The ANEW Artists Alliance

We’re so pleased and honored to present the third annual ANEW Artist’s Alliance Group Show. This work is a testament to the power of creativity and community. The story behind the alliance is beautiful and compelling, but it’s the artwork itself that speaks so powerfully. Through the work of the ANEW alliance’s artists, we understand that art is a form of generosity — a way to share dreams and visions and to connect over universal human hopes and fears. It is a way to share the very joy of creating.

In the words of ANEW artist Emery Williams, “When I see something, I just want to draw it. It’s a dream state. A lot of times, my paintings come from my dreams of what I see every day. Art is fun. You have to love it to do it well. You put your life and your experience into it. When you find other people who like to do what you like to do and have the same visions, you want to be with them. You feel like you’re doing something worthwhile.”

New Artist Spotlight: Pervis Upshur

“I started doing art a lot when I was in a day program in Trenton. I was 24, and I would sit at the lunch table, for example, and draw the table and the people sitting around it. People liked my drawings and often asked me to give them drawings to keep. When I met Derrick Branch, he told me that there were good artists at TASK and that I should go there. I liked it a lot there and was inspired by the artists to do more art myself. I have continued doing art because I’m good at it. I can make a picture look exactly the way I want it to. I especially like drawing animals and people.

Art is something that people can look at and feel happy, especially when things aren’t going well. Art helps people feel good about themselves and other people. I feel good to be a person who can do stuff that I like and that at the same time makes other people happy.” – Pervis Upshur

About ANEW Artist’s Alliance

In 2001, five self-taught visual artists who used the services of the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) met with TASK volunteer Susan Darley to discuss forming an artist cooperative. The nascent idea was to offer all TASK patrons, who possessed artistic interests and talents but did not have the personal resources to pursue their creative activities, a collegial environment in which to hone their talents and sell their artwork, reaping the benefits of their creative efforts. 

From the outset, the artists made all the decisions about how the cooperative was run and what projects it undertook. Membership in the group also provided an opportunity for the artists to learn entrepreneurial skills. The artists named their organization “The A-TEAM Artists of Trenton,” and the group grew quickly. Soon, the soup kitchen became a year-round gallery for the display of A-TEAM artwork. 

Over the years, the A-TEAM artists participated in hundreds of shows at diverse venues, including museums, galleries, corporate and government offices, hospitals, religious institutions, and other non-profit organizations. The artists also reached out to the Trenton community by lending their work to local businesses and non-profit groups, leading monthly art workshops, and hosting visits of students from local public schools and universities and patients from hospital art therapy programs. 



During the COVID pandemic, the artists decided to strike out on their own in display space donated to them in Princeton. They named their new venture the ANEW Artists Alliance and now meet regularly in the ArtSpace gallery at HomeFront, a Trenton non-profit organization that works to end homelessness. 

Following their original A-TEAM principles, the artists, themselves, run all aspects of the ANEW cooperative, and membership remains open to all self-taught artists with limited financial means. The artists’ goal is to master the skills required to establish their own artistic careers. These skills include finding venues; meeting with curators and gallery owners; showing and selling their art; framing and preparing their artwork for exhibit; arranging publicity; and managing their individual and group finances. A small group of volunteers is available to provide advice and logistical support whenever requested by the artists.

The ANEW artists appreciate your interest and hope you will enjoy their artwork. 

To see more ANEW artwork and read artists’ bios, please go to the ANEW Artists Alliance website at anewartists.com. 
If you have questions or suggestions, you can reach the ANEW Artists Alliance at anewartistsinfo@gmail.com.