DREAMTIME IN NEWARK
Aljira and the Making of Global Contemporary Art

Join us for the opening of our newest exhibition Dreamtime in Newark: Aljira and the Making of Global Contemporary Art, on view from October 16, 2026 to June 20, 2027 at The Newark Museum of Art.

Dreamtime in Newark charts the groundbreaking impact of Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art, and its 35-year tenure in Newark. Featuring works in a wide range of media by 46 artists, the exhibition brings together loans from distinguished private and public collections and from the Museum’s global collection of contemporary art.

Thursday, October 15

A fully illustrated exhibition catalog with contributions by Alliyah Allen, Monisha Bernard, Dawould Bey, Tricia Laughlin Bloom, Cicely Cottingham, Mark Krasovic, Nell Irvin Painter, fayemi shakur, and Salamisha Tillet. Edited by Alliyah Allen and Tricia Laughlin Bloom; published by The Newark Museum of Art in association with Rutgers University Press.

5 pm – The event kicks off with a book signing and an opportunity to meet catalog authors and artists.

6 pm – Enjoy first access to the exhibition, light refreshments, and a chance to connect with fellow artists and art lovers.

Dreamtime in Newark: Aljira and the Making of Global Contemporary Art is organized by The Newark Museum of Art in collaboration with The Aljira Archive Project.

The exhibition is co-curated by Alliyah Allen, independent curator, and Tricia Laughlin Bloom, Senior Curator of American Art, with Monisha Bernard, Curatorial Assistant.

Generous support provided by The Mellon Foundation, The Terra Foundation for American Art, The Merrill G. and Emita E. Hastings Foundation, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is made possible from Corporate, Foundation, and Individual sources.