Among the initiatives are a program promoting cultural tourism and efforts to revive urban centers with arts districts. Through their efforts, South Jersey's cultural institutions are attracting recognition and drawing financial backing. In the last year, a series of cultural summits have focused attention on the arts and provided a blueprint for the future. The April summit showed how the arts can play a crucial role in community and economic development. Millville is already using the arts to redevelop the city's historic downtown area by creating the Glasstown Center Arts District.
Plans are also under way to create arts districts in Camden and Atlantic City.
The region boasts a number of historical sites and preservation societies dedicated to preserving South Jersey's cultural traditions. They range from the Powhatan Renape Nation in Westampton and the Alice Paul Centennial Foundation in Mount Laurel to the Delaware Bay Lighthouse Keepers in Buena and the Ocean County Historical Society in Toms River. South Jersey's cultural life is marked by its diversity. Down at the Shore, the arts have a year-round presence. Shore arts groups expand their activities during the summer season with outdoor art exhibits, music festivals and theater performances.