About Express Newark

Our Mission

Express Newark is a center for socially engaged art and design in Newark, NJ, where people co-create, collaborate, and make art for social change.

Since 2021, Express Newark has been led by Pulitzer-prize-winning critic and curator Salamishah Tillet as its executive director and conceptual artist and award-winning photographer Nick Kline as its creative director.

Where we are

In the spirit of adaptive reuse, Express Newark opened in downtown Newark, NJ, in 2017 as a 50,000-square-foot art space in the restored Hahne & Company building, home to the former iconic department store.

What you can do

Supported by Rutgers University – Newark, Express Newark uses a hybrid model of Rutgers faculty, staff, and community artists to support its programming, residencies, and art education. Community members can access its numerous art galleries, meeting spaces, learning labs, and the following art studios: 3D design printing; a digital storytelling, video, and podcast production lab; a portrait photography studio; a public art initiative; and a harmony lab.

Our artist and curator residencies are deeply committed to ensuring that contemporary artists, many of whom are born or based in Newark, have the opportunity to experiment, exhibit, and educate others about their new artworks while also providing them with a platform to drive national conversations about art and social change. Express Newark’s exhibitions, art education classes, and programs actively cultivate a dynamic, open, and welcoming space for artists of all ages.