A staircase can easily become so routine that the climb is the only thing passersby think about or remember. At the intersection of Clinton Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a vibrant public art and environmental initiative is offering residents and commuters a compelling reason to pause and look again.
Unveiled in mid-October, the Stories of MLK Boulevard staircase mural brings the multi-generational artistry of Kaishon Way, Patricia Arias-Reynolds, and Mohammed Awudu directly to the steps of 151 Clinton Avenue.
Led by non-profit organization Keep Newark Beautiful, the installation integrates public art into the daily rhythm of the neighborhood alongside an intentional push to make the surrounding transit gateway cleaner, greener, and more resilient.
For Keep Newark Beautiful Executive Director Sabrina “Bri” Ross, who assumed leadership of the organization in May 2024, the initiative is rooted in celebrating the intrinsic worth of the Brick City. “She’s already beautiful,” Ross said of Newark. “We want to continue to unveil that.”
Environmental Roots: Greening the Corridor Before the Paint
The transformation of the gateway began long before the first brushstroke met concrete. Working in partnership with the City of Newark’s Office of Sustainability, Resilience, and Community Transformation, Keep Newark Beautiful treated the staircase as an environmental anchor:
- Corridor Canopy: Earlier in the spring, crews planted 50 trees along the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard corridor to expand the urban tree canopy and provide future shade for pedestrians.
- Parkland Blooms: In the pocket park adjacent to the staircase, volunteers planted 28 rose bushes, introducing vibrant ground-level florals.
- Civic Infrastructure: The initiative aligns with Keep Newark Beautiful’s broader Clean & Cool Spaces program, which has installed approximately 50 cigarette litter receptacles across Newark commercial corridors to combat micro-litter.
Supported by funding from the Keep America Beautiful Martin Luther King Community Grant and an AARP Community Challenge Grant, the staircase redesign establishes a clean, dignified entryway for students, daily transit commuters, and local residents.
Distinct Voices, One Shared Canvas
Rather than commissioning a single artist, organizers divided the extensive scale of the steps to showcase three distinct creative perspectives, each exploring themes of historical perseverance, identity, and care:
- Kaishon Way: Creating his first public mural, Way drew inspiration from his grandmother’s lived experiences and the legacy of the Montgomery bus boycott. His composition layers blue and red palettes with native New Jersey wildflowers, physically grounding civil rights history within the local ecosystem. As pedestrians climb the steps, Way’s work turns the physical ascent into an experience of resilience and progress.
- Patricia Arias-Reynolds: A renowned visual artist and mosaic muralist, Arias-Reynolds centers her work on cultural preservation and immigrant roots. Supported by Newark-based non-profit GlassRoots, her section features an intricate mosaic of three hearts symbolizing shared community care, hope, and belonging across Latinx and diaspora traditions.
- Mohammed Awudu: Completing the collaborative installation, Awudu’s visual contributions provide vibrant textures and energy that tie the different artistic visions into a harmonious whole.
Sustaining the Vision
The mural marks the opening phase of a broader multi-part community arts initiative along MLK Boulevard. Project coordinators are currently developing a second phase, exploring potential installations including neighborhood book nooks and interpretive educational signage highlighting corridor history.
As the newly planted trees take root and the painted steps welcome thousands of daily commutes, the ultimate measure of the project lies in ongoing civic stewardship.
“How do we ultimately make people feel good about where they live?” asked Ross. At 151 Clinton Avenue, the answer begins one step at a time.
