Gifted & Proud: Selections from Edmund W. Pease and Nurak Israsena’s Collection features modern, contemporary, and decorative works of art that have been gifted to Aljira. This exhibition serves as an art sale to benefit Aljira. Artists include Pablo Agudelo, Jean Arp, Charoon Boonsuan, Paul Cadmus, Jose Camacho, Sonia Chusit, Agnes W. Crowley, Edgar Degas, Mary Lou Dooley, John Elwyn, Hans Erni, Luis Garcia, Allan Gussow, Eikoh Hosoe, Peter Jacobs, Michael Kelly, Ronald King, Bruce Klauck, Dame Laura Knight, Richard Koppe, studio of Ambrosius Lamm, Lancelott, George Lewis, Edward Liang, George Luks, William Chester Lyman, Joan Miró, Seth Montgomery, Francisco Mora, Elizabeth Parmalee, Antonio Petracca, Eligio Pichardo, Robert Porter, Ernestine Rubin, Josette Urso, Alison Weld, Lawrence M. Williams, Suchart Wongtong, among others.

Culture Creators, a program of Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art presents Unlocked: Reflections of Myself, an exhibition of works created by 127 student artists from Newark’s Arts High School, Malcolm X Shabazz High School, and Weequahic High School. (Please note: this exhibition runs through June 18, 2008.)

The Beautiful Ones presents new and recent works by up-and-coming artists who are engaged with issues of mortality and reverence for the dead. Produced in mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture, and video, these works are contemporary memento mori and portraits of or homages to individuals, real or fictional. Artists include Pepper Fajans, Juanita Lanzó, Irini Karayannopoulou, Jayson Keeling, Tim McDonnell, Larilyn Sanchez and Riza Manalo.