I will be exhibiting in this show:

Curated by Adrienne Wheeler and Cheyenne Ceasar for Newark Arts

Pure Joy, Newark Arts’ inaugural group exhibition at Paul Robeson Galleries @ Express Newark, celebrates Newark Arts Festival 2025 and features over 70 visual artists responding to the festival call to explore joy as a creative force. The exhibition features a wide range of works, including bold paintings, film, and mixed-media pieces that celebrate joy as a vehicle of cultural and community resilience. 

Each piece in the collection embodies joy as more than a fleeting emotion. The artists convey it as a catalyst for catharsis, a builder of resilience, and a unifying force. Through their creative practice, they show joy as an active expression of hope, resistance, and love for life - illuminating how art can inspire, sustain, and transform communities. 

As the poet and activist Audre Lorde declared, "Once we recognize we can feel deeply, we can love deeply, we can feel joy, then we will demand that all parts of our lives produce that kind of joy." This exhibition embodies that powerful demand, showcasing the transformative power of art to create a world where joy is not just a possibility, but a right. 

This exhibition also marks a significant milestone: Newark Arts' debut as an official organization in residence at Express Newark. 

Special Thanks to Express Newark, Paul Robeson Galleries, Rutgers - Newark.  

Thank you to our sponsors:
Prudential, NJEDA, NJSCA, Discover Jersey Arts, City of Newark, Arts & Ed District, FUN, Flagstar Bank, Express Newark 

EVENT DETAILS: 
Date & Time: October 9 |  5PM - 9PM  
Location: Paul Robeson Galleries | Express Newark, 54 Halsey Street 3rd floor, Newark, NJ

“Joy is an act of resistance.” - Toi Derricotte 

At the Newark Arts Festival 2025, JOY is embraced as a radical creative force that uplifts, sustains, and sparks transformation. Ode to Joy brings this vision to life through a focused presentation of six artists at The Newark Museum of Art. This shift from past years -streamlined rather than expansive - creates space for audiences to enter into a deeper dialogue with the works and the ideas they hold. 

Though varied in medium and approach, the artists gathered here are bound by a shared commitment to joy as both pleasure and defiance. Their works draw from histories of feminism, migration, and identity, transforming personal and collective narratives into aesthetic experiences that celebrate resilience. In their hands, joy is never fleeting; it is layered, hard-won, and generative. 

Through painting, sculpture, assemblage, and social practice, Ode to Joy affirms that joy is more than an emotion. It is a connective state of being - an enduring current that nurtures imagination, fortifies community, and inspires reflection and celebration of our shared humanity. 

EVENT DETAILS: 
Date & Time: October 8 | 6PM - 11 PM (during Gold Ball Reception)
Location: Newark Museum of Art | 49 Washington St.
Newark, NJ
Admission: With Gold Ball Ticket 

This workshop will be held at ECLECTIC CHIC BOUTIQUE, 547 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair, NJ 07042

In this engaging and expressive painting class, you’ll embark on a journey into the enchanting realm of monsters, capturing your youthful essence and your imagination. Beginner friendly! No prior painting experience necessary.

You’ll learn various acrylic painting techniques to create abstract happy drippy creatures. From bold brushstrokes to subtle washes, you’ll experiment with different approaches to capture the essence of the subject matter while leaving room for interpretation and personal expression. Please note that this class is messy, so dress appropriately. Each participant will paint two 7”x 9” canvas art pieces. This is a great class to take with friends, family, and coworkers.   All materials are included. You will leave with two masterpieces.

Ticket link below: