(NEWARK, NJ) -- A public-private partnership between real estate developer RBH Group and real estate investment firm Paramount Assets, along with the City of Newark via the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation (NCEDC), the Newark Downtown District (NDD) and Newark Arts have developed a collaborative endeavor called Four Corners Public Arts. The effort will advocate for impact-driven, public art initiatives in and surrounding Broad and Market streets. A request for mural proposals is presently open to the public until September 3rd, 2019.
The initiative’s first phase, taking place in Fall 2019, will use murals to bring to life more than 20 facades and surfaces on Treat Place and Beaver Street in the City’s bustling Downtown District.
“RBH Group is excited to participate in this creative partnership in support of the public arts in downtown Newark. As longtime stakeholders we look forward to activating Treat Place and Beaver Street with murals painted by local and national talent that are invested in the Newark art scene,” said Linda Morgan, vice-president of project partnerships and external affairs at RBH Group.
Richard Dunn, senior vice-president of Paramount Assets, agrees. “The arts are a fundamental component of transforming communities,” he said. “As a company headquartered in Newark, we are firmly entrenched in the community and are honored to collaborate on an amazing initiative that inspires creativity and promotes the City as a vibrant cultural destination.”
The partnership evolved out of a common interest to renew blighted areas of the City through the arts, with the goal of cultivating creative communal space for everyone. The initiative also is designed to mitigate the growing pains associated with development in progress, or construction zones. At a time when Newark is undergoing a marked transformation, the partnership believes it has become imperative to create opportunities that strengthen the local creative community.
“Newark Arts is thrilled to support this partnership to produce vibrant public art in and around the Four Corners downtown district,” said Jeremy Johnson, executive director of Newark Arts. “Artists, residents and businesses alike will benefit from this public-private investment to uphold Newark's identity as a City of the arts.”
A request for mural proposals is open to the public through September 3. Artists are invited to propose concepts centered around the histories of these activation sites. RFP details and submission portal can be accessed at fourcornerspublicarts.org. The project will be curated and managed by Rebecca Pauline Jampol, co-director of Project for Empty Space, as well as an advisory group of local arts professionals and community members.
The project is funded via public and private contributions, an effort organized by the NCEDC. “As the economic development catalyst on behalf of the City of Newark, the NCEDC strives to drive bold activities into commercial corridors for small businesses throughout all neighborhoods. The Mayor desires to create a thriving, vibrant and inclusive city whereby all benefit from the renaissance currently being experienced by the culture, art and redevelopment that increases the City's greatness,” concluded Franklyn Ore, senior vice president of real estate development.
RBH Group is located in downtown Newark. RBH Group, LLC and its sister companies RBH Project and RBH Management (“RBH”), offer full-service real estate financing, development and management services to foster urban redevelopment in Opportunity Zones nationwide. RBH deploys in-house expertise that includes project financing, master planning, predevelopment, project/construction management, owner’s rep services, and project execution. RBH brings a wealth of experience and focused attention to addressing a full range of real estate needs RBH developed the Teachers Village Project, the Aerofarms project, Rutgers-Newark’s Honors Living-Learning Community, and is currently developing the Four Corners Millennium Project in the historic Four Corners area of downtown Newark. RBH opened its second Teachers Village project in Hartford in May 2019, and is planning future Teachers Village projects in Chicago, Atlanta and Baltimore, among other cities.
Newark Arts’ mission is to power the arts to transform the lives of those who work, live and play in the great city of Newark, New Jersey. Established in 1981, Newark Arts advances and expands the resources and offerings of arts and cultural organizations in the great city of Newark, New Jersey. Newark Arts provides leadership, direction, and technical assistance through partnerships with artists, arts administrators, community organizations, community development corporations, planning groups, economic development agencies, and government agencies as well as the general public.
Newark Downtown District is dedicated to revitalizing downtown Newark by improving the economic viability of the central business district and enhancing the quality of life for residents, workers, students and visitors through supplemental services, marketing & physical improvement programs.
In 2016 Newark Downtown District participated in the transformation of the Amtrak retention wall on Route 21 in Newark, NJ into the country’s second-longest mural — approximately the length of 25 football fields. The “Gateways to Newark” project is the first of several entryway renewals and beautification projects that include public art, spurring economic growth, and markedly changing first impressions for travelers entering Newark. The {Portraits} mural represents NDD’s continued commitment to those who live, labor, and leisure in downtown Newark.
Newark Community Economic Development Corporation (Newark CEDC) is the primary economic development catalyst for the State of New Jersey's largest city, Newark. It is organized to retain, attract and grow businesses, enhance small and minority business capacity, and spur real estate development throughout the City's 20 diverse neighborhoods. As a business development company whose sole client is the City of Newark, Newark CEDC collaborates with the Newark Department of Economic & Housing Development to initiate and execute economic development activities to produce and sustain economic growth, generate jobs and create wealth for the citizens of Newark.
Paramount Assets is a family-owned, regional, full-service real estate investment firm specializing in urban property ownership, management and development. The company’s rapidly expanding portfolio currently includes 3.1 million square feet of commercial, multifamily and mixed-use holdings across 25 New Jersey municipalities – including a notably growing foothold in the City of Newark. The company maintains a holistic, vertically integrated approach to real estate development, with in-house acquisition, leasing, legal, accounting, property management and construction teams.
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