full Circle through a gallery exhibition of visual art followed by a multi-media stage show of dramatic works, staged readings, and choreographed dance.

About the National Endowment for the Arts: Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more about NEA.

On Thursday, October 13th, we were thrilled to be joined up on the hill by parents, supporters, and community members to celebrate 75 years of Matheny magic! It was wonderful to reconnect with old friends, see some new faces, and share both our history and the exciting plans on the horizon.

Thank you for your support! We cannot wait to continue telling the Matheny story – for the next 75 years, and beyond!

If you were able to join us on Thursday, we hope you had as much fun as we did! If you were unable to attend, we hope you enjoy these video and photo highlights!

75th Anniversary Video

75th Anniversary Slideshow

Event Photo Album

Check out our full Miles for Matheny 2022 Photo Album! Thanks to everyone who helped make this wonderful event happen! It was great to gather with our community and supporters.

*All photos by Keith Bratcher. Thank you, Keith!

Did you attend Miles for Matheny 2022? If so, did you stop by for a picture in our special 25th Anniversary picture frame?

Find your photo here, and be on the lookout for even more snapshots from this awesome event next week. Thank you for being there, supporting us, and helping us capture these beautiful moments.

Saturday, June 4th was the 25th Annual Miles for Matheny!

We couldn’t have asked for a better day. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who showed up this weekend to show love and support to our amazing students, patients, and families! For this special Faces of Matheny feature, we are showing you some of our favorite moments from this beautiful Miles celebration. More photos to come later this week.

Special thanks to the Bernardsville News for their coverage, and to CBS 2 News New York and meteorologist John Elliott for their live broadcast from Miles at the Far Hills Fairgrounds! Check out the videos below.

Less than a month until our 25th Annual Miles for Matheny!

This exciting event wouldn’t be possible without sponsorships from families, supporters, and businesses in our community. Please join us in thanking:

• The Lavine and Gordon Families, one of our devoted and enthusiastic Matheny families.
• The Poses Family Foundation, which is dedicated to bringing about significant positive impact in five focus areas, the largest being learning disabilities, through a combination of business disciplines, nonprofit expertise, funding and passion.
• Pfizer, one of the world’s premier biopharmaceutical companies who pursues breakthroughs that change patients’ lives.

Thank you to these incredible people and organizations for supporting us as we work to enrich the lives and nurture the unique abilities of our students and patients.

There’s still time to register! Join us on Saturday, June 4th!

In the spirit of excitement and optimism, you are invited to join us on Saturday, June 4th for the 25th annual Miles for Matheny event.

Miles is an uplifting day that allows our residents to interact with, and be celebrated by, the surrounding community. Especially on this milestone anniversary, this year’s event is sure to be a joyful day for our patients, students, residents, families, and friends. At Miles, absolutely everyone is welcome to participate and free to be themselves.

In 2022, we are planning to hold all events in person and everything will be done with the health and safety of the people we serve in mind. We are hopeful and excited to bring back the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk to the park. The day’s events include 12.5, 25, 35, and 50-mile, and “Hills of Attrition” cycle rides, a 5K Run, Kids Fun Run, and of course the beloved Wheelchair Walk.**

We’re thrilled that this year’s Miles for Matheny will be held at the J. Malcolm Belcher Fairgrounds in Far Hills. It is only fitting that we celebrate our 75th anniversary in the same town where it all began when Matheny was known as the Burnt Mills School for Paralysis Correction. Walter and Marguerite only had a dream and a GI loan of $3,000 to create this amazing organization. Today, Matheny is a comprehensive non-profit organization offering life-saving and life-enriching services that touch the lives of hundreds of people with special needs every day.

Learn more and register today!

In-person exhibit at Somerset County Admin Building

Come support our creative and hard-working Matheny artists at Full Circle, a multi-disciplinary fine arts showcase featuring original work created by the Arts Access artists.

This year, Full Circle is being re-imagined as a virtual event in order to ensure the health and safety of our artists, supporters, and staff. Both our fine art gallery exhibition and a multi-media stage show will be professionally filmed and live-streamed.

Viewers will see and experience acrylic paintings, digital paintings, sculpture, choreography, dramatic works, and staged readings of creative writing.

Join us! Saturday, November 6th

Full Circle 2021: Art from Afar, streaming live at 4:00 pm.

We are always proud to celebrate and share the exceptional work created by the Arts Access artists in the visual, literary, and performing arts. Please join us to see our artists demonstrate their passion and talent!

Tickets here.

September 16, 2021, Peapack, NJ — Matheny has been awarded $62,694.00 in grants from The New Jersey State Council on the Arts. The money is part of more than $35.6 million in grants made by NJSCA to support over  700 of New Jersey’s arts organizations, projects, and artists  and also included $7.5 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds – part of Governor Murphy’s economic recovery efforts.

We want to give a huge thanks to all of the staff, volunteers, donors, and anyone else who made Miles for Matheny possible! It was incredibly fun to gather with our community and celebrate!

We strive to create these memorable events with the spectacular individuals in the Matheny family, and we’re eager to create even more.

We’re looking forward to next year – Miles for Matheny 2022 will be bigger and better!