Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art

Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art
Map
Establishedc. 1983
Dissolved2018
Location591 Broad St., Newark 07102
Coordinates40°44′28″N 74°10′10″W / 40.741028°N 74.169528°W / 40.741028; -74.169528
TypeContemporary art
DirectorDexter Wimberly (2016 - 2018)
Websitewww.aljira.org

Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art was an artist-centered space in Newark, New Jersey, United States founded in 1983, designated a Major Arts Organization by New Jersey's State Council on the Arts.[1]

Aljira displayed the work of both established and emerging or under-represented artists.[2] The center also sold books, fine art and prints through an online store, and held an auction of fine art each spring.[3] Its name, an Australian Aboriginal word for dreamtime, was intended to suggest timelessness and open possibilities. In 1993, Aljira was chosen by the Federal Advisory Committee on International Exhibitions to organize the U.S. representation at the IV Bienal Internacional de Pintura in Cuenca, Ecuador.[4] The center held an annual program, Aljira Emerge, to prepare artists for the marketplace; its initial focus on painting expanded to sculpture, installation and video art. Its tenth show in 2009, E10, featured 22 active artists based in the northeast United States. [5]

Aljira closed in 2018 amid financing difficulties.[6]

  1. ^ "Aljira, A Center For Contemporary Art". State of New Jersey, Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism. Archived from the original on 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  2. ^ "Aljira, A Center for Contemporary Art". Planting Rice. Archived from the original on 2013-01-31. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  3. ^ Murphy-Lupo, Stephanie (2012-05-15). Day Trips® from New Jersey: Getaway Ideas for the Local Traveler. Globe Pequot. pp. 35–36. ISBN 978-0-7627-8577-3. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  4. ^ "About Aljira". Aljira. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  5. ^ BENJAMIN GENOCCHIO (August 30, 2009). "A Decade of Emergence" (PDF). New York Times. Retrieved 2012-08-08.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ Mitter, Siddartha (10 July 2020). "Newark Artists, Thriving Amid Crisis and Catharsis". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 November 2021.