2025/2026 Program
Project for Empty Space Announces New Public Art Commissions at Newark Grounds
Project for Empty Space and Partners are excited to announce the next phase of art installations at Newark Grounds, expanding its vision for community-centered public art that supports both artists and audiences, and strengthens access to the arts throughout the city.
Earlier this year, a request for proposals invited artists to submit concepts for the Newark Grounds’ footprint, with an emphasis on three-dimensional works for Mulberry Commons Park and new commissions at Project for Empty Space’s hub, 800 Broad Street. Selected by an advisory committee convened by Newark Grounds, these projects respond to the 2025–2026 curatorial theme of “Collective Belonging.”
The upcoming program features seven artists and collectives and five installations whose works embody connection, visibility, and the shared life of Newark’s communities. Ranging from murals to lighting interventions, seating, and public sculpture, the works will not only celebrate Newark’s artist communities and their stories but also contribute to the creation of walkable, welcoming, and safe streetscapes that encourage gathering, dialogue, and shared experience.
By bringing together artists and audiences in accessible public spaces, Newark Grounds continues to define this part of the city as a center for creativity, culture, and community exchange.
These projects are supported by the New Jersey Economic Authority A.R.T Grant, which fueled Project for Empty Space’s 2024 expansion. Thanks to the A.R.T Grant, Project for Empty Space significantly broadened its presence in 2024, opening two new street-level galleries and investing in community initiatives such as the Newark Grounds cultural corridor. This corridor links various public art initiatives on one walkable path and features wayfinding, and both existing and new public artworks, all rooted in community-engaged public practice.
“Governor Phil Murphy’s commitment to the arts and culture sector reflects his deep understanding of its power to drive community development and fuel economic growth. We’re proud to support Project for Empty Space through the A.R.T. Program, and we’re thrilled to see these public art installations energize Downtown Newark- sparking connection, creativity, and increased foot traffic in the heart of the city.”
- Tai Cooper, Chief Community Development Officer at the NJEDA
“I’m so excited about this next phase of Newark Grounds art installations. Public art creates shared experiences and landmarks, sparks dialogue, boosts local economies and tourism, supports artists, and helps define our city’s unique character and history.”
- fayemi shakur, City of Newark Arts & Cultural Affairs Director
“The Newark City Parks Foundation is proud to partner with Newark Grounds in the expansion of our public art program. The downtown parks are the perfect canvas to showcase creativity, reflecting our deep commitment to the city, our artist community, and the collaborative spirit that makes this work possible—giving residents and visitors the opportunity to engage in dialogue with world-class artists.”
- Marcy DePina, Executive Director, Newark City Parks Foundation
Eirini Linardaki | Constellation Bench | Spring 2026
Eirini Linardaki’s Constellation Bench is a star-shaped sculptural bench that doubles as a gathering space—part functional seating, part artwork, and part invitation. Inspired by a moment of searching for a place to picnic with friends, the work responds to the need for welcoming public spaces in Newark. The project references constellations, evoking ancient systems of connection. Each arm extends outward to symbolize the many cultures and stories that converge in Newark, creating a landmark rooted in openness, comfort, and community.
📍Mulberry Commons Park
Damien Davis | Constellation Newark | Summer 2026
Damien Davis will create a luminous freestanding sculpture constructed from water jet–cut aluminum and colored transparent fiberglass. Activated by sunlight, the work shifts throughout the day, merging geometric abstraction with storytelling. While anchoring Mulberry Commons, the modular design also allows for reconfiguration into Newark’s five wards, extending the sculpture’s impact across the city. This dual identity—both fixed and traveling—reflects Newark’s dynamic and interconnected neighborhoods.
📍Mulberry Commons Park
Shoshanna Weinberger | Rooted in Newark | Fall 2026
Shoshanna Weinberger’s Rooted in Newark introduces a series of towering, reflective figures, each standing between eight to ten feet tall. Drawn from a recurring muse in her practice, these mirrored sculptures embody marginalized bodies, ancestral memory, and collective presence. Installed throughout Mulberry Commons, the works rise like trees rooted in place, reflecting passersby, the city skyline, and the shifting light. The refractive surfaces invite Newark residents and visitors alike to see themselves as part of the city’s evolving story.
📍Mulberry Commons Park
Helina Metaferia | By Way of Revolution Mural | 2025
Interdisciplinary artist Helina Metaferia will unveil two murals in October as part of the City of Newark Division of Arts and Cultural Affairs 2025-2026 public art initiative. One of the two will be hosted at 800 Broad St. Drawing from her long-standing project By Way of Revolution, Metaferia hosted a Newark workshop for women-identifying BIPOC participants that explored resilience, protest histories, and strategies for self- and community care. From this session, Newark-born cousins Nashel Brantley and Karla Cruz were selected as the central subjects for the murals. The work interweaves the pairs’ story with local archival materials on BIPOC feminist activism, celebrating Newark’s layered histories while uplifting voices too often overlooked in dominant narratives.
📍Edison Place
Lives in Translation with Gisela Ochoa & Chantal Fischzang | Lighting Installation | Winter 2025-2026
Lives in Translation (LiT), a Rutgers–Newark program housed in the Spanish and Portuguese Department, will collaborate with designers Gisela Ochoa and Chantal Fischzang to create a site-specific lighting installation for 800 Broad Street. LiT pairs multilingual students with community organizations to provide translation, interpretation, and documentation of linguistic diversity. The new work transforms data on the region’s multilingual conversations into a public artwork, celebrating Newark’s polyphonic identity through light, language, and design.
📍Edison Place