Rebecca
Pauline
Jampol
Mother / Cultural Strategist / Curator / Educator / Designer
Contact: rebecca@projectforemptyspace.org
Instagram: @rjampol
About Rebecca
Rebecca Pauline Jampol is a cultural strategist, curator, educator, and designer based in Newark, New Jersey. She is the Co-Director of Project for Empty Space (PES), a nonprofit organization that supports socially engaged contemporary art while centering equity, access, and civic dialogue.
Under Rebecca’s leadership, alongside Co-Director Jasmine Wahi, PES has expanded its footprint to nearly 50,000 square feet and increased its annual operating budget by more than 400% over the past five years. In addition to overseeing a thriving artist residency and studio program, she has co-founded several PES-led, community-centered initiatives, including Body Freedom for Every(Body), a mobile exhibition platform showcasing over 100 artists whose practices focus on body autonomy. Working in partnership with the City of Newark Arts and Education District, she also helped develop Newark Grounds, a cultural corridor that activates downtown Newark through a walkable public arts path bridging more than 75 public artworks and art spaces.
Rebecca has led and designed many of Newark’s most significant public art initiatives and currently serves as the City of Newark’s Public Art Coordinator. Her public projects include Portraits: Gateways to Newark (2016), the longest mural on the East Coast at 1.34 miles; Four Corners Public Arts (2019–2023); Murals for Justice (2020), created in collaboration with Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s administration; and Audible’s Newark Artist Collaboration (2021–present).
In addition to her leadership roles, Rebecca is a faculty member at Rutgers University–Newark, where she teaches contemporary design and public practice. She lives in Newark with her two children, Adele (7) and Apollo (2).
Arts & Culture
Project for Empty Space | 2013 – Present | Co-Director & Curator
Co-founded and lead a multifaceted arts organization supporting socially engaged artists through exhibitions, residencies, public art initiatives, subsidized studios, and professional development opportunities. Direct strategic vision and partnerships while curating projects that address systemic inequity, amplify historically erased narratives, and encourage community dialogue.
projectforemptyspace.org
City of Newark Division of Arts & Cultural Affairs | 2022 – Present | Public Art Coordinator
Oversee, manage, and execute citywide public art activities, including site selection, installation, maintenance, and graffiti mitigation. Collaborate closely with city officials, artists, developers, and community stakeholders to ensure cultural initiatives align with civic priorities and elevate local creative communities.
Audible’s Newark Artist Collaboration | 2021 – Present | Public Art Coordinator
Curate and coordinate an ongoing initiative commissioning interdisciplinary artworks from 20+ Newark-based artists and collectives. Develop site-specific projects around Audible’s headquarters and citywide, elevating local artists while strengthening investment in Newark’s creative sector and building visibility for socially engaged practices. newarkartistcollaboration.com
Four Corners Public Arts | 2019 – 2023 | Project Manager & Curator
Led the planning and execution of public art projects in Newark’s historic Four Corners district through a public-private partnership including city agencies, nonprofit organizations, and developers. Curated site-specific works that revitalized under-acknowledged areas of the city, cultivated creative communal spaces, and strengthened community identity during a period of rapid urban transformation.
fourcornerspublicarts.org
Academia
Rutgers University–Newark | 2010 – Present | Faculty, Department of
Graphic Design
Teach upper-level courses in contemporary design, social practice, and community engagement, including Capstone, Seminar in Contemporary Design, and Design Consortium.
● Design Consortium: Collaborated with city agencies and community organizations—including the City of Newark Division of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Office of Homeless Services, and Newark City Parks Foundation—to develop community-engaged design solutions addressing social, civic, and cultural challenges.
● Course Development: Designed and lead Public Art, Social Practice & Design: Community-Engaged Strategies for Social Impact, exploring the intersection of design, public art, and civic engagement.
Public Service
City of Newark & Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s Landmarks & Historic Preservation Commission | 2025+
Harriet Tubman Monument Artist Selection Commission | 2022/3
Volunteer Coordinator, Visual Identity Design, Office of Homeless Services Pilot Program: Hope Village I and II | 2021 – 2024
City of Newark & Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s Arts, Culture & Recreation Pandemic Recovery and Re-Opening Strike Force | 2020
Trump's Dismantling of DEI Puts Culture Workers on the Frontlines. Frieze Magazine, April 9, 2025.
Project for Empty Space believes ‘artists make the future.’ Christie's Magazine, January 2025.
Your body is a battleground: reproductive rights art show on wheels rolls into Miami. December 2025.
Project for Empty Space’s Mobile Exhibition Is Going Cross-Country for Reproductive Rights. The Observer, September 19, 2024.
Tour Fighting for Bodily Autonomy. Harper's Bazaar, September 2024.
BODY FREEDOM FOR EVERY(BODY) - Jasmine Wahi and Rebecca Jampol. The Art Career, September 5, 2024.
Project for Empty Space Reintroduces Itself to New York. Surface Magazine, April 9, 2024.
Women's History Month: Mural created to showcase strength, spiritual greatness of Newark women. News 12 New Jersey, March 18, 2024.
Rebecca Jampol: Artist Advocacy, Newark, and Raising Daughters. The Art Career Podcast, April 27, 2023.
The Beauty of Arts Activism: Alumna Rebecca Jampol. Rutgers University–Newark, February 23, 2022.
Warhol Foundation Distributes $3.9 Million to 51 Organizations Grappling With Pandemic Losses. Hyperallergic, January 13, 2021.
Warhol Foundation Announces Fall 2020 Grant Recipients. Artforum, January 14, 2021.
Grace Lynne Haynes Reveals 30-Foot-Tall Sojourner Truth Mural in Newark. AllArts, September 28, 2020.
Most Recent First, 2020–2025
Public Art In Newark Tells Powerful Stories About Social Justice. PATCH, December 9, 2020.
Newark Artists, Thriving Amid Crisis and Catharsis. New York Times, July 10, 2020.
50 Artists Remind Us That “Abortion Is Normal.” Hyperallergic, January 24, 2020.
A Show of Artists Galvanized by the Abortion Debate. New York Times, January 23, 2020.
Art Exhibit “Abortion Is Normal” Makes Powerful Statement for Reproductive Rights. January 14, 2020.
These Artists Want You to Know That ‘Abortion Is Normal.’ The Daily Beast, January 13, 2020.
Abortion is Normal: the emergency exhibition about reproductive rights. The Guardian, January 13, 2020.
We Need to Normalize Abortion. PAPER Magazine, January 10, 2020.
'Abortion Is Normal': Exhibition Raises Money For Planned Parenthood Amid Attacks On Reproductive Rights. Gothamist, January 10, 2020.
Marilyn Minter, Laurie Simmons Open ‘Abortion Is Normal’ Exhibition to Fund Planned Parenthood. The Observer, January 9, 2020.
With Reproductive Rights Under Siege in America, a New York Group Show Aims to Make a Difference. ARTnews, January 9, 2020.
Cindy Sherman, Nan Goldin, and Other A-List Artists Are Raising Money for Reproductive Rights With a Provocatively Titled Exhibition. Artnet News, January 9, 2020.
Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and more to exhibit art for abortion rights. Dazed Magazine, January 8, 2020.
News, Events, Creative Opportunities
and Honest Motherhood Moments
