Newark Murals - Newark Street Art | New Jersey Art

“New Work in Newark”

Home of the Longest Mural

Content and images by: Caressa Losier

Newarks Industry by Layqa Nuna Yawar (@layqanunayawar), North 7th St., Newark, NJ

This is Newark. Yes, it’s the beautiful city of Newark in New Jersey’s Essex County. But it’s also the name of one of the art programs in the area responsible for several of the city’s community-minded murals. When Mayor Amiri Ras Baraka became Mayor of Newark, he aimed to inspire with more Newark murals through his Model Neighborhood Initiative Program (MNI). Baraka himself believes, “Art is whatever makes you proud to be human.”

Unlike neighboring art capitals like, New York City, there’s no limit to which side of town you might stumble upon a mural proudly highlighting the city’s diverse Black population – Black Americans, Nigerians, Ghanaians, Haitians, Jamaicans, Guyanese and so many other Black cultures have helped shape the variety of faces, shades and subjects found in the city’s large-scale murals.

Wanna see some of the best Newark murals all in one place? Just keep reading.

Pride

Pride by Gaia (@gaiastreetart), Clinton Ave., Newark, NJ

Nana

Nana by Layqa Nuna Yawar (@layqanunayawar), Elizabeth St., Newark, NJ

See #MelanatedMurals for more information on “Nana” by Layqa Nuna Yawar.

Birth of a Nation

Birth of a Nation by Layqa Nuna Yawar (@layqanunayawar), Clinton Ave., Newark, NJ

>>See More Layqa Nuna Yawar Street Art

It’s Just A Little Rain

It’s Just a Little Rain by Ibrahim Ahmed III (@ibrahimahmediii ) & Steve Green, Academy St., Newark, NJ

Newark murals like “It’s Just a Little Rain” by Ibrahim Ahmed III & Steve Green are created for the community by the community. With the help of the youth from the Academy Street Firehouse Program, they collaborated with St. Claire’s Social Services to spark up a conversation about common issues in the community, like HIV/AIDS and breast cancer. The bright colors popping out in the mural is symbolic to the city’s great diversity.

The Reflective Black Body

The Reflective Black Body by Layqa Nuna Yawar (@layqanunayawar), Jelliff Ave., Newark, NJ

See #MelanatedMurals for more information on “The Reflective Black Body” by Layqa Nuna Yawar.

Black Butterfly and Love

Black Butterfly and Love by Kern Bruce (@kernbruceart), Clinton Ave., Newark, NJ

The Three Doctors Mural (Promise Fulfill)

Three Doctors by Yendor Productions, 16th Ave., Newark, New Jersey

When it comes to highlighting community, “Three Doctors” is one of the most powerful Newark murals in the West Ward area. It depicts a true story of three brothers who grew up fatherless in low-income housing and blossomed into positive Black-male role models in the area. The doctors, Rameck Hunt, Sampson Davis and George Jenkins all pursued careers in the medical field and attended Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Phenotype

Phenotype by Gaia (@gaiastreetart), Clinton Ave., Newark, NJ

>>See More Gaia Street Art

B. Flyy Art Life

B. Flyy Art Life by Slim Suli (@slimsuliart_world ), Newark, NJ

Gateways to Newark

Gateways to Newark, Newark, NJ

When 18 talented artists came together to help beautify the city of Newark, they used 1,500 gallons of paint to create 16 art panels that have transformed the city’s old 100-year old railway into one of the longest mural sites in the world. Continue below to see some of the best Newark murals that occupy this 1.39-mile attraction.