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City of Creators Tour
Welcome to the City of Creators, a public art initiative activating 20+ vacant spaces with artwork for 25 artists across our downtown.
The guided tour of City of Creators will start at 12:30PM at Cova Coffee and leave on a 1-hour guided tour. No registration necessary.
Take a free guided tour of this exciting new public art initiative with Invest Newark and visit local businesses featured in the artwork and learn more about the artists and their work.
City of Creators features work by 25 local artists and organizations. Through window-based installations, the initiative connects artists, small businesses, and neighborhood narratives, reframing vacant storefronts as spaces of visibility, creativity, and opportunity.
Thematic installations reflect interconnected aspects of Newark life—from food, restaurants, and gathering spaces to arts and cultural venues; from the built environment and design to beauty, hair, and jewelry; alongside education, youth development, music, dance, recreation, and community life. Together, these themes create a layered portrait of the city’s creative, cultural, and entrepreneurial personality.
Each installation features signage highlighting “5 Within 5 Minutes” — five businesses and destinations located within a short, five-minute walk — along with a QR code linking visitors to a curated directory of nearby restaurants, retail, services, and cultural spaces. By transforming each storefront into a gateway for neighborhood exploration, the initiative encourages visitors to discover and engage with the vibrant business and cultural community throughout Downtown Newark.
The City of Newark Division of Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Newark Arts & Education District, Invest Newark, the Newark Urban Enterprise Zone, the Newark Alliance and Newark Downtown District —together with local arts nonprofit Project for Empty Space—launched CITY OF CREATORS, a large-scale public art initiative that activates vacant retail storefronts in June 2026.
Funds for CITY OF CREATORS come from from the state’s Urban Enterprise Zone program, which were made available thanks to a reform law spearheaded by the late Lt. Gov. Sheila Y. Oliver.