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Friday, November 1, 2019

“The Hacktivator” Brings More Life to Hackensack via Arts and Culture

The Hacktivator

WHEN: Monday, November 4, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.
WHERE:
Atlantic Street Bus Station in Hackensack, New Jersey

The Hacktivator project, a unique live and interactive art installation, opens with The Hacktivator Booth and The Hacktivator Press at the NJ Transit Bus Station. The project's purpose is to gather community input to create an Art Walk at Demarest Place, a unique pedestrian walkway crossing Main Street, between the Atlantic Street bus stop and the Hackensack Performing Arts Center (HACPAC), using arts and culture, lighting, landscaping, seating, events and activities.

Pedestrians interact with The Hacktivator booth by answering a question, What brings you back to life?. Once the answer is submitted into the booth and an active button is pressed, the booth and a sleeping performer awaken and the participant is pleasantly surprised to receive a performance of dance, rap, skit, or another art form.

The Hacktivatoris undertaken in collaboration with these organizations:

• Northern New Jersey Community Foundation's ArtsBergen initiative,

• Hackensack Main Street Business Alliance,

• Hackensack Creative Arts Team (CAT),

• City of Hackensack, and

• Bergen Makerspace.

The project is sponsored by The Hackensack Main Street Business Alliance and hosted by NJ Transit.

The Hackensack CAT is a group of artists, merchants, organizational leaders and public officials collaborating to implement Creative Hackensack, a creative placemaking initiative to make the City of Hackensack an arts destination and a place where the arts thrive. Creative placemaking integrates arts and culture into a neighborhood, town, or region to build community and livability and boost the local economy. 'The Hacktivator' is among several projects CAT identified to implement the Creative Vision Statement developed with input from various members and sectors of the community.

The information collected will be used to develop future art installations reflecting Demarest Place and NJ Transit users' ideas and engage the community about Demarest Place.

Journalists may speak with:

• Albert Dib, Director of Redevelopment, City of Hackensack

• Glenn MacAfee, Executive Director, Greater Bergen County YMCA and  Hackensack Main Street Business Alliance Board Member

• Patrice Foresman, Executive Director, Hackensack Main Street Business  Alliance

• Danielle De Laurentis, Associate Director, Northern New Jersey Community  Foundation

MORE: Additional information about this unique project is provided in an article on the NNJCF's website, http://bit.ly/2PxgQHU