Four Corners Public Arts has now become a model for neighborhood-focused activations, spurring multiple collaborative art projects throughout downtown while contributing to economic development.
Stores like Source of Knowledge bookstore that once locked their back doors have re-opened these entries and initiated book sales, food sales, seasonal plantings, and parklets in the alleyways. Local schools now use the spaces for parades and youth activities during the week, while spontaneous weekend festivals pop up around the murals during the warmer months.
These activities contribute to local economic impact and improve the quality of life for the people who live and work in the neighborhood, which was a key goal of stakeholders from the inception of the program. Treat Place, Beaver Street, Halsey and Branford Place and Broad and Edison Street have become a destination for arts and entertainment, attracting residents, workers, families, and tourists to photograph murals, take selfies, and spread the word among friends and colleagues. The locations have often been used as backdrops for films, photo shoots, and music and dance videos.
A robust website chronicles the various stages and contributions of the projects over time at fourcornerspublicarts.org that includes murals by local and international artists.
BEFORE – Treat Place (2018), Photo: Courtesy of Four Corners Public Arts
AFTER – Murals | Market | Music on Treat Place Newark, NJ
(Summer 2021) Photo: Anthony Alvarez
