The city of Camden has always been a harbor of talent.
From legendary natives like Tasha Smith and Tye Tribbett to Lola Falana and Leon Huff, the tradition of cultivating talent has continued to today.
As an educator in the city, I’ve had the privilege of working with talented students who have gone on to become stars in their own respective domains. As a native myself, and son of the city, I’ve enjoyed returning to the community that raised me to see the current work of talented stars dedicated to shining a light on the place I’ve called home, such as Brittany Anne Baum.
Baum was also born in Camden. A daughter of the city, she’s a painter and illustrator based in Philadelphia with her own art studio. Baum’s work features bold medium- to large-scale figurative portraits and artifactual paintings of Black women, rooted in vintage editorial and Afrocentric elements. Although her work has been featured nationally, she always returns to South Jersey to share her gift with the people.
Art as a Catalyst for Change
Camden Fireworks is equally as committed to giving back to the city.
Led by Jazlyne Sabree, Camden Fireworks, is a community-centered art gallery whose mission is to use art to create social change. Located in the Waterfront South community of Camden, the organization envisions a more vibrant Camden through equitable, inclusive access to the creative community. Through years of community art exhibits and public art contributions, Camden Fireworks has consistently advanced its vision and goals.
Over the summer, with help from Brittany Anne Baum and other local artists, the gallery had the opportunity to show why its mission to magnify public art matters. Thanks to a grant from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), Camden Fireworks commissioned artists to create public art that further elevates the Waterfront South community as Camden’s arts district.
The project, titled Art In The Commons 2026, was a partnership with The Henson Heritage and Training Center, the Nick Virgilio Writers House, the Center for Environmental Transformation, and the Heart of Camden. On Friday, August 21, the artists’ work was announced and displayed during a guided tour and ribbon-cutting ceremony held in the community. Baum created the project’s centerpiece: a mural welcoming the Waterfront South community at the Heart of Camden building, located at 1838 Broadway.
These public art pieces speak to the beauty and resilience of a community that has faced its share of challenges over the past year and a half—a community that has suffered from dangerous levels of pollution due to the numerous chemical fires at the nearby EMR plant facility, for example, along with other environmental risk factors. This portion of the city is heavily populated by African Americans, who disproportionately suffer from asthma throughout the state of New Jersey, further emphasizing the need for art that can act as a catalyst for change.
Reclaiming Camden’s Narrative
But contrary to this marginalization, Camden and its residents are not defined by the pollution imposed on them.
Instead, Camden is defined by the beauty of its residents and the creativity, talent and potential of its youth. The public art that was commissioned by Camden fireworks captures this truth mixed with the complexity of living in a community that is plagued by systemic racism and blamed for the crime, violence and poverty it produces.
Public art gives the community an opportunity to take back the narrative and redefine who it is. It denies a social-structure narrative that declares a community and its people unworthy of justice. It is a tactic of governance: an affirmation of who we are to each other, where the community announces to itself that it is worthy of justice and that justice will prevail in its hands.
