Leo Aristimuño: Selections from The Newark Mosaic

Leo Aristimuño created The Newark Mosaic as a combination of journalism, community activism and documentary production. This multi-media, web-based project combines video, social networking, and hyperlink technologies to represent the city of Newark through stories from Newark residents of various ages, backgrounds, and cultures. The video productions are then distributed on a multimedia website along with works from other Newark media makers, forming a collaborative platform for dialogue. The project also trains and equips students and members of the community to create, edit, and distribute their own works on the project website. Through this combination of images and narratives, Aristimuño seeks to dispel negative stereotypes of Newark and present the stories of Newarkers in a respectful, dignified way. Aristimuño is ultimately interested in exploring the potential of new media technologies to directly affect the media landscape of Newark and, by extension, of urban America.