Newark art gallery that struggled during pandemic begins to see brighter days Posted May 01, 2021 Facebook Share Now, the owner of Akwaaba is looking towards brighter days: she’s planning a new exhibit and summer community events too. “I’m feeling very confident that we’re going to be able to ride this whole COVID storm,” said Laura Bonas-Palmer, who opened the art gallery in 2019. Akwaaba — which means welcome in Twi, a language spoken in Ghana — is located at 509 South Orange Ave. in the city’s West Ward. It opened in a portion of the city that has long been looking to revitalize.