For 25 years, the Newark Arts Festival has created space for artists to be seen, celebrated and experienced. This year, we asked: What is the purpose that propels you to create?
On Purpose: The 25th Anniversary Exhibition brings together over 70 artists whose work responds to that question in distinctly personal ways. Across disciplines, perspectives and practices, the exhibition considers the ideas, experiences, identities and convictions that move artists beyond inspiration and into the act of making.
Presented by Newark Arts Council in collaboration with Express Newark, On Purpose reflects both the breadth of contemporary artistic practice and the creative community that has shaped the Newark Arts Festival over the last quarter century. Together, these artists offer no single definition of purpose. Instead, their work reveals purpose as something lived, questioned, discovered and continually made.
Join us in celebrating 25 years of the Newark Arts Festival and the artists who continue to give us new ways to see ourselves, our city and the world around us.
Artists
- Jabril Abdullah-Davis
- Judyann Affronti
- Happiness Akaniro
- Charity Derby Akeiti
- Rachel Fawn Alban
- Luis Alves
- Tetteh Anansi
- Kervin Andre
- Gregg Banks
- Yasmine Barboza
- Josephine Barreiro
- Tanisha Best (Dear Newark)
- Grei Booker
- Tasha Branham
- Cathleen McCoy Bristol
- Allison V Brown
- Simone Bailey Campbell
- Stella Chang
- Sandra Charlap
- Kris Charlery
- Caren King Choi
- April Cooper
- Victor L Davson
- Joan Diamond
- Chima Dennis Dike
- Margaret El
- Giovanna Eley
- Antoinette Ellis-Williams
- Maria Luis Estrela
- Saniyah Fareed-Nobles
- Claryssa Forde
- Ricardo Osmondo Francis
- Rashid Gaines
- Sumana Ghosh-Witherspoon
- Juan Carlos Giraldo-Penagos
- Jaz Graf
- Serron Green
- Alexander Guzman
- Manman Huang
- David James
- Veda Kagabo
- Emily Konopinski
- Aaliyah Lambert
- Cecilia Lamptey-Botchway
- Gabrielle Lansner
- Laura Lou Levy
- Sue Ellen Leys
- Tina Maneca
- Beau McCall
- Devin Monét
- Kween Moore
- Collin Mura-smith
- Mansa K. Mussa
- paulA neves
- Kelly Niceley
- Modupe Odusote
- Tolu Olasoji
- Pam Owens
- Oscar Peterson
- Ron EA Powell
- Lillian Ribeiro
- Robert Richardson
- Ameerah Shabazz
- Sindy Snchz
- Onnie Strother
- Eesha Suntai
- Orchird Sylvester
- Amanda J Thackray
- Nette Forné Thomas
- Vazquez
- Heather Williams
- Gwen Yip
- Juno Zago
The 25th Newark Arts Festival is powered by Newark Arts Council and supported by: Prudential, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, City of Newark, Newark Arts and Education District, Newark Alliance, Hanini Group, Express Newark, The Newark Museum of Art, NJPAC, Russo Development, Edison Properties, Newark City Parks Foundation, Arts Ed Newark and Newark Public Schools.
