City Without Walls Director Resigns

Ben Goldman, executive director of City Without Walls, left his position in early September after almost six years. "This all happened pretty quickly," said Goldman. 

Paul Belfanti, chairman of the cWOW Board of Trustees, said the group is searching for an interim executive director. "We should have one in place, I would say, within three to four weeks," he said. Belfanti stressed that Goldman's departure was not acrimonious. "He's going to continue to be associated with the organization, as a friend and a partner."

City Without Walls formalized the separation agreement Sept. 7. Founded in 1975, City Without Walls is a support network for emerging artists. Though based in Newark, they have members throughout the country and around the world. Their purpose is to build an audience for contemporary art and to educate aspiring artists. Under Goldman's leadership, the group increased tenfold the number of youth served by educational programming. Also, they quadrupled revenues and tripled their membership.

Ben Goldman studied history at Vassar, then went on to get a doctorate in public administration at New York University. He served on the Council on Sustainable Development for the Clinton administration and became an adviser to the Environmental Protection Agency. He did a study for the Commission for Racial Justice called "Toxic Waste and Race in the United States," the first national research proving a disproportionate impact of toxic waste on people of color and lower income. This led to the national "environmental justice" movement and a presidential executive order. In Boston, Goldman ran the Jobs and Environment Campaign, one of the first groups to use the term "Green jobs."

Goldman is also a writer. He co-authored Deadly Deceit, a book about low-level radiation which showed the correlation of radiation from Chernobyl with infant mortality levels in the United States. He also wrote The Truth About Where You Live, a book of maps showing environmental health hazards.

After a series of jobs in the public sector, Goldman quit in 1996 to become a full-time artist, at the same time that he moved to Weehawken. In 2005, Goldman began his own firm, United Visual Arts, whose motto is "An artist's signature on every wall." The company offers high-end limited edition digital prints, which Goldman calls "sort of like a poster on steroids." He also invented a unique picture frame to display the prints.

Goldman ran for mayor of Weehawken in 2002 and lost, despite the highest voter turnout in the town's history.

In November 2005, a deranged man attacked Joe Ford, executive director of City Without Walls, with a hammer in their gallery. Though his injuries were not extensive, Ford left the position soon after and the gallery was closed. In January, 2006, Ben Goldman became executive director.

Goldman began City Murals, which became cWOW's largest program. Presently in its third year, this project involves partnerships with approximately 40 local organizations, from recycling and scaffolding companies to community centers and the school system. The city of Newark is also a cosponsor. Numerous community meetings help choose the subjects of the wall paintings. City Murals has completed 13 artworks, and has contracts for eight more.

Most of the group's murals are created by a senior artist, junior artist and young apprentices. The idea is to make the entire process an educational experience. "It's basically a tiered apprenticeship; everyone's learning from everybody else," Goldman said.

Goldman also began the Newark New Media project, in which students from Barringer High School apprentice with digital artists, learning animation, video editing, and other contemporary skills. The last two years, the final works were presented on the side of the Prudential Center, on a 4800 square foot video screen seen by commuters on the Northeast corridor. 

"Being somewhere for six years, it's enough," said Goldman. "The role I've played in my life has always been as a catalyst, and it was time to move on."

Founded in 1975, City Without Walls is a support network for emerging artists. Though based in Newark, they have members throughout the country and around the world. Their purpose is to build an audience for contemporary art and to educate aspiring artists. Under Goldman's leadership, the group increased tenfold the number of youth served by educational programming. Also, they quadrupled revenues and tripled their membership.