(NEWARK, NJ) -- Newark Arts Festival (“NAF”) will celebrate “Artful Healing,” this Fall in New Jersey’s largest city. NAF will showcase Newark’s dynamic and diverse arts and culture sector from Thursday, October 6 through Sunday, October 9, 2022. 

This year, Newark Arts Festival is partnering with The Newark Museum of Art, which will host an exciting group exhibition, “Artful Healing,” opening with a reception on Wednesday, October 5th and closing on October 30th. NAF 2022 seeks to create a collective restorative experience through thoughtfully curated artwork, performances and programming meant to help Newark’s artist community and Festival attendees begin to heal holistically. 

The Call for Artists is open from June 15th to July 15th, Festival organizers announced. Produced by Newark Arts and powered by Prudential Foundation, NAF amplifies the voices of established and emerging artists, gallerists and creative entrepreneurs.

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.   

“During the past year, Newark artists have shown great resilience in the face of multiple challenges,” said Felicia A. Swoope, Executive Director, Newark Arts. “This year’s Newark Arts Festival will showcase Newark artists' works that embrace all aspects of Artful Healing. Mindfulness, well-being and healing are so crucial for how communities move forward – not only for the creators of the work – but for those who are influenced by the artwork or performance.  And, we are thrilled to be able to exhibit so many local artists in The Newark Museum of Art.” 

“We are thrilled to partner with NAF for the third year by hosting what promises to be a connecting, healing, and impactful exhibition. Our team welcomes the opportunity to work alongside the dynamic talents at NAF to foster community at The Newark Museum of Art,” said Catherine Evans, Deputy Director, Collections & Curatorial Strategies at NMOA.  

“I bear witness to the power of art to transform lives, to heal the individual, the community, and the society. It is a privilege to work with Newark Arts, an organization that for forty years has worked to grow and protect Newark’s legacy as a city of the arts. As lead Curator for the Newark Arts Festival, I look forward to working with the artists who along with me stand on the shoulders of those who created that legacy,” said Adrienne Wheeler, Lead Newark Arts Festival Curator. 

“Prudential is a long-time partner of the Newark Arts Festival and we applaud the mindful incorporation of healing in the programming this year,” said Shané Harris, Vice President, Social Responsibility and Partnerships at Prudential Financial. “The arts enhance all cultures and is central to Newark’s healthy, safe and prosperous future.” 

For more information and to apply to the Call for Artists, please visit NewarkArtsFestival.com.  

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, 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.

Pictured: The Newark Museum of Art