Project For Empty Space

NEXT UP in NEWARK! 📣
Join us on Juneteenth from 6–9 PM at📍800 Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson Blvd for the opening reception of “Black Revolutionary Women: 250 Years of a Colony Within a Colony”, a new exhibition and series of community events by Cycle 9 Artist In Residence Noelle Lorraine Williams .

🔗 RSVP via link in bio or at 📲blackrevolutionarywomen.eventbrite.com.

“Black Revolutionary Women” highlights Black women’s resistance, survival, and freedom-making across the Americas, reframing dominant narratives of the American Revolution as the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Through installation, performance, and collage, Noelle Lorraine Williams uses a multidisciplinary approach through her project Black Power! 19th Century, exploring how Black women and their descendants lived under systems that treated them as property within expanding Colonial economies.

In the exhibition, Williams combines historical images, text, and materials such as thread, fabric, newspapers, photographs, archival artworks, and elements of popular culture. She brings together both official historical imagery and forms associated with women’s craft to retell stories of everyday resistance and freedom-making that are often left out of traditional history.

”Thousands of Black women in the Americas stood up to the world’s most powerful empires for their freedom during slavery. For this 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence I am proud to create a space of art, words, and song for the public to experience, share and learn about the adversities these women faced, freedoms they fought for and how that connects to our present day.” - 🗣️Noelle Lorraine Williams

“Black Revolutionary Women: 250 Years of a Colony Within a Colony” will be on view June 19, 2026, through October 10, 2026, at 800 Mayor Kenneth Gibson Boulevard, Newark, NJ.

On View at Project for Empty Space in Newark:

“A Feeling of Itself”, an audio-visual exhibition part of a three-part program developed by Project for Empty Space, Lives in Translation (), and the Design Consortium at Rutgers University-Newark (), led by designers Chantal Fischzang () and Gisela Ochoa (.la.co).

Featured Above: “In Their Own Words” (2026)

These are the words of multilingual community members at Rutgers University-Newark collected by Lives in Translation.

➡️ In these reflections, and as visitors walk through “A Feeling of Itself”, you will see code-switching, the movement between two languages within a single thought, as in “I speak English and I speak Spanish, y eso tiene su propio poder.” You will notice cross-linguistic influence, the way one language shapes the learning or use of another language, which can lead to transfer of learning, interference, and acceleration or slowing of areas of language development. And you will encounter questions about lingua franca, the shared language we use to communicate with people when we do not share a first language.

🗣️ Here, each quote reflects the complexity, pride, and challenge of living between languages. Some speak of belonging and connection. Some speak of responsibility and pressure. All speak of what it means to carry more than one language.

📍 Visit “A Feeling of Itself” at Project for Empty Space
800 Broad St, Newark, NJ
Tuesday–Friday, 11am–6pm
On view through June 1, 2026

We are just 10 days away from Newark Grounds: Benefit for Public Art + Celebration of Groundbreakers — an evening honoring Chantal Fischzang (), Marcy DePina (), and Tai Cooper, visionary leaders whose support and investment continue to shape Newark’s public art and creative communities.

Join us on Thursday, May 28, at 7 PM at PES at Ironside Newark (110 Edison Place, Newark, NJ). VIP ticket holders are invited to an exclusive reception beginning at 6PM. Learn more and secure your ticket 📲 tinyurl.com/2026groundbreakerawards!

The celebration is made possible by an incredible group of local party partners, small businesses, and creatives who are bringing their talent, energy, and Newark spirit to the night.

🪩 MEET OUR PARTY PARTNERS! 🪩

➡️ CoolVines () 🍻
CoolVines is a specialized wine, spirits, and craft beer retailer with locations in Newark and Jersey City, focused on making wine shopping accessible, educational, and fun.

➡️ All Points West Distillery () 🍾
Award-winning Newark-based All Points West Distillery continues to gain national recognition for its exceptional spirits.

➡️ Brick City Soul Collective () 🎺
Brick City Soul Collective is an Urban Soul and Smooth Jazz ensemble founded by Newark-based trumpeter, bandleader, and educator James Gibbs III.

➡️ Mich Macs () 🍽️
Brick City native and former Food Network “Chopped” contestant Michele Vaccari Harriott brings her culinary artistry and Newark roots to the celebration.