2 Films On Harriet Tubman Will Premiere At Newark Museum Of Art

NEWARK, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the City of Newark. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Mayor Ras Baraka recently announced that he will participate in a screening of two short films about Harriet Tubman and the making of the Newark monument that honors the trailblazing figure, and a moderated panel discussion afterwards. The screening and discussion will take place on Wednesday, November 29, at 5:30 p.m., at The Newark Museum of Art, 49 Washington Street. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., the screenings will take place at 7 p.m., and the discussion will follow.

Mayor Baraka will join monument artist/architect Nina Cooke John; Aisha Browne Glover, Head of the Global Center for Urban Development at Audible; and Emmy Award-winning producer Igor Alves in a discussion following the screening. It will be moderated by fayemi shakur, City of Newark Director of Arts and Cultural Affairs.

“Our downtown monument to the great Harriet Tubman has generated great positive response throughout our city, region, and state. We have created a focal point that expresses our participation in an ongoing living history of a people who have grappled through many conflicts to steadily lead our nation in its progress toward racial equality,” Mayor Baraka said. “These two films describe and celebrate the impact that Ms. Tubman and our monument have had, inspiring generations past, present, and future to lead our nation to true liberty for all. I look forward to this screening and accompanying panel discussion. The evening will amplify the potent impact and influence of both the monument and the films, honoring a Black woman who, though five feet tall, had the visage and power of a giant.”

“Black Moses Rising” showcases the vision and story behind the transformative Harriet Tubman monument, “Shadow of a Face”, located in Harriet Tubman Square formerly known as Washington Park. The film features behind-the-scenes visuals highlighting the work of artist Nina Cooke John, her collaborators, the unforgettable unveiling ceremony, and powerful insights from key stakeholders, produced and directed by Newark-based filmmaker Igor Alves.

“These film projects were commissioned by the Division of Arts and Cultural Affairs with generous support from the Mellon Foundation to emphasize the importance of utilizing public art to bring history to the public square”, said fayemi shakur. “DreamPlay media documented the project for over a year to celebrate all those who contributed to the project and emphasize the importance of legacy projects.”

“Liberation” (runtime: 17 minutes) is a powerful series of four short poetry films inspired by the legacy of Harriet Tubman, in celebration of the new Harriet Tubman Monument in Newark. The poetry films feature original poems and performances by renowned poets Bimpé Fageyinbo, Margie “Mia X” Johnson, Kween Moore, and Jasmine Mans.

The four films were directed and edited by two-time Emmy® winning filmmaker Yuri Alves, and were also produced by DreamPlay Films. A majority of the films were recorded downtown at the Express Newark – Community Media Center, part of Rutgers University-Newark. “It was a pleasure to collaborate with these four powerhouse poets, where we were free to take artistic chances with the film approach. And to be guided by the spirit of one of the most important Americans in history, Harriet Tubman, was a profound honor for me and the team,” said Mr. Alves.

The Newark Museum of Art will provide tours of its Seeing America exhibition at the event featuring nearly 80 artworks spanning the 17th century to the present, these newly reinterpreted galleries reframe The Museum’s historical American art collection to foreground slavery and Black and Indigenous history. The museum also developed curricular materials for students and educators visiting the monument, which are available on the Harriet Tubman Square website.

“I’m delighted that we can share with the world the process behind the scenes of bringing this creative vision to reality, said Ms. Cooke John. “There were so many collaborators who were an important part of the project - the City, its cultural partners and all the consultants. The fabricators each said that it was the hardest thing they’ve ever done - but they did it all with passion and the highest level of craftsmanship.”

In June 2020, amid calls for racial justice and by order of Mayor Baraka, the City of Newark commissioned Ms. Cooke John to design a monument to honor the legacy of Ms. Tubman and the Underground Railroad. This network of abolitionists and safe houses assisted enslaved people on their journeys north to freedom and had many “stations” in New Jersey, at least one of which was in Newark.

The Harriet Tubman Monument project was a collaborative effort among a wide range of individuals and organizations, led by Ms. Shakur. Ms. Cooke John, a 2022 United States Artists Fellow, directed a diverse group of fabricators from New Jersey and New York, and was assisted by multimedia artist Adebunmi Gbadebo, who engaged residents in the creation of ceramic tiles and oral history recordings. In addition, the Monument features an immersive, interactive audio component designed by Wolfgang Gil, underwritten by Audible. The premier audiobook and podcast enterprise also commissioned Newark legend Queen Latifah and others to record narrated audio to deepen the educational experience of the monument. Entitled Monumental: The Life of Harriet Tubman and Newark’s Liberation Movement, the audio features seminal stories of Ms. Tubman’s life intertwining with narratives about the Underground Railroad, the city’s role in the history of free Black communities in New Jersey, and Black liberation more broadly.

“We are grateful for the creativity behind these films and for the opportunity to bring such a powerful story to life and showcase our Newark community,” said Ms. Glover. “It’s an honor to walk past the Tubman Monument every day and to see children listen to these stories, touch her sculpted face, learn of her bravery, and recognize their own.”

The monument, titled Shadow of a Face, is the centerpiece of a community gathering space in Harriet Tubman Square. Shadow of a Face replaces a statue of Christopher Columbus that was removed in the summer of 2020, amid calls for racial justice, and it puts New Jersey at the forefront of a nationwide movement to design a more inclusive, diverse, and community-centered approach to commissioning civic public art. Recent research conducted by Monument Lab and supported by the Mellon Foundation revealed that monuments across the United States overwhelmingly represent white male individuals, and that the country’s history as told by many of its current monuments, misrepresents critical parts of its story.

The monument features a circular learning wall that guides visitors through a multi-sensory experience where they can read educational text and hear stories about Tubman’s life and the city’s history of Black liberation. Local historians were commissioned by the city and led by Rutgers University professor Dr. James Amemasor to provide research material for the learning wall and audio stories.

The title of the monument, Shadow of a Face, refers to the 1962 poem by Robert Hayden, “Runagate Runagate.” Shadow of a Face was chosen in June 2021 through a national open call and multi-phase selection process. Community engagement was a critical part of Ms. Cooke John’s design proposal. Residents also recorded their personal stories of liberation for the audio experience and were additionally invited to “buy a brick” to be placed in a designated section of the monument, cementing their own presence during this historic period in Newark.

Headquartered adjacent to Newark’s Tubman Square, Audible advances neighborhood revitalization efforts through direct community and economic investments. Audible’s permanent on-site audio experience at the monument intertwines narratives about the Underground Railroad and the history of free Black communities in New Jersey with seminal episodes of Ms. Tubman’s life.

The Monument leverages public space and community engagement to become a transformative element of the historic, arts and education-led activation of Downtown Newark. It was funded by The City of Newark, Audible, the Mellon Foundation, and individual residents in partnership and collaboration with The Newark City Parks Foundation, Newark Arts, The Newark Museum of Art, the Newark Public Library and DreamPlay Media.

For more information about the making of the monument, historical background, and curricular materials, visit the Harriet Tubman Square website.

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