Grammy Museum Experience Prudential Center and Prudential Financial, Inc. Announce Plans for Whitney Houston Mural in Newark’s Central Ward

City of Newark, Newark Arts, The Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District, Baldwin Equities and The Estate of Whitney E. Houston join Prudential Center, Prudential Financial Inc. to bring iconic Whitney Mural to life to celebrate city’s rich music history

Artist Maude Lemaire selected to create mosaic mural in Newark’s Central Ward

Virtual mural unveiling event set for late-November will feature interviews with key stakeholders, live ribbon cutting and more

NEWARK, NJ – OCT. 19, 2020 – GRAMMY Museum Experience^TM Prudential Center along with proud founding partner, Prudential Financial, Inc., the City of Newark, Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District, Baldwin Equities and Newark Arts have announced plans regarding a Whitney Houston mosaic mural, which will be located in Newark’s Central Ward. The newest mural installation is the second of five murals planned for the city. Newark-based Artist Maude Lemaire who specializes in beautiful hand-cut glass mosaic murals was selected to create the second installation.

Installment of the mural began in mid-October, with an official virtual unveiling event set for late-November. The virtual event will feature one-on-one interviews with Artist Maude Lemaire, as well as key stakeholders from Prudential Financial, Prudential Center, Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District and others. There will be a live look at the ribbon cutting ceremony at the conclusion of the event.

The economic and intangible benefits of public art are well known, including the power of murals to celebrate the unique and rich cultural history of a place, while transforming spaces that increase foot traffic and tourism, and contributing to the growing vibrancy of a neighborhood. This collaboration adds another colorful thread to the exciting revitalization happening in Newark and honors the city’s rich musical roots. The 19’x28’ mural will be comprised of over 1,000 lbs of hand-cut glass mosaic and will be located at 45 Williams Street, Newark, NJ 07102 in Newark’s Central Ward. Prudential Center and Prudential Financial Inc. worked in partnership with Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District and Baldwin Equities to make the determination to install the mural on the façade of William House, a new community-focused mixed-use project featuring apartments and a variety of amenities. It will be placed directly next to Teachers Village and sit just three blocks from Prudential Center.

“Whitney Houston’s dynamic career remains one of the most decorated in music history and her connection to and impact on the city of Newark will forever be celebrated,” said Natasha Moody, Senior Vice President, Business Operations, Prudential Center. “We are honored to bring this extraordinary mural to life in Newark’s Central Ward alongside Prudential Financial, Inc., the City of Newark, Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District, Baldwin Equities and Newark Arts. The mural serves as another powerful reminder of the Whitney Houston’s legacy, as well as the rich music history of the city and the state of New Jersey.

“We are excited to collaborate with the City of Newark, Newark Arts, Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District, the Estate of Whitney Houston and the Prudential Center for the Whitney Houston mosaic mural project,” said Shané Harris, vice president, head of Social Responsibility & Partnerships, Prudential Financial, Inc. “This second mural continues Prudential’s commitment to creating new cultural spaces which celebrate Newark’s vibrant arts community with residents in the Central Ward."

“Whitney Houston is one of Newark’s most legendary figures in our long history of being a city of great diversity and distinct voices,” Mayor Ras J. Baraka said. "Her voice may have come only once in a lifetime, but her songs and her sound will move and inspire generations for years to come. Creating a mural in her honor in her native city not only recognizes her great talent but enables today’s talent to shine, adding new pages to our artistic history.”

"As a Central Ward native and member of the New Hope Baptist Church, I am so thrilled and honored to witness a mural dedicated to Whitney Houston, be installed here in the Central Ward,” said LaMonica R. McIver, Council Member, Central Ward, City of Newark. “This dedication has been in the works for a very long time and is long overdue. Whitney Houston is an icon to the world and especially to us here in Newark. This honor is so well deserved. Thank you to all the partners who made this possible.”

“Having a presence in Newark is certainly an honor for Whitney's Legacy,” said Pat Houston, Executor, The Estate of Whitney E. Houston. “This Mural represents a continuation of an Iconic Legend who undoubtedly will be remembered as the greatest voice for centuries to come. Thank you Prudential Center, Prudential Financial Inc. and the City of Newark for this recognition.”

Maude Lemaire is a self- taught artist with glass medium and her objective is to bring more vibrant colors and shapes with an avant-garde touch into the world. Her works consists of modern, timeless, and unique mosaic concepts and have depicted famous portraits created in a variety of colored tiles and sizes. Lemaire has been commissioned by the cities of Newark and Jersey City to create and install personal conceptual mosaic works in several locations.

Houston has sold over 200 million combined albums, singles and videos internationally throughout her career with Arista Records and is the only artist to chart seven consecutive #1 Billboard Hot 100 songs including “Saving All My Love For You”, “How Will I Know”, “Greatest Love Of All”, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”, “So Emotional” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”. Houston was also the first woman to enter the Billboard 200 album chart at #1 with her second album, Whitney. In 2009, Guinness World Records cited her as the most awarded female act of all time releasing seven studio albums and two soundtrack albums all that have been certified diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Whitney is a 2020 inductee into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which will broadcast on November 7 on HBO and an estate-sanctioned biopic is currently being planned for a 2022 release.

About the GRAMMY Museum Experience™ Prudential Center

Built and operated by Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, the 8,000-square-foot GRAMMY Museum Experience^TM is housed within Prudential Center. The Experience marks the first GRAMMY Museum outpost to be built on the East Coast and, similar to the original GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, the Experience is dedicated to exploring the past, present and future of music, and the cultural context from which it emerges, while casting a focused spotlight on the deep musical roots of New Jersey. The Experience features a dynamic combination of educational programming including Summer Session, “Spotlight Series” and “An Evening With Series” and interactive permanent and traveling exhibits, including a spotlight on legendary GRAMMY winners from New Jersey. For more information about GRAMMY Museum Experience™ Prudential Center, visit GRAMMYMuseumExp.org.

About Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial wellness leader and premier active global investment manager with more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2020, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com.