On Saturday, August 20th, 2022, Regional Plan Association (RPA), The Friends of Nat Turner Park, and United Parks As One, in partnership with the City of Newark and The Trust for Public Land, will host an event entitled ​“Honoring the Spirit of Rebellion.” This will be part of a weekend celebration of Nat Turner’s fight for freedom and the people who were instrumental in the development of Nat Turner Park.

This free event will take place from 12pm to 4pm and kick off with a drum procession. Come enjoy family-friendly activities, such as face painting and stencil art. Learn about the history of the art present within the park, including the metalwork by Newark-based artist Jerry Gant at the park’s entrances and the resident-designed tiles at the amphitheater. Record your own history on the Newark Story Bus, a mobile sound booth and portrait studio that will be collecting the rich stories about the park and nearby neighborhood. Around 12:30pm, the community members who made this park possible will be honored.

For questions, please email [email protected].

We’d like to thank The Trust for Public Land and the City of Newark for their long-time support of Nat Turner Park. We’d also like to thank the City of Newark for their generous donation of equipment for the event. Registration is encouraged. Rain date is Saturday, August 27th.

About Nat Turner Park

Nat Turner Park, the largest city-owned park in Newark, sits between Muhammad Ali Avenue and 18th Avenue, across from Central High School and adjacent to the former 18th Avenue School. In the 1970s, activists from Newark’s Central Ward demanded green space in their community. Eventually, the group won the right to 9-acres of land, which they boldly designated as Nat Turner Park, to commemorate the revolutionary’s contribution to Black freedom from slavery. Developed on a site that lay fallow and undeveloped for decades, Nat Turner Park became a model of creative placemaking, through a strong, committed partnership of The Friends of Nat Turner Park, other community members, city agencies, and local schools led by The Trust for Public Land.

Through these interactive sessions, the community identified a cultural motif for the park – interpreting the evolution of African and African American music – using public art mediums. Tiles produced by community members as part of a mosaic project led by artist Katherine Hackl adorn the stairway risers at the amphitheater. Colorful steel sculptures by local visual artist Jerry Gant welcome visitors at each of the five entrances to the park. In addition to this exquisite artwork, Nat Turner Park has a running track and playing field, tree plantings, playgrounds, and picnic areas.