Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Tony Award-winning artist Savion Glover recently discussed the importance of the city’s arts and culture industry to strengthening Newark’s prosperity at a news conference.
The news conference followed the latest Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 study that revealed Newark’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $178.3 million in annual economic activity, supports nearly 5,000 full-time equivalent jobs and creates an additional $15.6 million in local and state government revenues.
“Communities that embrace arts and cultural education, activities and events are far richer than those who do not,” Baraka said. “Newark is a ‘City of the Arts,’ where access to spoken word events, musical and dance performances, film, art exhibits, theater offerings, museums and libraries add exponentially to our economic health.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the opening of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Prudential Center, which has become the nation’s seventh busiest arena. Both venues have hosted major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion.
Glover, a Newark native, set a record as the youngest person ever to receive a scholarship in the Newark Community School of the Arts.
“Newark has always been home, but also, it has always been an absolute cultural gem and the birthplace of so many talented artists and brilliant young people,” he said. “So I’m not surprised to see the incredible impact that the arts have on Newark as a whole and where we’re going as a city.”