Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Director of the Office of Arts, Cultural Development, and Tourism Gwen Moten announced that Newark is seeking artists to help in reducing violence in Newark through arts and culture, particularly in distressed communities.
The announcement came in the wake of a "Conversation with Mayor Ras J. Baraka," at Newark City Hall, held by the Mayor on December 12, 2014, for Newark artists. The Mayor called the meeting to address the role the arts can also play in Newark's more distressed neighborhood communities. A standing room-only crowd filled the Municipal Council Chambers to hear the Mayor's charge to the arts community.
"To change the city, we need to mobilize the power of culture to enhance life," Mayor Baraka said. "Artists are important for the health of the city. There are different levels of response in how we deal with what's going on. Police strategy is just a piece of the puzzle. The arts are also part of our toolkit. We want to identify properties that could be enlivened by art and drama. Imagine a poetry reading in a laundromat. Or plays in public spaces. We want to bring arts and culture to the areas where families and children need it the most."
In coming weeks, the Office of Arts, Cultural Development and Tourism, working in partnership with the Newark Arts Council, will develop plans, parameters, and guidelines by which artists might gain access to neighborhood opportunities. The City has an Artist Registry at www.ci.newark.nj.us/artists<http://www.ci.newark.nj.us/artists> for artists to indicate their interest. In addition, the City is looking into the conversion of city-owned abandoned properties, particularly in its "Model Neighborhoods" in the South and West Wards, into artist housing.
"We encourage artists to register now, so they can receive notice of how they can be a part of any such city revitalization project," Director Moten said.
"The Mayor's inclusion of the arts community acknowledges the power of the arts to strengthen the cultural, economic, and social fabric of the city. We embrace the challenge of utilizing the arts to transform Newark's communities," said Newark Arts Council Executive Director Linwood Oglesby.
The Mayor, who is a poet in his own right and the son of the famed Newark author and poet Amiri Baraka, was inspired by recent artist poetry jams at places such as "Coffee Cave," downtown. "I want to find spaces for young people to create those kinds of positive events all over the city," Mayor Baraka said. "The City of Newark can't do it alone. It will take the energy and creativity of all of our artists of all ages."
For more information about the process for artist residents to support Newark's neighborhood growth, contact Gwen Moten, executive director of the Office of Arts, Cultural Development, and Tourism, at (973) 733-3599 or at moteng@ci.newark.nj.us<mailto:moteng@ci.newark.nj.us