(NEWARK, NJ) -- 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, creative entrepreneurs.  

The Call for Artists will open on July 1, 2021, 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, 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, Social Responsibility and Partnerships at Prudential Financial and President, 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.” 

The mission of Newark Arts is to power the arts to transform lives. Established in 1981 as the Newark Arts Council, the organization’s vision is to become a nationally recognized catalyst for the collaborative power of the arts in the City of Newark and urban America. Newark Arts is the producer of Newark Creates, a community-led citywide cultural plan, created in partnership with the City of Newark. Newark Arts’ key initiatives include Arts Education Newark (AEN), the ArtStart community grantmaking program, and the Newark Arts Festival. Newark Arts is generously supported by Prudential Financial,  the City of Newark, M&T Bank, PSEG, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Victoria Foundation, Turrell Fund, Bank of America, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Verizon, United Airlines, Hanini Group and individuals, businesses and institutions.