Newark, NJ
Enhancing an underpass by celebrating local women and girls
The Project
In Newark, New Jersey, the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and the Interstate 280 off-ramp is a major intersection of travel for pedestrians, cyclists, motor vehicles, and those commuting through Broad Street NJ Transit Station. The underpass there was dark and unpleasant, and the goal of an arts intervention was to create a more welcoming and safer passage for people passing through. Project for Empty Space, in collaboration with the City of Newark’s Division of Arts and Culture, and Newark-based artists Armisey Smith and Rachel Fawn Alban, came together to create a community-centered mural, The Golden Life. Through a series of free artmaking workshops in the spring of 2023, the artists engaged 40 local residents to develop the design concept. The resulting mural and audio accompaniment are a powerful and joyful celebration of 13 Newark women, from youth to elders, who live in the neighborhoods surrounding the intersection.
This public art cuts through the sounds of our city and speaks clearer than any sidewalk conversation through its profound, shared experience. It’s fitting that these larger-than-life collages were crafted in artmaking workshops by Newark’s larger-than-life women and girls, who themselves are a living collage of Newark’s spirit.
Ras J. Baraka, Mayor, City of Newark
Joyful stories of women and girls of color are too often left untold and unseen due to systemic racism and other inequalities in our society. As artists, we want to reinforce women’s and girls’ strength, beauty, and purpose through the public lens, where we can effectuate change via public art.
Armisey Smith and Rachel Fawn Alban, Artists
Use the sliders to see the transformation
Press
Mural Created to Showcase Strength, Spiritual Greatness of Newark Women (News 12 New Jersey, March 18, 2024)
These Stunning Murals Are Shouting Out the Influential Women of Newark (New Jersey Family, March 6, 2024)
For inspiration and tips for the creation of art on roadways and public places, download the Bloomberg Associates Asphalt Art Guide which features successful plaza and roadway art activations around the world, as well as key steps for developing such projects.
