2024 -2025 Newark Artist Accelerator Grant Recipients: Amanda J. Thackray; Ayana Morris; Bentrice Jusu; Drama With A Twist; Eirini Linardaki; Gabe Ribeiro & The Nork! Project; Helina Metaferia; Lina Puerta; and Luisa F. Pinzon Romero & Lisa Conrad.
Grants are awarded in the amounts of $2,500, $5,000, and $7,500. Projects are artist-led, and could include collaborative ventures, pop-up exhibitions, events, and interventions of an ephemeral nature that are radically accessible to public audiences.
This fund was made possible by the generous support of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Regional Regranting Program.
Back 2 the Future: An Intergenerational Arts Program
Drama With A Twist
Artists take elders and youth “Back 2 the Future” in an intergenerational arts program. Newark students from Roberto Clemente Elementary School and Elliott Street Elementary School, as well as adult seniors living with first and mid-stages of Alzheimer’s and dementia, will explore theatre, art, music, photography, and film together with local artists. A culmination session invites participants, students, school administration, and participating artists to celebrate works created during the program.
Blues Hope Flags
Luisa F. Pinzon Romero & Lisa Conrad
Blues Hope Flags is a cyanotype print community art project between Integrity House and artists Luisa F. Pinzon Romero and Lisa Conrad. Hope is the basis upon which all major changes rest. Without the belief that life can get better, recovery wouldn’t be possible. The artists will host a workshop with Integrity House, creating hundreds of cyanotype flags that will later be integrated into an art installation, raising the voices of their makers, community members in recovery, and elevating their visions of hope.
By Way of Revolution Workshop: Newark, NJ
Helina Metaferia
By Way of Revolution is a performance-as-protest workshop for BIPOC femmes that artist Helina Metaferia created as an interdisciplinary traveling project, with iterations conducted nationally since 2018. Metaferia will bring this hands-on event to Newark in conjunction with her upcoming solo exhibition and mural project. She will photograph participants and work with local libraries to source protest archives related to the sitters' identities for mixed-media collages.
Don’t Touch My Hair
Ayana Morris
Don’t Touch My Hair delivers a powerful statement urging society to stop the policing of Black hair. The mobile immersive experience challenges societal perceptions of Black hair and the intricate relationship Black women have with their crowns. This spring, the exhibit will reopen in Newark’s Military Park with a special celebration of Madame Louise Scott, an entrepreneur and leader in the Black beauty space who owned the historic Kreuger-Scott mansion in Newark, NJ, which housed her infamous cosmetology school.
Nork! Photo Fest
Gabe Ribeiro & The Nork! Project
The Nork! Photo Fest is a celebration and commemoration of Newark's past and ongoing contributions to film and photography. In collaboration with Newark City Parks, artists and residents will have a chance to be featured in and view outdoor photography exhibitions in one or more of Newark's public parks.
The Newark Wetlands Project
Amanda J. Thackray
The Newark Wetlands Project is a community-centered collaborative project that reimagines Newark’s past as a marshland while fostering dialogue about ecological preservation and urban resilience. Working with the community throughout, participants will collaboratively grow a layered immersive paper wildscape, creating a dynamic environment that reflects on the city’s natural history and collective creativity.
The Potential Project: Newark
Bentrice Jusu
The Potential Project is a multimedia initiative that uses storytelling, art, and technology to honor the lives lost to and impacted by violence, while fostering community healing and dialogue around the impacts of gun violence and trauma. Through interactive augmented reality experiences and collaboration with local artists, the project aims to empower individuals and elevate the voices of those affected by such tragedies.
The Sewing Circle: Weaving a Community of Care / El Costurero: Tejiendo Comunidad de Cuidado
Lina Puerta
The Sewing Circle: Weaving a Community of Care / El Costurero: Tejiendo Comunidad de Afecto is a bilingual sewing circle designed to foster healing, connection, and empowerment. Through creative sewing practices and reflective dialogue, participants will explore art as a tool for resilience and collective growth. The project will culminate in a celebratory event showcasing the work and stories shared throughout the sessions.
Threads of Resilience: Animated Narratives
Eirini Linardaki
This project is a six-month animation art program for young people from Newark, New York, and Baltimore, focused on environmental resilience. Participants will learn storytelling, drawing, and digital animation from professional artists, creating narratives that reflect their experiences with climate change. The project combines studio visits with artists, skill-building, and creative exploration, empowering youth to use art as a tool for change.