City of Newark
PUBLIC ART MASTER PLAN | 2023 - 2024
Client: City of Newark | Team: Gail Goldman & Associates; Vincy Chow, Artist
The City of Newark is located in Southern Alameda County at the east end of the Dumbarton Bridge, just 30 miles south of Oakland and 15 miles north of San José. This suburban city has a small town feel and is home to diverse cultures, small businesses, families of extended generations, with hidden gems of California history that often gets overlooked.
This Public Art Master Plan was commissioned at an opportune time when Newark was reviewing its Citywide Parks Master Plan, revitalizing its historic neighborhoods, assessing its capital improvement needs, and initiating a variety of programs to make it more pedestrian and bicycle friendly. In response to the pandemic, the city employed ARPA recovery funds to support small businesses and community-focused activities and is primed to build upon these efforts to concentrate on placemaking and enhancing its civic identity. Public art and arts activities can be a significant part of that effort.
The City of Newark Public Art Master Plan was adopted unanimously in May 2024.
Public art was still a new experience for Newark community members. A few grassroot artist groups existed but the scene was still growing. Art Builds Community led a community tour of art pop-ups that provided learning opportunities for residents to explore the different types of public art and how public art can be used to enhance their community experiences. Art Builds Community also mentored Vincy Chow, a local artist during the community engagement phase of the public art planning process, sharing how artists can use their craft as a way to engage with community to help design their neighborhoods. Together, ABC and Chow developed a Shrinky Dink arts activity as a way to engage and gather feedback on how community members envisioned the future of public art for their city. With the tour, we were also able to meet and identify more emerging local artists who have not previously participated in the arts but were excited to start doing so after learning about the city’s future public art master plan.
