heartbeat of the city 2026
coLAB Arts is requesting applications for eight (8) available artist residencies in New Brunswick, NJ from artists in the New Jersey/New York/Pennsylvania region. Artists and artist teams will be responsible for creating a temporary public art installation, to be installed at various locations along a three-quarters of a mile route in New Brunswick as part of the city’s inaugural Heartbeat of the City Arts Festival, September and October, 2026.
The Public Art Artist Residency will be for 10 months, from March - December, 2026, and will include a free, private studio space with 24 hour access in New Brunswick, and a $10,000 commission to create a new public art piece.
BACKGROUND
coLAB Arts, in partnership with the City of New Brunswick and other local and state organizations, will be producing the inaugural Heartbeat of the City Festival in Fall 2026. The one day festival will shut down three-quarters of a mile of Route 27 (Albany and French Streets), which connects New Brunswick’s Downtown and Latine-majority Esperanza Neighborhoods. The festival’s focus will be on supporting the development of a Central Jersey visual art market between artists, galleries, and collectors, as well as soften the boundaries between these two neighborhoods. The festival is made possible through a grant from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority A.R.T. Phase 2 program.