"It's an extraordinary venue, 3,000 square feet with very high ceilings," said Phoebe Pollinger, past president of the nearby Studio Montclair artist collective. "It allows us the opportunity to show large works, fabulous works, and to give them breathing space." 

Pollinger was talking about Aljira, the Center for Contemporary Art, which moved into its purpose designed 591 Broad St. home in 2003 after many years in a third-floor walk up loft in Newark's Roseville section. "It's an enormously prestigious art space and we are privileged to have it here in Essex County," said Pollinger.

The occasion of our conversation was the June 1 opening of Studio Montclair's 14 Annual Juried Exhibit, "Viewpoints, A Contemporary Survey" at Aljira. The show's organizing principal is perception and subject. The works of 68 visual artists both from the area and worldwide are on view through June 25 with a free reception and awards ceremony, open to the public from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. this coming Thursday, June 9. 

Aljira was founded by Victor Davson, who both continues as executive director and to be widely recognized for his and Aljira's commitment to the arts and community life in Newark. This winter, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts cited Aljira for the fourth consecutive year as a peer recognized major arts institution.

Put another way, most contemporary area artists and art lovers I talk with — and I talk with many — wax poetic about Aljira. Among these is Phoebe Pollinger who served this year as the chairman of Studio Montclair's major annual show. Studio Montclair is a prestigious, not for profit collective of artists, many based in and around Montclair, but with members nationally. 

"We have many fine artists of national reputation but what we don't have is a brick and mortar home," said Pollinger. "Our annual juried show attracts top artists worldwide; we find the very best jurors and then the very best venues to show our art." Past venues have included the Ben Shahn Gallery at William Paterson University and the George Segal Gallery at Montclair State University. 

As to the jurors, the art experts who set the theme and choose from a wealth of submissions, past names have included Beth Venn, the curator of contemporary art at the Newark Museum; Patterson Sims, the past director of the Montclair Art Museum; Nan Rosenthal, former curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and Phong Bui, the artist, curator and publisher of "The Brooklyn Rail."

Viewpoints was judged by Rocío Aranda-Alvarado, the associate curator of special projects at El Museo del Barrio in New York City and past curator at the Jersey City Museum.

"Seen together, these works explore a broad scope of abundant conceptual, visual, and expressive themes," said Aranda-Alvarado in a prepared statement. Aljira will host a juror's talk on Saturday, June 11 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Area and Studio Montclair artists represented include Eric Levin, Maria Lupo, John S. Masi,

Diane Savona, Hilary Shank-Kuhl, Miriam Stern, Peter Tilgner, Louise Vyent and Diane Whitebay

I talked with Eric Levin, senior editor at "New Jersey Monthly Magazine" and widely exhibited fine arts photographer, about his work and the exhibit's theme of perception.

"Perception encompasses attitude, what you know about the world, about yourself. It influences the choice of subject matter," said Levin. "I am looking for something I never would have expected, but as soon as I see it, it stops me. I recognize it as mine."

Such is his "Butcher Shop Freezer, Morristown, NJ, 2010." "It's a strange scene in a place — a butcher shop — that is usually bright, white, uncluttered and prosaic," said Levin. "This shop would have been an outlier at anytime — aquamarine walls, sculptures of pigs on the low freezer case, the meat bright red under the lights — just really weird."

As to the process of being selected: "You send in an image, an artist statement and bio and hope that the juror will like what you do," said Levin.