Why I Still Have Hope
Dear Friend,
My eyes welled up recently as I watched nine-year-old Jaziah Bryant, pounding out the notes to the tune “Simple Gifts.”
Jaziah Bryant enjoys a pre-COVID moment at the piano
A resident of Newark’s Pennington public housing complex, Jaziah is a student of the nonprofit Keys to Success. As a pianist myself, I was moved by her persistency. She persisted as her earnest instructors were forced to teach from behind a computer screen. Simple gifts, indeed. I was proud that Newark Arts made an ArtStart grant to Keys to Success to inspire youth at Pennington.
I got teary again when I saw the quilted faces of Bisa Butler’s “The Warmth of Other Sons,” a powerful interpretation of the Great Migration.
The work is at the free
www.NewarkArtsFestival.com/virtualgallery, which Newark Arts created in partnership with The Newark Museum of Art. Next to Bisa’s piece were 19 works by amazing artists, mostly local, each telling a compelling story—of immigration, justice and triumph over adversity.
Detail from Bisa Butler’s quilted “The Warmth of Other Sons,” 2020
I share these stories to let you know there is hope. Hope that the arts can amplify the voices and issues that move us as a city, as a society.
Before COVID-19, we could count on the arts—they drove millions of dollars’ worth of jobs and education activity to our local economy. Even as the pandemic has ground many arts activities to a halt, Newark Arts is powering forth.
I promise that we’ll continue to make ArtStart grants for girls like Jaziah. We’ll fight for platforms like the Newark Arts Festival that lift up justice through the lens of artists and creatives.
Thank you for your past support. During this season of giving, if you can, please chip in to help Newark Arts invest in others during this difficult time. Your gift, no matter the size, provides hope that we can still make a difference through the arts.
Click here to Donate.
Best wishes for safe and hope-filled holidays.
Jeremy V. Johnson
Executive Director
Newark Arts –
Powering the arts to transform lives