PODCAST: Express Newark

Producer Susan Wallner spoke to the co-directors of Express Newark, Anne Schaper Englot and Victor Davson. They call it a “third space” – where public scholarship and community engagement are opening up an exciting new chapter in Newark’s cultural history.

The elegant old Hahne and Co. Department Store in Newark, shuttered for 30 years, is now home to a new experiment in the arts. Along with the first Whole Foods in the city, apartments and a new restaurant, it’s home to Express Newark – an “arts incubator” conceived by Rutgers University-Newark in collaboration with community arts leaders. 

Popular programs include the weekly open studio at the Newark Print Shop, the free facilities at Shine Portrait Studio and the changing exhibitions at the Paul Robeson Gallery.

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About the author: Susan Wallner is a principal of PCK Media, an independent production company. She is the co-series producer of the public television program 'State of the Arts,' a job that has introduced her to a wealth of talent and artistic diversity over the years. Susan's documentaries and performance specials have aired nationally. Most recently, her profile of the writer, aviator and celebrity, 'Anne Morrow Lindbergh: You’ll Have the Sky,' won the 2017 Mid-Atlantic Emmy for Best Feature Writing (it was Susan's 15th regional Emmy win). Narrated by Judith Light and Lily Rabe, it aired throughout the country on PBS and PBS World, and is available on DVD. Currently, Susan is working on a documentary about the self-taught city planner, builder, and artist, Kea Tawana.