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Galleries at Kean: Spring 2026
Paper Trails by Laura Shabazz
Paper Trails reflects the traces we leave behind the evidence of living, thinking, and imagining embedded in discarded printed materials. Each scrap of paper once carried someone’s words, marks, or gestures, forming fragments of communication that together tell the quiet story of our existence. In this exhibition, Laura Shabazz diverts books, magazines, and ephemera from the landfill, transforming them into painterly, representational collages that explore the space between imagination and visual experience.
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A Family Affair
This exhibition celebrates the artistry and vision of Newark native Timothy J. Simmons, whose paintings offer a powerful counter-narrative to stereotypes surrounding African American life. Through intimate and “conventional” depictions of family moments of joy, music, marriage, and togetherness Simmons invites viewers into a dialogue on race, identity, and belonging. His work reflects a commitment to showcasing Black excellence and affirming that African American lives hold a vital place in the American story. A Family Affair is both a tribute to familial love and a call for social change through art.
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Donations
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Group Tour Benefits
Outside groups and school groups are invited to enjoy a comprehensive and enriching experience at the Liberty Hall Academic Center & Galleries. Each visit includes:
Full access to all on-campus galleries, featuring dynamic exhibitions that explore history, art, and culture.
A guided tour led by a highly qualified docent, who brings the exhibits to life with expert insights and engaging storytelling.
Whether you're planning a school field trip or a group outing, our tours offer a unique opportunity to learn, explore, and connect with the arts in a meaningful way.
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Rooted in her Caribbean and African heritage, spirituality and identity, Heather Williams’ work explores the concept of damage and repair. Known for her abstract paintings, figurative sculpture, and film, Williams’ artistic voice is clear, purposeful, and unwavering. An introspective person with a thoughtful narrative to share with the world, she does not shy away from difficult subject matter.
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After six decades of artistry, Minch, an award-winning New Jersey artist and Kean Alumna, returns to Kean with a powerful body of work: a collection of collages, sculptures, and paintings. The work exudes strength in a subtle feminine way that draws the viewer in closer for deeper inspection. Identity is a theme that threads through each piece giving her art depth and a genuine richness that celebrates her family’s diverse heritage, friends, and the human experience.
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Ubuhle Beads is a collective of female beadwork artists founded in 1999 by Bev Gibson and master beader Ntombephi Ntombela on a sugar plantation in South Africa that empowers and changes the perspective of African women. The organization has allowed for women artists of South Africa to have a platform to use their generational talents for financial independence that was not previously available.
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Weiling Pan thrives in creating multimedia works that tell original storylines and memories from her life. The texture and Impressionist-inspired style of her oil pastels mimics the warm, fuzzy feeling of thinking back fondly on places, people and experiences.
