Cherry Blossoms in Winter is a multimedia public art project engaging the energies of people across the city and the region to produce an inspiring scene of wonder. Hundreds of bare cherry trees in winter will
be the site of temporary art and sound installations where trunks and branches are wrapped, lit and hung in colors and sound producing an unforgettable spectacle. Participants will span K-1
6 and beyond: local school children and teachers, Arts & Science undergraduates and faculty from across Rutgers University – Newark and Essex County College, and working artists in the city of Newark and beyond. This project will give local school children an opportunity to actively engage with the Newark gem that is Essex County Branch Brook Park, a space and place that surprisingly many local children are unfamiliar with, famous for its collection of over 5000 flowering cherry trees that attract hundreds of thousands of admiring visitors each year. In cities like Newark where the fault lines of race, ethnicity and class often inhibit collaboration, this work with and through the school children of the city will bring citizens together in the creation of art - unlike anything Newark has seen in recent times. Materials used will be renewable and recycled —nothing is dispensable and the spirit of renewal marks the project vision.
“Cherry Blossoms in Winter” is unique in that it will bring a new awareness to notions of art, environment, public space, and community engagement and encourage people to see the city in a new way.
