BEST IN SHOW: Megan Serfass of West Windsor won Best in Show for her painting, “Goldfinches,” at the “Mercer County Artists 2019” juried exhibit. On view through July 8 at The Gallery at Mercer on the West Windsor campus of Mercer County Community College, the show features the work of 36 artists from throughout the county.

A recent Mercer County Community College alumnus took home the Best in Show award as 36 artists from throughout the county displayed their creations during the opening reception of the Mercer County Artists 2019 show at The Gallery at Mercer, on the West Windsor campus of Mercer County Community College (MCCC).

“There were 182 pieces submitted for the juried show, and the juror had an amazingly difficult time selecting the art for the show,” said Alice Thompson, director of The Gallery at Mercer. “She was here several hours making the selections. Congratulations to all of the artists who are represented on these walls.”

Claiming the prize for Best in Show was Megan Serfass of West Windsor, who graduated from MCCC in 2018 with an A.A.S. degree in illustration, for her oil on wood painting Goldfinches. As one of the younger artists to have their work selected for the very competitive show, Serfass said she could barely believe her ears when her name was called during the reception. more

“DENVER CENTRAL LIBRARY, SOUTH FAÇADE”: This graphite and colored pencil drawing by the late architect and designer Michael Graves is one of nearly 5,000 recently acquired by the Princeton University Art Museum. Graves founded his eponymous practice in Princeton in 1964, and taught architecture at Princeton University for 39 years, retiring in 2001.

The Princeton University Art Museum recently acquired a significant group of drawings by renowned American architect and designer Michael Graves (1934-2015). The nearly 5,000 drawings, which come to the Museum from Graves’s estate, span the entire range of his subject matter and design concerns, and will form an important resource for researchers, designers, and Museum audiences. Graves founded his eponymous practice in Princeton in 1964 and taught architecture at Princeton University for 39 years, retiring as the Robert Schirmer Professor of Architecture Emeritus in 2001.

“We are pleased to be able to preserve and share these important drawings, which document numerous projects and reflect Michael Graves’s manifold interests and talents, here at the Museum, where he was known as family, and with our global audiences,” said James Steward, Nancy A. Nasher–David J. Haemisegger, Class of 1976, director. more

“GUARDIAN”: Sculptor Peter Drago used reclaimed tools to create this work featured in “The Immigrant Experience,” on view on the grounds of the 1719 William Trent House Museum June 22 through November 3. Works by Peter Abrams, Kate Graves, and David Robinson will also be on display. An opening reception is June 22 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The Trent House Association will present a sculpture exhibit, “The Immigrant Experience,” on the grounds of the 1719 William Trent House Museum, 15 Market Street, Trenton. It will be on view June 22 through November 3, with a reception open to the public on June 22 from 6 to 8 p.m.

According to the Association, once settlers from across the ocean began to inhabit the lands of the Lenape on the banks of the Delaware, Trenton has been home to immigrants — both to those who came here willingly, seeking jobs and opportunity for a better life, and to those who came under duress. The William Trent House, its inhabitants, its surroundings, and its circumstances represent that history. more

“BEST MOUNTAIN, COMMUNE, GUILIN”:  This brush painting by Thomas George is just one of his works on display at the Princeton Public Library through June 30 in conjunction with the Princeton Festival’s modern opera “Nixon in China.” The paintings will also be shown in the lobby of the Matthews Theatre in the McCarter Theatre Center during performances of the opera on June 23 and 30.

The Princeton Public Library, in collaboration with the Princeton Festival, is hosting a display of paintings of scenes in China by Thomas George (1918-2014). The internationally-celebrated artist and Princeton resident created the brush paintings in the wake of the opening of U.S. relations with that country by President Nixon in 1972. more