In our Community

Boys and Girls Club: Teen Leadership Lab

At GlassRoots, we approach public art as a vehicle for youth leadership, civic engagement and community impact. This project at the Boys & Girls Club is structured as a Teen Mosaic Mural Leadership Lab pilot: an initiative where young people lead the creative process from concept through installation. Through this program, participants learn mosaic as both an artistic discipline and a form of advocacy. Guided by GlassRoots teaching artists, they build technical skills while developing leadership, collaboration, and project management experience. Students work collectively to design artwork that reflects their perspectives, shared values and the collaborative spirit of the Boys and Girls club—positioning public art as a tool for storytelling and social change. The program culminates in the creation and installation of permanent mosaic elements at the Boys & Girls Club, designed and fabricated by the students.

This pilot advances GlassRoots’ commitment to empowering youth to shape their environments while contributing to a more vibrant, equitable and community-driven public realm. We are always looking for future partners!

As part of the MLK Boulevard revitalization initiative, GlassRoots, in partnership with the Newark Office of Sustainability, developed the Martin Luther King Jr. Planter Project—an integrated public art installation designed to enhance the corridor while honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr..

This series of artist-designed planters combined bold visual elements with powerful words, quotes and symbols drawn from Dr. King’s teachings. Each planter explored a central theme—Revolutionary, Injustice, Dream, Faith, Love, Equality, Hope and Justice—pairing iconic quotations with accessible imagery such as doves, stars, unity hands and peace symbols. Together, these elements created a cohesive visual narrative that invited reflection on social justice, community resilience, and collective responsibility.

Installed along MLK Boulevard, the project functioned as both streetscape enhancement and a platform for public dialogue. By embedding messages of equity, compassion, and action into the built environment, the initiative contributed to a more vibrant, welcoming corridor while reinforcing community identity and shared values.

The initiative was led by GlassRoots and Newark Science and Sustainability, Inc., located at the Garden of Hope—an urban farm in the West Ward of Newark—in partnership with NJIT Honors College volunteers and the NJIT Urban Transformation Leadership team, funded by the Newark Arts ArtStart Grant. The project was facilitated by GlassRoots teaching artists and the program director, who guided participants through the design and fabrication process while fostering creativity, collaboration, and community pride. Together, these collaborators ensured the project not only beautified the space but also strengthened local connections and advanced a shared vision of a healthier, more sustainable Newark.

This community-driven project featured the creation and installation of a glass mosaic mural along the concrete edge of the Greenhouse facing the urban farm gardens. Designed as both a work of public art and a platform for dialogue, the mural used the arts as a catalyst for community engagement and social change. Through themes of food justice, health, and sustainability, the project sparked conversations that connected residents through active community feedback, as to the issues shaping their neighborhood while empowering them to play an active role in the creative process.

The Great Oaks Community Mural Project exemplifies GlassRoots’ commitment to community-centered engagement. In response to concerns from residents, parents, and school staff about an unsafe and blighted alley, we partnered with the Office of Sustainability, Newark Downtown District, NJIT Albert Dorman Honors College students, and Great Oaks leadership to co-design a revitalization strategy as well as produce 5 mosaic mural portraits that adorn the alley.

Through collaborative mural-making and a tree-planting initiative involving more than 30 students, the project transformed the space while fostering shared ownership. A long-term street maintenance plan, supported by the Newark Downtown District, ensures continued care. Building on this success, GlassRoots is advancing additional  public art projects with numerous partners across the city.

GlassRoots proudly partnered with the American Glass Guild as an official host site for the 2026 American Glass Guild Conference!

Between August 3rd – 1oth, our studios welcomed an exciting international gathering of stained glass artists, conservators, educators, and enthusiasts to our state-of-the-art Newark studios for a series of hands-on workshops and the special survey exhibition “American Glass Now” which remains on view through early September. This partnership highlights GlassRoots’ commitment to expanding access to glass arts while connecting our local creative community with leading artists and professionals from around the world. Visit https://www.americanglassguild.org/ to learn more.