Visual Arts Center of New Jersey

The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey in Summit, only blocks away from The Debary Inn, has on display exhibitions that celebrate the Newark-based arts organization, Gallery Aferro, which recently closed after 20 years.  

Through May 24th, the VACNJ's Main Gallery features, "Gallery Aferro: Dignity and Beauty," with works by Katrina Bello, Anjali Benjamin-Webb, Ruth Borgenicht, Amy Faris, Krystle Lemonias, Kara Lynch, Bud McNichol, Lisette Morel, and Steve Rossi.  The Art addresses themes of family, loss, memory and place.

The Stair-gazing Gallery showcases work by Hidemi Takagi, a photographer, visual artist and social practitioner who documents diverse community members in her Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.  By interviewing her subjects and encouraging them to wear attire that reflects their cultural backgrounds, the artist investigates the public and private sides of racial identity.

The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is located at 68 Elm St, Summit, NJ. Tel. (908) 273-9121  www.artcenternj.org