Report To The Community 2022

ArtsXChange sites throughout
the city, each co-piloted by
an established community
organization that will offer
programming produced in
partnership with NJPAC.
Another way the Arts Center
will impact neighborhoods
is through a new Arts and
Well-Being programming
vertical which acknowledges
the physical and mental
health benefits of engaging
with the arts. New programs
for the public are being
developed at the intersection
of arts and health.
As the groundwork is laid for
this expansion, NJPAC already
boasts one of the most robust
Community Engagement
departments in the country and
has become a model for such
programs at peer institutions.
“The work we do is replicable,
and it serves as best practices,”
says Marable. “Our partners
see us as an anchor institution
in the state of New Jersey,
but we’re really a national
anchor institution.”
The Arts Center’s national
leadership was on display
in September, when NJPAC
and Lincoln Center hosted
the second annual Education
and Community Engagement
Conference. A program of the
national Performing Arts Center
Consortium, the conference
attracted 38 participants
from 22 arts centers across
the country. Over three days,
they discussed the impact of
arts education and community
engagement on the industry,
and also learned about NJPAC’s
deep roster of community
programming offerings such
as Books On the Move — a
series of interactive readings
about artists of color held at
community centers and libraries,
led by NJPAC teaching artists.
Conference-goers also learned
how NJPAC’s Community
Engagement keeps live, free
music playing year-round
with programs like the wildly
popular Horizon Foundation
Sounds of the City (on Thursday
evenings in July and August)
and monthly Jazz Jams
at Clement’s Place on the
“With one of the most robust Community
Engagement departments in the country,
NJPAC has become a model for peer
institutions. The work we do is replicable,
and serves as best practices.”
— Eyesha Marable
Events included Dance In Our Community
hosted by Akwaaba Gallery and Books on
the Move at the Newark Public Library. An
April performance of Urban Bush Women’s
dance-theater work, Hair & Other Stories,
was followed by a surprise runway show
where audience members were invited to
walk the red carpet through NJPAC’s lobby.
Rutgers University-Newark
campus, where novice and
seasoned jazz artists improvise
with a professional band.
Also notable during 2022
was the return of Community
Engagement’s pre-concert
“prelude” events and a variety
of post-performance offerings,
that create unique experiences
for ticket holders. One great
example: In April, Urban Bush
Women performed Hair & Other
Stories, their dance-theater
work that explores race, identity
and beauty through the lens
of Black women’s hair. The
performance was preceded by
a panel discussion and was
followed by a surprise runway
show where audience members
were invited to walk the red
carpet through NJPAC’s lobby.
“We celebrated the short, the
long, the gray, the curly and
the cute of every culture and
person,” says Marable. “We
created a platform to celebrate
the essence of each individual.”
Summer 2022 also featured
the return of Summer Fun in
the Park. From July through
September, in collaboration
with the Newark City Parks
Foundation, NJPAC’s Community
Engagement department led
the team that produced live
music and dance events in
five downtown Newark parks.
More than 75 events were
held, reaching thousands
of community members.
With programs both on and
off the Arts Center’s campus,
the goal of Community
Engagement’s work is to
ensure that the arts are
accessible to everyone, from
preschoolers to elders.
“We want to make sure
people know that we care
enough to bring the arts out
to them,” says Marable. “We
want their lives to shine.” •
bringing it
home
A new partnership in Newark’s
South Ward makes arts accessible
This was a foundationbuilding
year for an exciting
new Community Engagement
initiative. NJPAC is deepening
its reach and bringing its
productions to Newark
residents through the
creation of neighborhood
hubs throughout the city.
“We want people to know
that NJPAC is their home, that
we’re going to bring the arts to
them,” says Eyesha Marable,
Assistant Vice President,
Community Engagement.
“People can participate
whichever way they like —
whether that’s inside or outside
of our downtown location.”
The first site for this program,
known as ArtsXChange,
will be piloted in the spring
of 2023 in the South Ward’s
Clinton Hill neighborhood.
In cooperation with local
partner organizations — in this
case, Clinton Hill Community
Action (CHCA) — arts and
culture programming will be
workshopped, produced and
executed by residents with
the support of NJPAC staff.
“Partnering with NJPAC is the
perfect way to showcase talent
and nurture the creativity of
all our neighbors in the South
Ward,” says Khaatim Sherrer El,
Executive Director of CHCA.
“We’re proud of the history and
culture of our neighborhood
and strive to weave the arts
into everything we do.”
CHCA is a nonprofit, community
development group that
advocates for affordable
housing, food security,
economic empowerment
and environmental justice.
NJPAC is partnering with
Clinton Hill Community
Action, a nonprofit in the city’s
South Ward, to launch its first
ArtsXChange initiative.
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