CREATIVE CONVENINGS

DATE
Tuesday, July 30th

TIME
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

VENUE:
800 Broad Street, Newark, NJ, 07102

Join the Newark Artist Database and Newark Arts’ Creative Convenings on Tuesday, July 30th, at 6 PM for Building Artistic Communities: Networking and Shared Projects! This is our first in-person event, designed to bring the Newark artist community together and highlight local artist-led projects through a Pecha Kucha-styled mixer.

Featured Projects include:

• Abington Walls | Rorshach
• Black Power! 19th Century | Noelle Lorraine Williams
• Newark Youth Printmaking & Research Scholarship | Angela Pilgrim + Alverson Layne
• New Davonhaime Food Bank | Azikiwe Mohammed
• STEAM URBAN | Fallon Davis

Attendees will experience fast-paced presentations of community-based projects, with each presenter showcasing 10 slides at one minute per slide. Afterward, they will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful networking, connections, and discussions. Refreshments will be served.

The event will be held on the first floor at Project for Empty Space’s new gallery at 800 Broad Street, Newark, NJ, 07102. This program is free and open to creatives in the Greater Newark area.

Abington Walls | Rorshach: 

Rorshach (Roberto Ramos Ramone and Andre Leon) are dedicated to impactful neighborhood-led transformation through large-scale murals. Their North Ward initiative, Abington Walls, transforms an entire city block into a city-sanctioned graffiti hub. Established in 2014, the project has revitalized an area once plagued by illegal dumping and negative activity. It now hosts artists, creative programs, and monthly community barbecues during the summer. Abington Walls has become a well-known space for art viewing and convening in the Tri-State area, welcoming thousands to the block.
Learn more at www.rorshachbrand.com

Black Power! 19th Century | Noelle Lorraine Williams:

Noelle Lorraine Williams’ work is at the crossroads of history, culture, and public engagement. Her work illuminates African American visions of liberation over the past three centuries. As a public humanities specialist, historian, artist, researcher, and curator, her multifaceted approach has been recognized by the New York Times, Star-Ledger, and multiple media outlets.

Her ongoing multimedia project, “Black Power! 19th Century,” delves into the influence of 19th-century Black liberation movements on modern culture. Her most recent project is a gallery installation, “Stay: The Black Women of 19th-Century Newark,” at the Newark Museum of Arts’ Ballantine House.
Learn more at www.blackpower19thcentury.com.

The Newark Youth Printmaking & Research Scholarship | Angela Pilgrim + Alverson Layne:

Angela Pilgrim and Alverson Layne together lead the Newark Youth Printmaking & Research Scholarship. This two-month program offers Newark teens an immersive journey into their community’s stories and culture through the dynamic medium of screen printing. The scholarship concludes with a community showcase, where the culmination of the teens’ artistic endeavors becomes a testament to their exploration and celebration of Newark’s vibrant heritage.

Learn more at www.angelapilgrim.com/fruishun-press-studio

New Davonhaime Food Bank | Azikiwe Mohammed: 

Azikiwe Mohammed is an interdisciplinary artist whose work addresses themes of community, history, and social justice. His project, the New Davonhaime Food Bank, is a conceptual art piece that explores the intersections of food security and cultural identity. Azikiwe creates immersive installations that double as food bank environments, prompting viewers to consider issues of access and equity. His work seeks to foster a sense of solidarity and collective responsibility.
Learn more at www.azikiwephoto.com

STEAM URBAN | Fallon Davis: 

Fallon Davis and their initiative STEAM URBAN collaborates with green spaces, schools, and community organizations in Black and Brown areas to provide dynamic and healing programmatic offerings that will begin to eradicate educational disparities, connect and uplift community members, and expand community resources. Working with students of all ages and seeing everyone’s humanity strengthens the community thread and creates brave, collective, and collaborative spaces.
Learn more at www.steamurban.org

About Newark Artist Database:

Newark Artist Database is an online database for Newark-based multidisciplinary visual artists. Newark Artists is a free platform that was developed to highlight and celebrate artists whose creative practices are locally rooted. This database acknowledges the artist’s crucial role in this city. Additionally, it serves as a way to invest in and support our creative community.

The platform includes artist profiles, an arts organization directory, and a continuously updated list of opportunities for creative practitioners. It is powered by Project for Empty Space as an effort to serve the artists and audiences of Newark.