Annual Newark Arts Festival Will Celebrate ‘Creative Resilience’

NEWARK, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of Newark Arts. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

The Newark Arts Festival (NAF), now in its 20th year, will celebrate “Creative Resilience” as it returns to in-person programming. NAF amplifies the voices of established and emerging Newark artists, gallerists and creative entrepreneurs.

The call for artists will open on July 1, festival organizers announced.

Produced by Newark Arts and FORSA Media Group and powered by the City of Newark, Prudential Foundation and Verizon, NAF will showcase Newark’s arts and culture sector Thursday, October 7 through Sunday, October 10, 2021.

NAF has been twice named New Jersey’s Favorite Visual Arts Festival by JerseyArts.com People’s Choice Awards. Alongside exciting spotlight exhibits and events, both virtual and in-person, NAF will promote concurrent artistic offerings throughout Newark, including media, dance, theatre, poetry and arts education.

“For 20 years, Newark Arts Festival has showcased Newark as one of the most arts-vibrant cities in the U.S. This year’s festival also will be a nod to Newark Arts’ 40th anniversary, celebrating Newark’s rich diversity of community artists who call for social justice and represent cultural voices, especially those of the African and Latino diasporas,” said Regina Barboza, interim executive director at Newark Arts.

"We look forward to this event every year for so many reasons," said City of Newark Arts and Cultural Affairs Director fayemi shakur. "The Newark Arts Festival features the work of hundreds of artists each year adding to the vibrancy of our city. The return to in-person art and cultural events is something we have been waiting for and are excited about."

“Prudential is proud to be a long-time partner of Newark Arts and the Newark Arts Festival,” said Shané Harris, vice president of social responsibility and partnerships at Prudential Financial and president at The Prudential Foundation. “The arts factor into every aspect of the city. The vision of creative resiliency speaks to all cultures and moves us toward a healthy, safe and prosperous recovery.”

For more information, visit NewarkArtsFestival.com.

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