Newark Grounds is a walkable cultural corridor in Downtown Newark, New Jersey, featuring over 75 consecutive public artworks and dedicated arts and culture spaces. Led by Project for Empty Space, this initiative is a collaboration with the City of Newark Division of Art and Cultural Affairs, the City of Newark Arts and Education District, the Newark City Parks Foundation, the Newark Alliance, the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau, Newark Arts, the Four Corners Public Arts Partnership, and the Rutgers University-Newark Design Consortium. The project connects Newark Penn Station to Teachers Village through a walkable arts path.

The initiative bridges public art projects from Four Corners Public Arts, Project for Empty Space, and Gateways to Newark: Portraits, along with selected works from New Jersey Transit’s public art program at Newark Penn Station. It is strategically situated within the Arts and Education District, established by Mayor Ras J. Baraka in Fall 2022.

Over the next two years, the project will expand public arts programming by enhancing existing spaces with murals, installations, sculptures, performances, streetscape improvements, wayfinding signage, lighting, and cultural activities.

The first phase of opportunities is now open, with proposal submissions due by May 16, 2025.  Project briefs are available here, and submissions can be made through Submittable.

Creatives nationwide are invited to submit proposals for new public art installations that highlight the mission of Newark Grounds by exploring themes of Collective Belonging and Centering Community through the Arts. The cultural corridor is a space where public art shares the voices, histories, and connections that define our community. We welcome proposals from artists of all disciplines whose work creates dialogue, unity, and shared cultural experiences.

Visual arts opportunities include a mixed-media light installation at the entryway of Edison Place and Broad Street. This piece will serve as a welcoming sign for the arts path while improving walkability for visitors seeking cultural experiences. At the heart of the corridor, a gravel landing will host rotating 3-dimensional installations. Beginning this fall and running through 2026, the project offers three four-month opportunities, each shaped by community engagement and public programming.

Additionally, the initiative will launch Newark Grounds Night Fest, a biannual mini-festival in partnership with the Newark City Parks Foundation. Designed to activate the newly established cultural corridor, the festival will take place in the lower section of Mulberry Commons Park, adjacent to the Prudential Center. It will feature a performance stage, a curated market, and a picnic area for community gatherings. Opportunities for Performers and Vendors are now available. 

The Newark Grounds program is proudly supported by our partners and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s A.R.T. Grant. Explore Newark Grounds at your own pace using the program map—available through the Bloomberg Connects app.

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Applicant Eligibility

• This public art commission is open to individual artists, artist collectives, and arts organizations who are residents of the United States or U.S. territories. Applicants must demonstrate a strong record of completed public art projects, site-specific installations, or other relevant professional experience.
• Individual applicants must be at least 18 years of age. Collectives and organizations must designate a lead artist or representative. Arts organizations must be legally recognized entities, such as nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations or registered businesses.
• Selected applicants must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including permitting and contractual requirements. Employees of the commissioning agency and members of the selection panel, as well as their immediate family members, are not eligible to apply.
• All applicants must demonstrate the capacity to successfully execute a project of this scale within the defined timeline and budget. The commissioning entity reserves the right to verify eligibility at any point during the selection process.

Newark Grounds is a walkable cultural corridor in Downtown Newark, New Jersey, featuring over 75 consecutive public artworks and dedicated arts and culture spaces. Led by Project for Empty Space, this initiative is a collaboration with the City of Newark Division of Art and Cultural Affairs, the City of Newark Arts and Education District, the Newark City Parks Foundation, the Newark Alliance, the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau, Newark Arts, the Four Corners Public Arts Partnership, and the Rutgers University-Newark Design Consortium. The project connects Newark Penn Station to Teachers Village through a walkable arts path.

The initiative bridges public art projects from Four Corners Public Arts, Project for Empty Space, and Gateways to Newark: Portraits, along with selected works from New Jersey Transit’s public art program at Newark Penn Station. It is strategically situated within the Arts and Education District, established by Mayor Ras J. Baraka in Fall 2022.

Over the next two years, the project will expand public arts programming by enhancing existing spaces with murals, installations, sculptures, performances, streetscape improvements, wayfinding signage, lighting, and cultural activities.

The first phase of opportunities is now open, with proposal submissions due by May 16, 2025. Project briefs are available here, and submissions can be made through Submittable.

Creatives nationwide are invited to submit proposals for new public art installations that highlight the mission of Newark Grounds by exploring themes of Collective Belonging and Centering Community through the Arts. The cultural corridor is a space where public art shares the voices, histories, and connections that define our community. We welcome proposals from artists of all disciplines whose work creates dialogue, unity, and shared cultural experiences.

Visual arts opportunities include a mixed-media light installation at the entryway of Edison Place and Broad Street. This piece will serve as a welcoming sign for the arts path while improving walkability for visitors seeking cultural experiences. At the heart of the corridor, a gravel landing will host rotating 3-dimensional installations. Beginning this fall and running through 2026, the project offers three four-month opportunities, each shaped by community engagement and public programming.

Additionally, the initiative will launch Newark Grounds Night Fest, a biannual mini-festival in partnership with the Newark City Parks Foundation. Designed to activate the newly established cultural corridor, the festival will take place in the lower section of Mulberry Commons Park, adjacent to the Prudential Center. It will feature a performance stage, a curated market, and a picnic area for community gatherings. Opportunities for Performers and Vendors are now available. 

The Newark Grounds program is proudly supported by our partners and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s A.R.T. Grant. Explore Newark Grounds at your own pace using the program map—available through the Bloomberg Connects app.

---- 

Applicant Eligibility

• This public art commission is open to individual artists, artist collectives, and arts organizations who are residents of the United States or U.S. territories. Applicants must demonstrate a strong record of completed public art projects, site-specific installations, or other relevant professional experience.
• Individual applicants must be at least 18 years of age. Collectives and organizations must designate a lead artist or representative. Arts organizations must be legally recognized entities, such as nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations or registered businesses.
• Selected applicants must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including permitting and contractual requirements. Employees of the commissioning agency and members of the selection panel, as well as their immediate family members, are not eligible to apply.
• All applicants must demonstrate the capacity to successfully execute a project of this scale within the defined timeline and budget. The commissioning entity reserves the right to verify eligibility at any point during the selection process.

Newark Grounds is a walkable cultural corridor in Downtown Newark, New Jersey, featuring over 75 consecutive public artworks and dedicated arts and culture spaces. Led by Project for Empty Space, this initiative is a collaboration with the City of Newark Division of Art and Cultural Affairs, the City of Newark Arts and Education District, the Newark City Parks Foundation, the Newark Alliance, the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau, Newark Arts, the Four Corners Public Arts Partnership, and the Rutgers University-Newark Design Consortium. The project connects Newark Penn Station to Teachers Village through a walkable arts path.

The initiative bridges public art projects from Four Corners Public Arts, Project for Empty Space, and Gateways to Newark: Portraits, along with selected works from New Jersey Transit’s public art program at Newark Penn Station. It is strategically situated within the Arts and Education District, established by Mayor Ras J. Baraka in Fall 2022.

Over the next two years, the project will expand public arts programming by enhancing existing spaces with murals, installations, sculptures, performances, streetscape improvements, wayfinding signage, lighting, and cultural activities.

The first phase of opportunities is now open, with proposal submissions due by May 16, 2025.  Project briefs are available here, and submissions can be made through Submittable.

Creatives are invited to submit proposals for new public art installations that highlight the mission of Newark Grounds by exploring themes of Collective Belonging and Centering Community through the Arts. The cultural corridor is a space where public art shares the voices, histories, and connections that define our community. We welcome proposals from artists of all disciplines whose work creates dialogue, unity, and shared cultural experiences.

Visual arts opportunities include a mixed-media light installation at the entryway of Edison Place and Broad Street. This piece will serve as a welcoming sign for the arts path while improving walkability for visitors seeking cultural experiences. At the heart of the corridor, a gravel landing will host rotating 3-dimensional installations. Beginning this fall and running through 2026, the project offers three four-month opportunities, each shaped by community engagement and public programming.

Additionally, the initiative will launch Newark Grounds Night Fest, a biannual mini-festival in partnership with the Newark City Parks Foundation. Designed to activate the newly established cultural corridor, the festival will take place in the lower section of Mulberry Commons Park, adjacent to the Prudential Center. It will feature a performance stage, a curated market, and a picnic area for community gatherings. Opportunities for Performers and Vendors are now available. 

The Newark Grounds program is proudly supported by our partners and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s A.R.T. Grant. Explore Newark Grounds at your own pace using the program map—available for download here or through the Bloomberg Connects app.

Newark Grounds is a walkable cultural corridor in Downtown Newark, New Jersey, featuring over 75 consecutive public artworks and dedicated arts and culture spaces. Led by Project for Empty Space, this initiative is a collaboration with the City of Newark Division of Art and Cultural Affairs, the City of Newark Arts and Education District, the Newark City Parks Foundation, the Newark Alliance, the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau, Newark Arts, the Four Corners Public Arts Partnership, and the Rutgers University-Newark Design Consortium. The project connects Newark Penn Station to Teachers Village through a walkable arts path.

The initiative bridges public art projects from Four Corners Public Arts, Project for Empty Space, and Gateways to Newark: Portraits, along with selected works from New Jersey Transit’s public art program at Newark Penn Station. It is strategically situated within the Arts and Education District, established by Mayor Ras J. Baraka in Fall 2022.

Over the next two years, the project will expand public arts programming by enhancing existing spaces with murals, installations, sculptures, performances, streetscape improvements, wayfinding signage, lighting, and cultural activities.

The first phase of opportunities is now open, with proposal submissions due by May 16, 2025.  Project briefs are available here, and submissions can be made through Submittable.

Creatives are invited to submit proposals for new public art installations that highlight the mission of Newark Grounds by exploring themes of Collective Belonging and Centering Community through the Arts. The cultural corridor is a space where public art shares the voices, histories, and connections that define our community. We welcome proposals from artists of all disciplines whose work creates dialogue, unity, and shared cultural experiences.

Visual arts opportunities include a mixed-media light installation at the entryway of Edison Place and Broad Street. This piece will serve as a welcoming sign for the arts path while improving walkability for visitors seeking cultural experiences. At the heart of the corridor, a gravel landing will host rotating 3-dimensional installations. Beginning this fall and running through 2026, the project offers three four-month opportunities, each shaped by community engagement and public programming.

Additionally, the initiative will launch Newark Grounds Night Fest, a biannual mini-festival in partnership with the Newark City Parks Foundation. Designed to activate the newly established cultural corridor, the festival will take place in the lower section of Mulberry Commons Park, adjacent to the Prudential Center. It will feature a performance stage, a curated market, and a picnic area for community gatherings. Opportunities for Performers and Vendors are now available. 

The Newark Grounds program is proudly supported by our partners and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s A.R.T. Grant. Explore Newark Grounds at your own pace using the program map—available for download here or through the Bloomberg Connects app.

The Body Freedom Digital Space includes an extensive artist database, tour archives, and opportunities for community building. In an effort to expand intersecting communities and conversions, we are excited to open the database submissions portal!

BODY FREEDOM FOR EVERY(BODY) is not only an exhibition but a cultural movement around bodily autonomy, freedom of expression, and community building. This work happens both in physical space and also in the digital realm. Our hope with the Body Freedom Database is to build community by sharing artwork of any discipline (visual art, poetry, essays, music, dance, film, etc) and letting that artwork prompt conversation and camaraderie. 

In addition to articulating the realities that we face now, this database also serves as an archive of this moment. Our goal is to create a space that we can use as a point of convening and solace, and also a time capsule that we may reflect back upon as we move forward.

Our time on the road has proven to address, confront, and educate about the critical issues affecting us—issues of healthcare, identity, and the inherent right to choose for oneself. 

We chose this moment to launch the digital space because we believe that community, advocacy, and art are always relevant and always urgent. Through cultural production, we create new modes of safety and solace. And we do this through every avenue at our disposal, from physical to digital.

We invite you to contribute your voice and your vision. We invite artists across all mediums who are passionate about using their art to challenge, educate, and provoke dialogue on bodily autonomy and identity.

www.bodyfreedomforeverybody.org

The PES Studio Member Program is a home for culture makers. It houses over 40 artist studios and shared spaces for creative professionals. But it is far more than space: it is community. The purpose of the PES program is to cultivate a multidisciplinary, supportive artist community. A diverse array of studio practices enhance and inspire our members but also lead to a wider audience of patrons, collectors, clients, and enthusiasts from all different areas.

PES Studio Members are part of a growing studio community. In the next year, PES’ studio footprint will grow, and we want to hear from you on the needs of our local creative community.

Please take a moment to fill out this survey so we can continue to improve how we serve artists.