(MOORESTOWN, NJ) -- Perkins Center for the Arts in Moorestown and Y.A.L.E. School have partnered to mount, We The People, an exhibition of artwork created by local students with special needs. The show is open to the public and proceeds from artwork sales will be donated to Perkins Center's Accessibility Fund. This builds upon a 3+ year partnership between the two organizations, which has given students exciting opportunities to showcase their art and has raised crucial funds to benefit Perkins Center's mission of arts education for all.

Y.A.L.E. School, a private special education school with 12 campus locations throughout southern New Jersey and the greater Philadelphia region, serves students with disabilities ages 3 through 21.

The show, We the People, invites viewers to experience contemporary Americana through the eyes of our nation’s youth, ages 7 to 20. Featuring collaborative and individual artwork curated by the students at the Y.A.L.E. School Ellisburg and Erlton campuses, this pop-up experience will delight viewers with playful mixed media artworks paying homage to our nation and state.

The exhibition runs from September 3-13, 2024 at Perkins Center for the Arts (395 Kings Hwy, Moorestown, NJ 08057), a community hub that enriches lives, learning, and intercultural experiences through the Arts. The public is welcome to attend a Closing Reception on September 10 from 5:00pm-8:00pm.

“This opportunity presented our students with the freedom and responsibility to curate an art exhibit they thought others might like to see,” said Karen Donnelly, art teacher at Y.A.L.E. School and Art Show organizer. “To create their artwork, our high school students utilized their creative and trade skillsets, including painting and furniture repurposing, while our middle school students created a series of mosaics paying homage to National Parks. All ages helped by collaborating on several paintings.”

“Perkins is thrilled to host Y.A.L.E. students and their artwork in our Moorestown building ,” said Kahra Buss, Executive Director, Perkins Center for the Arts. “Our partnership through Y.A.L.E. School’s Tri-State DisAbility Art Show and now two exhibitions at our locations amplifies the creative work being done by these students. We are honored to work with Karen Donnelly and her team of educators and students. We are so excited for our community to see their work.”

Perkins Center for the Arts is a regional multi-disciplinary arts education center with locations in Moorestown and Collingswood, New Jersey. With a mission to enrich lives, inspire life-long learning, and cultivate intercultural experiences, Perkins Center for the Arts offers a music conservatory, visual and performing arts classes, exhibitions, concerts, artist-led school residency programs, summer camp, Folklife Center, and community enrichment projects.

Y.A.L.E. School is a New Jersey state-approved private special education school with 12 campus locations throughout southern New Jersey and the greater Philadelphia region serving students with disabilities ages 3 through 21. Y.A.L.E. School offers a highly specialized program for students with autism and other social, emotional, learning, and behavioral disabilities that provides low student-to-staff ratios, supervision by highly-trained and certified behavior specialists, a comprehensive curriculum, intensive transition support, integrated and consultative speech services, support for families, and an extended school year program in the summer. Since 1976, students with disabilities have been placed at Y.A.L.E. School locations by their local school district and attend at no cost to parents.