Fifth Annual Tri-State Ability Art Show Opens April 11

All are welcome to explore the two-day Art Show and Craft Fair

Cherry Hill, N.J. – Y.A.L.E. School, serving students with disabilities ages 3 to 21, will host the fifth annual Tri-State Ability Art Show: Making Magic on April 11 & 12. The event coincides with and celebrates Autism Acceptance Month.

The Art Show features a diverse collection of artwork including paintings, drawings, mixed media displays, sculptures and more, crafted by students with disabilities in grades K-12 and ages 18-21 from across New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

“The theme of this year’s Art Show is ‘Making Magic,’ a concept that beautifully captures the transformative power of art for our students,” said Karen Donnelly, art teacher at Y.A.L.E. School and Art Show organizer. “For students with disabilities, words may not always come easily, but art speaks volumes. Whether through painting, sculpture or drawing, they find their voice in colors, shapes and movement. And when a student creates something that reflects their inner world in a way words cannot, it’s nothing short of magical.”

There will be an Opening Reception on April 11 from 6-9 p.m. at Y.A.L.E. School’s Performing Arts Center in Cherry Hill, followed by open Gallery Hours and Craft Fair, a new addition to the event, on April 12 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

The Art Show features juried categories, while all submitted artwork will be displayed in the Art Gallery, students can decide if they want to enter their artwork into the competition portion of the event. Artwork will be juried by a panel of our partner organizations Mural Arts Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Art Education Association, Art Educators of New Jersey, Perkins Center for the Arts, Arts Ed NJ and Eilandarts Center. And this year, for the first time, the event will be officially titled the “Tri-State Ability Art Show.”

“For years, it’s been the Tri-State DisAbility Art Show,” explains Donnelly. “But this change better reflects our students’ desire to be seen for their talents and creativity, not creating art in the face of their ‘disability’.”

Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind mugs and t-shirts featuring unique designs created by Y.A.L.E. Ellisburg students and printed by Y.A.L.E. Standard 9 students at Y.A.L.E. School’s Co-Op. All the funds raised will be donated to Mural Arts Philadelphia to benefit their arts education programs, which serve over 2,000 Philadelphia students across the city, free of charge.

Vendor spaces are already committed, with close to 60 crafters participating. In case of rain, the Craft Fair will be held in the school gymnasium, rather than the parking lot.

Another new addition to this magical weekend for families and the larger community is a Magic Show, featuring 'Magic by Ed,' from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. in the all-purpose room at Y.A.L.E. Ellisburg, just off the parking lot where the Craft Fair is held.

For more information about the Tri-State Ability Art Show, visit https://yaleschoolnj.com/event/tri-state-ability-art-show-2025/.

About Y.A.L.E. School NJ
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. For more information, go to www.yaleschoolnj.com.