L+M Development Partners LLC

Commissioned by L+M Development Partners LLC, Willie Cole created Spirit Catcher and Lumen-less Lantern, two large-scale, chandelier-like sculptures that address Newark’s water crisis and our planet’s plastic problem. Both can be viewed at Express Newark, as part of its Aliveness series.

"We have a water bottle crisis and a water crisis in general,” said Cole. “Plastic is killing the environment, and lead pipes have impacted big cities around the country, including in Newark. Making a public structure draws attention and makes people ask questions, which can lead to conversation and potential solutions." 

The sculptures are held together with metal wire and will hang year-long as installations in the Hahne building’s atrium and the lobby of Express Newark, the center for socially engaged art and design at Rutgers University-Newark.

Cole is 2023’s artist-in-residence at Express Newark.