Outside, it was arctic.  But inside Holmdel Theatre Company's Duncan Smith Theater, 36 Crawfords Corner Road, it was warm, cozy, and candlelit. About 90 artists and arts representatives sipped hot coffee, laughed, and caught up with friends before the start of the annual meeting of the Monmouth County Arts Council. 

Celebrating its 40th year, the MCAC is an umbrella organization for artists, arts businesses and non-profits, and art enthusiasts which seeks to "enrich the community by inspiring and fostering the arts" according to their newly revamped website.  

Membership has grown over the years as word has gotten out, and anyone with a passion for the arts -- from teens to seniors -- can join. Currently there are about 250 individual members and 75 arts-related organizations, says Executive Director Mary Eileen Fouratt, and membership is growing.

"The strength of this organization is that it brings artists, arts groups, and people like me who have no artistic ability but simply loves the arts and it creates opportunities for collaboration, new projects, and new energy," said Fouratt.  

Members come from a variety of artistic disciplines including the visual arts, photography, dance, music, literary, graphic design, illustration, video, film, and theater.  The scope and diversity of creative expression, particularly as new techniques let artists push boundaries, is ever evolving, said Fouratt.

Two members of the New Jersey Chamber Singers mingled with painters who chatted with actors who exchanged business cards with three-fourths of a barbershop quartet called Atlantic Express. And so it went. 

"You bring all of these people together and extraordinary things can happen," Fouratt said.  "It's predictable in its unpredictability."

And then it was down to business.    

Outgoing board members Anthony Galante and Holly Lyttle were recognized for their service.  The slate of new and returning Executive Board members who will serve the 2012-15 term was presented and voted upon. Warm applause greeted Sarah Fischell, Vaune Peck, Angela Scannella, Toby Shylit-Mack, Gail Van Winkle, and new members Joe Claffey and Harriet Primack.  Mr. Claffey is the head of the Springpoint Living Foundation, the largest provider of senior housing in the state and expects to use his expertise to help assure that seniors have access to high quality, low cost arts events. Mrs. Primack is active in the Red Bank Rotary and other community groups.  

Community Arts Director Danny Tamez, and New Media Manager Tammy Laverty then gave an entertaining workshop on how to navigate the MCAC Facebook page, calendar, blog, and Twitter feed, taking the fear factor out of the latest social media.

Through arts education, special events, salons, grants, awards, the Monmouth County Teen Arts Festival and collaborations with arts organizations throughout New Jersey, MCAC offers more than 2,500 high-quality, inexpensive or free concerts, films, dance and theater productions, musicals, creative writing programs, art exhibitions, and arts education programs to over 700,000 children and adults who live in Monmouth County, according to their website.

Program funding is made possible through the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the County Historical Commission, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment of the Arts. For more information about MCAC or to join, visit monmoutharts.org.