NJPAC To Commission Thirteen New Public Artworks For Its Redeveloped Newark Campus
New initiative will invite proposals for site-specific works across the 12-acre arts district.
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center will commission thirteen new public artworks as part of its campus redevelopment in Newark’s downtown Arts and Education District.
The project, titled Stories in Sound, Movement and Community, will be integrated across the ArtSide residential and retail complex, the Cooperman Family Arts Education and Community Center, and additional interior and exterior locations throughout the 12-acre campus. NJPAC released a Request for Proposals in partnership with Project for Empty Space and design firm WeShouldDoItAll, outlining the themes and criteria for the commissioned works.
The initiative will focus on narratives drawn from Newark’s communities, reflecting perspectives gathered through public meetings, surveys and roundtables. Each commission will be site-specific and will explore Newark’s identity through music, movement, spoken word and performance, aligning with NJPAC’s mission to bring communities together through the arts. The program will invite submissions from artists who live or work within NJPAC’s core audience regions in Newark, New Jersey and the greater New York area.
Mayor Ras J. Baraka noted Newark’s longstanding commitment to the arts, referencing the city’s placement on the 2024 Arts Vibrancy Index. NJPAC President and CEO John Schreiber emphasized the role of visual art within the Center’s redevelopment, including the incorporation of designated architectural spaces for future installations. Project for Empty Space Co-Directors Jasmine Wahi and Rebecca Pauline Jampol underscored the program’s community-driven approach and its potential impact on Newark’s public art landscape.
DEADLINES & TIMELINE
A virtual information session for artists will take place on December 10, 2025, at 3 p.m. Proposals will be due January 19, 2026. Selected works will be installed beginning in summer 2026, with additional installations continuing through winter 2027.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Full project briefs and submission details are available at: njpac.org/publicart
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