SEPTEMBER

Tuesday, September 1
Course Introduction
/ Course overview
/ Review semester structure, projects, and expectations
/ Introduction to the Public Art Audit
/ Introduction to the client-based Design Consortium model
/ Overview of the research-through-design process

Thursday, September 3
What Is Community-Engaged Art?
/ Introduction to community-engaged art practices
/ Discussion of artists, projects, and methodologies
/ Framing the semester’s research and fieldwork
/ Introduction to public art as civic infrastructure

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Tuesday, September 8
Monday Schedule, No In Person Class
Student prepare for Tour 1: Newark Grounds
/ Review tour route
/ Introduction to Newark Grounds
/ Introduce field documentation and audit methods
/ Presentation assignments

Newark Grounds — Downtown Newark | Newark Grounds is a walkable cultural corridor connecting Newark Penn Station to Teachers Village and bringing together nearly 100 public artworks, cultural spaces, and arts initiatives. Led by Project for Empty Space, the corridor offers an introduction to Newark’s downtown public art ecosystem. The tour will include Project for Empty Space, Four Corners Public Arts, and Gateways to Newark: Portraits, providing students with an opportunity to examine how public art intersects with history, neighborhood identity, public space, and downtown development.

Thursday, September 10
Student-Led Tour 1: Newark Grounds – Meet at 800 Broad St. Newark, NJ
/ Field visit and documentation
/ Public Art Audit
/ Observation and discussion
/ Photography and visual archive collection
/ Student presentations

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Tuesday, September 15
Introduce Three Project Areas

1. Visual Identity & Information Design
2. Data & Documentation 
3. Artist Voices & Oral Histories
   

Tour 2 Preparation: Newark Artist Collaboration + Tubman Square
/ Review tour route
/ Introduction to Newark Artist Collaboration / Audible
/ Introduction to Tubman Square
/ Presentation assignments
/ Prepare field documentation

Newark Artist Collaboration + Tubman Square — Downtown Newark | This tour examines public art as a tool for supporting local artists, activating public space, and strengthening downtown cultural identity. The Newark Artist Collaboration has commissioned large-scale works by local artists and collectives throughout downtown, while Tubman Square offers an important civic space for considering the relationship between art, landscape, public gathering, and neighborhood history. Students will examine how artworks are commissioned, experienced, documented, and connected to the broader cultural life of the city.

Thursday, September 17
Student-Led Tour 2: Newark Artist Collaboration + Tubman Square

/ Field visit and documentation
/ Public Art Audit
/ Observation and discussion
/ Photography and visual archive collection
/ Student presentations

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Tuesday, September 22
Public Safety Interview + Tour 3 Preparation: City of Creators
Conversation with Rutgers Office of Public Safety examining how public art interacts with the public realm. The discussion will consider access, visibility, pedestrian movement, wayfinding, lighting, maintenance, stewardship, and how residents, students, workers, and visitors experience shared civic spaces. Students will consider how public art can contribute to a safe, legible, and welcoming environment and identify questions or data that could inform the Public Art Audit and final report.

Tour 3 Preparation: City of Creators
/ Review tour route/
/ Introduction to City of Creators
/ Examine storefront-based public art and the downtown public realm
/ Presentation assignments
/ Prepare field documentation

Thursday, September 24
Student-Led Tour 3: City of Creators

City of Creators — Downtown Newark | City of Creators transforms more than 20 vacant downtown storefronts into an arts corridor featuring work by local artists and organizations. Using windows and vacant commercial spaces as sites for cultural expression, the project connects artists, businesses, neighborhood narratives, and the changing downtown landscape. Students will consider how public art can create visibility, activate underused spaces, support local creative economies, and shape how people move through and understand a neighborhood.

/ Field visit and documentation
/ Public Art Audit
/ Observation and discussion
/ Photography and visual archive collection
/ Student presentations

—- TRANSITION —-

Tuesday, September 29
From Fieldwork to Design
/ Debrief all three tours
/ Review and organize field research
/ Connect field observations with the Public Safety interview
/ Identify patterns, gaps, and questions emerging from the audit
/ Introduce project teams and areas of focus
/ Begin group ideation

OCTOBER
Thursday, October 1
Group Breakout: Ideation
/ Establish group direction
/ Identify research questions
/ Review audit findings
/ Begin concept development
/ Assign roles and responsibilities

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Tuesday, October 6
Group Presentations: Initial Concepts
/ Present initial project directions
/ Group critique and discussion
/ Identify areas for further research
/ Establish next steps

Thursday, October 8
Project Development
/ Visual Identity & Information Design: Sketches and visual language
/ Printed Public Art Report: Structure and storyboard
/ Artist Voices & Oral Histories: Outreach and interview framework
Begin connecting research to design

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Tuesday, October 13
Group Breakout: Research + Development
/ Develop project concepts
/ Continue research and data gathering
/ Begin interviews and outreach
/ Develop visual and editorial systems
/ Faculty feedback

Thursday, October 15
Group Breakout: Research + Development
/ Continued project development
/ Refine concepts, content, and materials
/ Test early design systems
/ Prepare for class presentations

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Tuesday, October 20
Class Presentations: Project Progress
/  Present project development
/ Group critique
/ Review research, design, and storytelling
/ Establish revisions and next steps

Thursday, October 22
Refinement
/  Incorporate feedback
/  Refine visual, editorial, and research components
/  Strengthen project hierarchy and systems
/  Prepare client-facing materials

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Tuesday, October 27
Client Presentations: Project Directions
/ Present project concepts to client partners
/ Receive feedback
/ Test project goals, audiences, and approaches
/ Establish revision priorities

Thursday, October 29
Advancement
/ Respond to client feedback
/ Continue production and development
/ Confirm project structure and deliverables
/ Begin bringing research and design systems together

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NOVEMBER
Tuesday, November 3
Bringing the Elements Together
/ Assemble project components
/ Establish consistency across the project
/ Review visual and editorial hierarchy
/ Connect audit, research, interviews, photography, mapping, and design

Thursday, November 5
Project Development
/  Continued production
/ Group work sessions
/ Faculty feedback
/ Resolve content and design gaps

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Tuesday, November 10
First Draft
/ Complete first full draft
/ Review the project as a complete system
/ Identify gaps, inconsistencies, and areas for revision
/ Prepare for class critique

Thursday, November 12
Class Presentation: First Draft
/ Present first drafts
/ Group critique
/ Review content, design, usability, and narrative
/ Establish revision priorities

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Tuesday, November 17
Refinement
/ Revise based on critique
/ Strengthen content, design, organization, and information hierarchy
/ Continue production
/ Address research and documentation gaps

Thursday, November 19
Client Presentation: Revised Draft
/ Present revised work to client partners
/ Gather final client feedback
/ Review audience, accessibility, and usability
/ Establish final revisions

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Tuesday, November 24
Final Production Planning
/ Divide up final production tasks
/ Establish individual and group responsibilities
/ Confirm outstanding research, writing, design, and documentation
/ Finalize December production schedule

Thursday, November 26 // Thanksgiving — No Class

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DECEMBER
Tuesday, December 1
Draft 2: Full Project Review
/ Review second complete draft
/ Evaluate the project as a unified public resource
/ Final content and design revisions
/ Identify remaining production needs

Thursday, December 3
Final Production
/ Assemble final project components
/ Complete photography, maps, data visualizations, and editorial materials
/ Proofing and quality control
/ Address remaining gaps

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Tuesday, December 8
Final Review
/ Full project review
/ Final edits and refinements
/ Review consistency across the complete design system
/ Prepare presentation materials

Thursday, December 10
Final Presentation Preparation
/ Finalize presentations
/ Rehearse group presentations
/ Complete final documentation
/ Prepare materials for the 2027 Public Art Conference

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Tuesday, December 15
Final Presentations + Course Wrap-Up
/ Present completed projects
/ Review the final Public Art Report and supporting design system
/ Review the Public Art Audit & Visual Archive
/ Course reflection and discussion
/ Semester wrap-up