Newark Arts Fest To Kick Off With ‘Artful Healing’ At Museum

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

On Thursday, October 6, the Newark Arts Festival (NAF) will kick off with a festive opening reception from 6 to 9 pm at The Newark Museum of Art (NMOA). Free with RSVP, the event will celebrate 21 years of NAF, voted “New Jersey’s Favorite Visual Arts Festival” two years in a row. It will also mark the very first time that NAF’s signature art exhibition is being held within the NMOA’s 2nd floor galleries, providing an incredible opportunity to the local artist community.

The exhibition, titled “Newark Arts Festival: Artful Healing,” has been organized by NAF Lead Curator Adrienne Wheeler and NMOA Curatorial Assistant Elena C. Muñoz-Rodriguez. It features dynamic artwork submitted from local and global artists using the theme that art is medicine. This exhibit is a full circle moment for the festival, which in 2020, built a computer-generated replica of the Newark Museum of Art to house a virtual exhibition. Now, the NAF will host an in-person exhibition within the walls of the renowned Museum.

"We are once again thrilled to partner with the dynamic Newark Arts Festival team to host the Artful Healing exhibition on site and in person in the special exhibition galleries at the Newark Museum of Art. This will be the third year of our collaboration with the NAF and we couldn't be more delighted to showcase the incredible creatives who are based right here in Newark," says Catherine Evans, Deputy Director, Collections & Curatorial Strategies at The Newark Museum of Art.

The opening reception of both the exhibition and the festival on October 6 will feature live performances by Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Black Fire Marching Band, The Mighty Kamm Band and more. Activations such as sound healing throughout the museum will leave participants feeling uplifted and inspired.

”The Newark Arts Festival is a collaboration with the entire city, and we are deeply grateful to generous sponsors and partners like the Newark Museum of Art that are helping us to bring this vision to life. We continue to be grateful for all of the festival artists and community partners who have shared their gifts and resources. With Artful Healing, we hope to inspire and elevate the spirits of our unique community with the highest levels of art in all forms,” says Felicia Swoope, Executive Director, Newark Arts.

For more information and to register for the Newark Arts Festival: Artful Healing Opening Reception, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/o/t....

For more information about Newark Arts Festival, visit NewarkArtsFestival.com. Newark Arts Festival is sponsored by Prudential, City of Newark, Bloomberg Philanthropies, McCarter & English, The Newark Museum of Art, Hanini Group and Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau / Newark Happening.

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