What is The Artist Certification Board (ACB)?
The Artist Certification Board is essentially an artists’ peer review committee. The purpose of the ACB is to ensure that people who aren’t really artists, and have no need for this kind of space, don’t live in WALDO in the spaces reserved for artists. The Planning Board has ultimate approval of all ACB recommendations.

How will the ACB evaluate an artist for certification?
The ACB will review such things as: slides of work completed in the last five years, reviews, exhibitions, performance announcements, awards, professional organizations and how much space you currently occupy. See the Artist Certification Application.

What qualifies someone to be on the Artist Certification Board?
According to the ordinance: The ACB shall be comprised of persons knowledgeable in the arts. A minimum of three of the five members of the ACB shall be professional artists. The mayor appoints all members of the Board.

How is “artist” defined for the purposes of WALDO?
An artist is: a person regularly engaged in the fine arts as a career and not as a hobby, and is so certified by the Planning Board. This does not mean that the art the artist creates generates the artist’s main source of income, nor does it require that the creation of art occupies the greatest portion of an artist’s day. An artist is committed to his or her work, has a body of work that demonstrates the development of that art and intends to pursue that work for the foreseeable future.

Do designers, architects and commercial artists qualify?
Work done on a commercial or work-for-hire basis must show a substantial element of independent esthetic judgment and must be largely self-directed. 

What about dancers, musicians and actors?
Emphasis is on the “creative” arts as opposed to the “interpretive” or “performing” arts. WALDO is for artists that need a particular kind of space to create their art.

Poets and writers are “creative” artists. Do they qualify?
Yes, but all artists must show a need for large loft space. Artists who can create their work in an ordinary residence do not qualify. This is true independent of discipline and can apply to someone who makes small watercolors, for example. The need for a large open space, along with the manufacturing-like nature of art-making (welding, paint fumes, sawing, etc.), justifies artists living in an industrial zone. If it weren’t for this requirement, ordinance could be open to challenge.

Is there a restriction on how large or small the space must be?
The minimum size of a work/live space must be 900 SF, and at least half of the space must be work space. There are no restrictions on how large the space may be.

Is the subject matter of the art a factor?
To quote the ordinance again: In no event shall the content of the art created be used as a criterion to determine eligibility to occupy work/live space in the WALDO.

Is certification good forever?
No. Re-certification is required every five years. Because of this, artists should not get certified until they need to.

Can artists live anywhere in WALDO if they’re certified?
Certified artists can live in any building that has been brought up to code for residential. It is illegal and unsafe to live in a sub-code building.

Who can I call if I have more questions?
Pro Arts, a Jersey City based visual arts organization, has volunteered to answer, or direct, questions. Call (201) 433-4194.