Public-private partnership art project to bring life to Newark’s Downtown District

In an effort to advocate for impact-driven public art initiatives a public-private partnership between RBH Group and Newark-based Paramount Assets, along with the City of Newark via the Newark Community Economic Development Corp. (NCEDC), Newark Downtown District (NDD) and Newark Arts, has developed a collaborative endeavor called Four Corners Public Arts.

The initiative’s first phase, taking place in fall 2019, will use murals to bring to life more than 20 facades and surfaces on Treat Place and Beaver Street in the city’s Downtown District.

The partnership evolved out of a common interest to renew blighted areas of Newark through the arts with the goal of cultivating communal space for everyone.

“RBH Group is excited to participate in this creative partnership in support of the public arts in downtown Newark. As longtime stakeholders we look forward to activating Treat Place and Beaver Street with murals painted by local and national talent that are invested in the Newark art scene,” said Linda Morgan, vice president of project partnerships and external affairs at Newark-based RBH Group.

Richard Dunn, senior vice-president of Paramount Assets said, “The arts are a fundamental component of transforming communities. As a company headquartered in Newark, we are firmly entrenched in the community and are honored to collaborate on an amazing initiative that inspires creativity and promotes the City as a vibrant cultural destination.”

The initiative is also designed to mitigate growing pains associated with development in progress, or construction zones.

At a time when Newark is undergoing a marked transformation, the partnership believes it has become imperative to create opportunities that strengthen the local creative community.

“Newark Arts is thrilled to support this partnership to produce vibrant public art in and around the Four Corners downtown district,” said Jeremy Johnson, executive director of Newark Arts. “Artists, residents and businesses alike will benefit from this public-private investment to uphold Newark’s identity as a city of the arts.”

A request for mural proposals is open to the public through Sept. 3. Artists are invited to propose concepts centered around the histories of these activation sites.

The project will be curated and managed by Rebecca Pauline Jampol, co-director of Project for Empty Space, as well as an advisory group of local arts professionals and community members.