Here’s A Sneak Peek At Newark’s New Harriet Tubman Monument

NEWARK, NJ — It’s official: Newark’s new Harriet Tubman monument has a face.

On Thursday, Mayor Ras Baraka announced that artist Nina Cooke John’s design – dubbed “Shadow of a Face” – has been chosen to replace a statue of Christopher Columbus, which was removed last summer in Washington Park (see a video of the design below).

The park and the surrounding area, which includes the Newark Museum of Art and Newark Public Library, will be renamed Tubman Square in honor of the pioneering abolitionist during the summer of 2022, when the new monument will be installed.

• See related article: Monuments To Floyd, Tubman Replace Columbus In Newark

“Nearly one year after our nation’s racial reckoning and just in time for this year’s celebration of Juneteenth, we are proud to announce the design selected for our new Harriet Tubman monument,” Baraka said.

“It is only fitting that we memorialize Tubman’s heroic efforts leading enslaved Africans to freedom via the Underground Railroad at this time of year when we celebrate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States,” Baraka stated.

The mayor said he hopes that John’s work will be a “symbol of hope and optimism” for generations to come, not only for the Newark community, but also for the entire country.

John, the founding principal of Studio Cooke John Architecture and Design, is also a member of the Black Artists + Designers Guild Collective. She was recently named one of Elle Decor's A-List top 100 Designers.

“As a woman, a Black woman, and mother of three girls, I am delighted to bring my memorial for Harriet Tubman to life in Newark,” she said. “My design creates a welcoming space for people to connect with Tubman as well as interact and reflect on their own liberation from whatever weight they might be carrying.”

“This is a monument for the community and by the community,” John emphasized.

John will work with Newark-based artist Adebunmi Gbadebo as an apprentice to assist with research and community engagement throughout the project.

Here’s how city officials described the upcoming monument:

“The circular monument will guide visitors throughout a multisensory experience. Featuring a larger-than-life profile of Harriet Tubman, the work lets visitors connect with her at eye level on a foundational wall where her face will be reflected in a mosaic made of large ceramic pieces. The texture of the mosaic is repeated at different scale on the ground and inner walls. Text throughout the area highlights important dates in Tubman’s life and the names of safe houses throughout New Jersey.”

To select the design for the new monument, the city’s director of arts and cultural affairs, fayemi shakur, spearheaded an open call process last winter. Ultimately, five artists were commissioned to produce conceptual designs for a monument “inspired by the history and legacy of Tubman and the Underground Railroad,” which historians have determined included locations within Newark.

See the five proposed designs here.

In addition to John, the chosen artists included:

• Abigail DeVille: “Harriet’s Bridge”
• Dread Scott: “Keep Going”
• Jules Arthur: “Freedom Train”
• Nina Cooke John: “Shadow of a Face”
• Vinnie Bagwell: “Harriet Tubman on the Road to Freedom”

Community members were invited to provide comments and feedback on the finalist designs, which were taken into consideration by the selection committee, a 14-member jury of art experts, historians and community stakeholders.

“I was thrilled to discover Nina Cooke John’s work through this selection process as it brought a fresh approach to redefining monuments,” said Linda Harrison, CEO and director of the Newark Museum of Art.

“Her commanding monument of Harriet Tubman and the history of the Underground Railroad will spark both reflection and action among Newarkers and visitors to Tubman Square,” Harrison added.

“Through her concept, she’s actively created a place where the community can gather, remember, learn – and even rest,” agreed Salamishah Tillet, a Rutgers University-Newark professor, New York Times critic and juror who served on the selection committee.

“Such spaces are rare and necessary now more than ever,” Tillet said.

Newark residents who would like their family names or organizations to be a part of this historic project can donate and have their names included in the design process. Donations will be administered by Newark Arts, the city's local arts agency and fiscal sponsor on this project. To donate, visit NewarkArts.org.

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