Image Courtesy of David Scott Kessler
By Doug Wallack
On Saturday, October 21, at the newly renovated Hopewell Theater, filmmaker David Scott Kessler will be screening his experimental documentary The Pine Barrens with a score performed live by The Ruins of Friendship Orchestra. The film, not unlike John McPhee’s 1968 book of the same name, explores New Jersey’s Pinelands, delving deep into the culture, ecology, and lore of the region, which — despite occupying twenty percent of the state’s land area — is so often overlooked, even by Garden State residents. more
NEW MUSIC: Sandbox Percussion (pictured) will be among the twelve acts performing at this Sunday’s Unruly Sounds festival. Now in its third year, the event features composers and performances by local artists and Princeton University affiliates.
By Doug Wallack
On Sunday, October 1, Hinds Plaza, adjacent to the Princeton Public Library, will play host to the third annual Unruly Sounds festival — a showcase of composers and new music from local artists and from the Princeton University Department of Music. more
Mercer County Italian American Festival
By Laurie Pellichero
The leaves will soon be falling, the air is crisp…it’s time for fall festivals!
Mark your calendar for these upcoming events:
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Princeton Public Library presents the 2017 Princeton Children’s Book Festival at Hinds Plaza on Saturday, September 23 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine.
This well attended event continues to grow yearly and promises something for everyone. Here, you may meet your favorite author or illustrator, listen to them discuss their work, have a book autographed, or just have the opportunity to talk to them about their inspirations. Approximately 85 children’s book authors and illustrators will be in attendance. For a complete list of participating authors, visit http://bit.ly/2xeGu9l. more
A Place to Create and Collaborate
By Anne Levin
Photographs courtesy of Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Art
Staging one of her dances for the Lyon Opera Ballet in France a few decades ago, choreographer Susan Marshall was thrilled to find herself in a newly remodeled, state-of-the-art theater with spacious rehearsal studios and plenty of room to test out her ideas. It was like a dream come true, “a sort of fantasy that was actually happening,” Marshall recalls.
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“The best, most effective medicine my soul has yet partaken”
By Stuart Mitchner
Sorting out his first impressions of Walt Whitman in a letter from November 1856, Henry David Thoreau admits feeling “much interested and provoked“: “Though peculiar and rough in his exterior,…he is essentially a gentleman. I am still somewhat in a quandary about him…He told us that he loved to ride up and down Broadway all day on an omnibus, sitting beside the driver, listening to the roar of the carts, and sometimes gesticulating and declaiming Homer at the top of his voice.” more
Building Community through the Arts: Student-artist Victoria Wayland of Princeton, with the poster she designed for the Arts Council of Princeton’s 50th anniversary. (Photo courtesy of the Arts Council of Princeton)
By Doug Wallack
On Saturday, September 16, the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) will host a community-wide 50th birthday party, featuring food from local vendors, live music, games, a community birthday cake, and more. The event is intended to be a celebration of the organization’s mission: Building Community Through the Arts. more
Friday, August 11
9 to 10 a.m.: Free, Baby Boot Camp stroller-based fitness program on Palmer Square Green (weather permitting). For more information and to register, visit www.babybootcamp.com.
5 to 8 p.m.: Sunset Sips and Sounds at Terhune Winery, 330 Cold Soil Road, Princeton. more
Emilie Brzezinski, Lintel, 1993, bronze. Photo by David Howarth for dmhphotographer.com
By Laurie Pellichero
Founded by artist and philanthropist J. Seward Johnson, Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) has welcomed more than two million guests since it opened to the public in 1992. The 42-acre sculpture park, museum, and arboretum features a unique collection of contemporary sculpture, special programs, and seasonally-rotating exhibitions in six indoor galleries.
In honor of its 25th anniversary, GFS has opened five new exhibitions for its Spring/Summer Exhibition Season including two site-specific interior glass sculpture installations by Daniel Clayman, titled Daniel Clayman: Radiant Landscape and an exploration of space and sky with photographic collages and pastels by Elyn Zimmerman in Elyn Zimmerman: Sensitive Chaos. more
By Sarah Emily Gilbert
In the early 1800s, the southern banks of the Navesink River bustled with steamboats, sailboats, and commercial fishermen transporting shellfish and local crops to New York City. In 1908, the area was incorporated into the town of Red Bank, whose name is attributed to the clay found along its coast. Come 2017, you’ll still find sailors and fisherman along these red banks, but you’ll also find young professionals on their way to stand-up paddle yoga. Indeed, some of Red Bank’s 12,200 residents start their day floating on the Navesink River with Flow Paddle Yoga. more
By Doug Wallack
On Saturday, June 10, the Chatham Borough Department of Community Services will hold the annual Fishawack Festival in downtown Chatham. Inaugurated in 1971, the festival — which takes its name from the Lenni-Lenape term for the Passaic River — is a day-long celebration of the region’s culture and history. The festivities will include local art exhibits, live music and dance performances, a car and truck show, a petting zoo, a climbing wall, an exhibition on Lenni-Lenape history, and more. more
By Stuart Mitchner
When the weather was gloomy and the mood was right, I could see a Cézanne painting in our backyard. This minor miracle was due not to any mortal painter or landscaper but to the mighty forces that formed the Princeton Ridge, which we have been living on for thirty years. Thanks to some long-long-ago geological turbulence, the makers of the Ridge deposited an immense boulder smack in the middle of the yard, forming a focal point for painterly fantasies. Half a year ago an ash tree was growing out of a cleft in the boulder, creating an effect not unlike the tree-in-rock formation in the right foreground of Cézanne’s Rocks—Forest of Fontainebleau, of which Ernest Hemingway said, “This is what we try to do in writing, this and this, and the woods, and the rocks we have to climb over.” more
Three events for the price of one: an informative discussion, a feature film, and a live performance by Princeton Festival artists.
Fans of the 2012 Dustin Hoffman film Quartet, starring Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay among other well-known actors, can join lovers of great singing on June 4 at 3 p.m. at Princeton’s Garden Theatre for “Quartet2,” a Princeton Festival program that will expand their enjoyment of both art forms. more
Friday, May 12
6:30 to 8 p.m.: Damsel Duo, an indie-neo-folk group featuring Beth Meyers and Monica Mugan, presents a Mother’s Day concert with acoustic-based duo Helen and Molly. Molly Trueman of Helen and Molly is Mugan’s daughter; Hinds Plaza.
Saturday, May 13
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center hosts its annual Bike Safety Rodeo and Safe Kids Day. Children ages 3-12 and their families are invited to learn about safety and prevention when participating in sports and other recreational activities. Children will receive free bike helmets, have their bikes inspected, and ride a safety course. RSVP by emailing bikerodeo@slrc.org. more
A Night in Old Havana
Photography by Erica Cardenas
On Saturday, May 6, McCarter Theatre Center welcomed Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to “A Night in Old Havana” Gala 2017. The evening began with a cocktail reception and dinner on McCarter’s back lawn, which was tented and decorated with 1940’s-era old Havana flare. The musical performance was held at McCarter’s Matthews Theater. The electric after-party included more food, entertainment, and dance. All proceeds benefit McCarter’s Artistic, Education, and Engagement Programs. more
Pops of Color and Whirls of Music
Photography by Erica Cardenas
Communiversity 2017 took place on Sunday, April 30. The streets of downtown Princeton swelled with visitors who enjoyed non-stop entertainment, food, and vendors from 1 to 6 p.m. Various stages were erected around town and performances ranged from alternative rock concerts to flamenco. Witherspoon Media Group was there, handing out the latest editions of Town Topics Newspaper, Princeton Magazine, and Urban Agenda Magazine. Witherspoon Media Group photographer Erica Cardenas made sure to capture all of the action. more
The Arts Council of Princeton’s Communiversity ArtsFest draws over 40,000 art lovers and fun seekers to downtown Princeton, making it Central New Jersey’s largest and longest running cultural event. (Photo Credit: Emily Reeves, Town Topics Newspaper)
Friday, April 28
11 a.m.: Free, Tiger Tales for children ages 3-5 at Cotsen Children’s Library (repeats weekly).
Noon: Princeton University Men’s Baseball vs. Cornell at Clarke Field.
4:30 p.m.: Princeton University’s Fund for Irish Studies welcomes writer Kevin Barry for a reading from his novel Beatlebone at the James M. Stewart ’32 Theater at 185 Nassau Street. Free. more
“McPhillips Self Portrait”
No matter where Princeton-natives live, James McPhillips’ paintings will take you home.
By Sarah Emily Gilbert
If you don’t already have James (Jay) McPhillips’ Princeton rebus on your car, you’ve likely seen the bright orange bumper sticker around town. McPhillips’ pop rebus graphics have certainly made their mark on Princeton, and most recently, the Princeton Public Library (PPL). In conjunction with the redesign of the library’s second floor, McPhillips debuted his biggest art show to date, “Nassau Hall to Hoagie Haven.” On display in the Reading Room until July 31, the body of work features paintings of Princeton and the surrounding areas, along with the pop rebus graphics synonymous with McPhillips’ name. more
Photo of Linda Bishop courtesy of God Knows Where I Am
God Knows Where I Am at Princeton Garden Theatre from April 13-18.
Princeton alums and filmmakers Todd and Jedd Wider will be screening their film God Knows Where I Am at the Garden Theatre from Thursday, April 13 to Tuesday, April 18. The Thursday night 7:30 p.m. screening will be followed by an in-person Q&A with the Widers, along with actress Lori Singer and Gerardo Puglia. The event is free with a Princeton University ID. more
Novelist and Poet Aldous Huxley seated, looking into the camera, wearing checkered pants, a dark vest and sportcoat, shirt with white collar, and a pale necktie.
The Michener Art Museum’s Spring Exhibit Honors the Father of Modernism
Currently on view at the James A. Michener Art Museum is Charles Sheeler: Fashion, Photography, and Sculptural Form, a groundbreaking exhibition that features never-before-seen photographs by Charles Sheeler, one of America’s most celebrated modernists. Inspired by Sheeler’s portrait and fashion work for Condé Nast from 1926 to 1931, the multimedia show features a significant display of these newly discovered photographs as well as paintings and other photographs created by Sheeler, 1920s fashion ensembles, and Sheeler-designed textiles. Evoking the exuberance, glamour, and promise of the Jazz Age, the exhibition will be on view until July 9, 2017. more
