(NEWARK, NJ) -- World-renowned artist Bisa Butler and Grammy Award-winning artist Durand Bernarr will headline the 2026 Newark Arts Festival, returning October 7–11 for five days of exhibitions, music, performance, artist conversations, family programming, open studios and late-night arts experiences across Newark.
The annual festival, Newark Arts Council’s 25th, brings together internationally recognized artists, emerging talent, cultural institutions and independent creative spaces under the theme On Purpose. The citywide celebration is one of New Jersey’s largest arts festivals.
Butler will take part in the festival’s opening-night artist conversation and bring her curatorial vision to a signature exhibition, Bisa Butler Presents. Bernarr will appear Saturday at The Newark Museum of Art for An Evening with Durand Bernarr an intimate conversation and live performance centered on artistry, process and purpose.
The festival will also feature the 74-artist On Purpose: The 25th Anniversary Exhibition, the Newark Arts Council Ball, the downtown Art Night Out art crawl, NAF Kids, emerging and independent performers at The Set List, and Open Doors Studio Tours throughout the city.
The festival is one of Newark’s longest-running celebrations of arts and culture. The anniversary coincides with Newark Arts Council’s 45th year of supporting artists and strengthening the city’s cultural life.
“Newark has never needed permission to be an arts city,” said Lauren LeBeaux Craig, Executive Director of Newark Arts Council. “This year’s festival captures Newark’s creative daring — its independence, its verve, and its refusal to be limited. You’ll see it in the artistry of Bisa Butler and Durand Bernarr, in emerging artists, and in kids creating art across Newark every day. That’s what On Purpose means to us: knowing what we have here, investing in it, and making sure it moves forward.”
"Curating this festival requires the same intentionality and cultural preservation as directing a great work of theater,” said Daryl L. Stewart, Executive Producer of the Newark Arts Festival. “On Purpose is an intentional love letter to Newark’s fierce, unapologetic, and creative arts community—a place where global legends and homegrown visionaries come together to showcase why this festival remains so vital to our city.”
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 — FESTIVAL KICKOFF + ON PURPOSE @ Express Newark. The festival opens with the NAF Festival Kickoff and reception for On Purpose: The 25th Anniversary Exhibition, the festival’s signature group exhibition featuring 74 artists responding to questions of purpose and the forces that propel their creative practices.
Opening night expands across all three floors of Express Newark with exhibitions, open studios, music and performance, along with an artist conversation featuring Bisa Butler.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 — NEWARK ARTS COUNCIL BALL @ The Newark Museum of Art. Following last year’s sold-out Gold Ball, the Newark Arts Council Ball returns for an evening bringing together art, fashion, music and performance while celebrating people who have helped shape Newark’s cultural landscape.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 — ART NIGHT OUT + BISA BUTLER PRESENTS @ Downtown Newark and Newark ArtSpace at Vermella Broad. Now in its second year, Art Night Out @ NAF turns downtown Newark into an evening-long art crawl, inviting visitors to move among galleries, independent spaces, exhibitions, performances, food and pop-up programming.
Bisa Butler’s Signature Exhibition - The evening also marks the public opening of Bisa Butler Presents at Newark ArtSpace at Vermella Broad, 355 Broad Street. The signature exhibition brings Butler’s curatorial perspective to Newark following a private preview for invited corporate partners and guests.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 — NAF KIDS + THE SET LIST + DURAND BERNARR @ Locations across Newark and The Newark Museum of Art. Saturday puts the spotlight on both the next generation and artists shaping what comes next.
NAF Kids features a Newark Public Schools youth art exhibition, interactive visual arts activities, music and performances for young people and families.
The Set List gives emerging and independent artists an intimate stage with the energy of a great house party.
Intimate Conversation and Live Performance Featuring Durand Bernarr - On Saturday evening, Grammy Award-winning artist Durand Bernarr appears at The Newark Museum of Art for An Evening With Durand Bernarr, combining intimate conversation and live performance in an exploration of artistry, creative process and purpose.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11 — OPEN DOORS STUDIO TOURS @ Studios and creative spaces across Newark. The festival closes with one of its longest-standing traditions. During Open Doors Studio Tours, artists, makers and independent creative spaces invite the public inside the places where work is created.
Visitors can meet artists, discover new work and purchase directly from creators while exploring Newark’s creative community throughout the city.
The festival’s 25th anniversary arrives as Newark Arts Council marks 45 years of service to the city’s creative community. But On Purpose is less about looking back than asking what comes next:
What drives artists to create — and what will it take to sustain a thriving Newark arts community for generations to come?
That question also informs Newark Arts Council’s On Purpose Capital Campaign, an investment in the organization’s long-term ability to support artists and deliver accessible cultural programming throughout Newark.
Newark Arts Festival is grateful for the support of sponsors and partners including Prudential Financial, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, City of Newark, Hanini Group, Express Newark, The Newark Museum of Art and NJPAC.
For festival information and tickets, visit newarkartsfestival.com.
For 45 years, Newark Arts Council has championed the arts as a powerful force for cultural, social and economic growth in Newark. Through artist opportunities, advocacy, partnerships, public programming and Newark Arts Festival, Newark Arts Council works to strengthen the city’s creative ecosystem and ensure that artists remain central to Newark’s future.
Newark Arts stands as a beacon driving Newark's global recognition as a City of the Arts. Newark Arts has nurtured the city's arts and culture ecosystem, enriching the lives of all Newarkers. The mission of Newark Arts is to power the arts to transform lives. Established in 1981 as the Newark Arts Council, the organization’s vision is to become a nationally recognized catalyst for the collaborative power of the arts in the City of Newark and urban America. Newark Arts is the producer of the Newark Arts Festival and Newark Creates, a community-led citywide cultural plan, created in partnership with the City of Newark. Key initiatives include Arts Education Newark (AEN) and the ArtStart community grantmaking program. Newark Arts is generously supported by Prudential Financial, the City of Newark, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Victoria Foundation, Turrell Fund, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, Hanini Group, TD Bank, Vermella Broad, individuals, businesses, and institutions
Keitaro Harada conductor
New Jersey Symphony
Xian Zhang conductor
George Li piano
New Jersey Symphony
Eric Jacobsen conductor
Christian McBride double bass
Chris Komer horn
New Jersey Symphony
