Notes 1 (Jan. 2026)
After 15 years of creative work, I’ve built a living archive—a website that traces my practice across nonprofit leadership, public art curation, design and education, special projects, and the ways motherhood is woven through it all. Bringing it to life was no small feat; after several attempts, it finally came together this year with the support of an incredible local designer.
Art has been the throughline of my work, shaping how I lead, teach, organize, and care. My practice moves across nonprofit leadership, cultural strategy, curation, design, education, advocacy, and motherhood—roles that overlap and inform one another rather than exist in isolation. This website, and now this newsletter, were created to hold that convergence: a space to reflect, connect, and share what’s unfolding.
2025 Reflections
2025 was another year for the books. Project for Empty Space launched our 15-year campaign, and at our annual Badass Art Woman Awards, Jasmine and I shared the story of how we came together—two women who loved art and artists and, over time, built a system to serve them while imagining new futures through the arts.
This year also marked a major expansion for Project for Empty Space, resulting in a nearly 50,000-square-foot footprint in downtown Newark. The growth includes newly activated and programmed gallery spaces, expanded artist studios—responding directly to the demand to keep artists working and rooted downtown—and the launch of Newark Grounds, a public art initiative that celebrates existing works while commissioning and programming new ones throughout the city’s core. The new studios will open for tenancy on April 1, and applications are now live.
Public Practice
The most daunting part of building this website was the public art section. This year marks the tenth anniversary of Gateways to Newark: Portraits, my first major public art initiative. Over the past decade, I’ve learned that public art is inherently collaborative—and that socially engaged processes are essential not only to how artwork is created, but to how it lives, resonates, and impacts the communities it serves.
To date, I have completed more than 100 public works throughout the City of Newark, through Project for Empty Space and in collaboration with partners including Audible’s Newark Artist Collaboration; the City of Newark Division of Arts and Cultural Affairs; Office of Homeless Services; the Office of Sustainability; Four Corners Public Art Partnership; Newark Arts ArtSource; the Newark Downtown District; Newark Happening; RedBull; and Rutgers University–Newark, among many others. The public art section of this site offers a glimpse into this work, with links for deeper exploration.
I also want to acknowledge two recently completed projects that were especially meaningful. In Fall 2025, PES collaborated with the City of Newark’s Division of Art and Cultural Affairs to support two murals by Helina Metaferia. These works feature two cousins from three generations of Newarkers, rendered larger than life and adorned with headdresses that trace the history of our city’s BIPOC activism. Embedded with imagery drawn from local archives and the cousin's family history, the murals are grounded in place, memory, and lineage.
Additionally, Danielle Scott recently completed a mural at the top of the year—an approximately 200 ft work—that illuminates the history of Black male leadership in the City of Newark while centering contemporary support systems. The piece honors men who continue to pave the way for collective quality of life and well-being across the city.
This practice has grown beyond creation to focus on knowledge-sharing and mentorship—supporting young people as they learn to navigate public space and recognize their capacity to imagine works that are bold, transformative, and community-rooted. In Fall 2025, I taught the first public art design course at Rutgers University–Newark which examined the history, ethics, and methods of socially engaged public art. The students toured Four Corners Public Arts, Project for Empty Space, the Newark Artist Collaboration, and Fairmount Art Wall, which followed with the development of site-specific proposals across five Newark locations, gaining hands-on experience in ethical participation, representation, and sustainable public design grounded in local narratives.
Furthering my commitment to public space—particularly within Newark’s historic districts—I joined the Landmarks & Historic Preservation Committee. The committee’s work includes nominating sites to historic registers, advocating for threatened landmarks, advancing educational initiatives, providing technical assistance, and collaborating with partner organizations. I am deeply honored to continue serving my city in this way.
Upcoming
Project for Empty Space has hit the ground running with a packed January—check out the full calendar here.
Looking ahead, join me at the Newark Summit on February 9 at 8:20 AM at 550 Broad Street for a panel conversation on Arts, Spaces, Culture & Catalyst. We’ll explore how arts and cultural spaces drive neighborhood revitalization, inclusive growth, and a strong sense of place in Newark through collaboration, advocacy, and community-centered development.
I’ll be joined by an incredible group of civic and cultural leaders, and I hope you’ll join us as well.
Register here: [link]
More to come—on design as care, public art as infrastructure, and what it means to build cultural systems while raising a family. Thank you for being here.