Johnson & Johnson
New Brunswick, New Jersey
 
Bestowed 2001

Johnson & Johnson has supported the arts since it was founded in 1886. The arts are a key element in the company's long-standing commitment to improve the quality of life in its operating communities throughout the world, and are often integrated into initiatives that address healthcare issues.

Johnson & Johnson has benefited the arts, business and the community by:

• Supplying, through its divisions Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical and Janssen Pharmaceutica, fungicides and training for Chinese archaeologists to restore and preserve one of the world's greatest treasures — more than 8,000 terracotta soldiers discovered in 1974 in the grave of the first Chinese emperor on the outskirts of the city of Xi'an, China.
• Helping hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation and health care centers bring the visual arts into their facilities by creating Society for the Arts in Healthcare. The initiative enabled these organizations to request support to begin an art program, expand an existing one or replicate a model that worked elsewhere.
• Commissioning I.M. Pei & Partners to design Johnson & Johnson's world headquarters in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
• Providing grants, in-kind services and employee volunteer assistance consistently to nearly all the arts organizations in the New Brunswick area. The company is also a leader in the revitalization of downtown Newark, New Jersey, and has provided substantial support to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, major components of the revitalization of the city.
• Spearheading the development of the New Brunswick Cultural Center, which includes the George Street Playhouse, Crossroads Theater Company and the State Theater. The Center has been key to attracting restaurant, retail and other businesses to New Brunswick, New Jersey and ultimately to the city's economic development.
• Underwriting the PBS special, “AMERICAN DREAM: Andrea Bocelli's Statue of Liberty Concert” featuring the artist performing with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey.
• Donating through its subsidiary Neutrogena, a collection of ancient textiles, masks and tribal arts to The Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Students attending Los Angeles, California and Albuquerque, New Mexico public schools were invited to create masks inspired by the exhibition that were then put on view in the museum.
• Supporting Special Eyes on the Environment, which provides creative experiences through photography for children with multiple disabilities. The company also partners with National Art Exhibitions by the Mentally Ill, Inc. to preserve and exhibit art created by mentally disabled artists.
• Providing support for The Artist as Catalyst, a pilot program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, designed to revitalize neighborhoods by placing artists in four New Jersey communities to work with residents and create large-scale public art work.
• Establishing its Corporate Art Program in 1983 to forge relationships with local, regional and state cultural institutions, and to bring art into the workplace. This program includes more than 3,000 works of art, a quarterly newsletter informing employees about upcoming exhibitions and special arts programs, and a guide to area museums and cultural institutions.
• Incorporating the visual and performing arts into the programs of Johnson & Johnson's Child Development Center, established in 1990, for the children of its employees. The programs include a reading initiative that introduces children to original book illustrations on loan from the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
• Allocating approximately 9% of its philanthropic resources to the arts and matching employee gifts to arts and cultural organizations on a two-to-one basis. In 2000, the company provided $1,259,000 in matching gifts. Employees also serve on the boards of national, state and local cultural organizations.