THE GREAT GINGHAM GATHERING: The “Big Sit” in Community Park South on Saturday, June 6, is being billed as the biggest picnic that Princeton has ever seen. Everyone is welcome.
By Anne Levin
With giant papier maché ants heading towards a huge slice of cherry pie on a 75-square-foot oilcloth blanket, the “Big Sit” picnic planned by the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) is shaping up to be a unique gathering.
The event at Community Park South on Saturday, June 6 from 12-3 p.m. (rain date June 7) is billed as “an afternoon of unplugged togetherness, creativity, and classic outdoor fun” by the ACP. DJ Darius is booked for this “screen-free” get-together. Instead of phones and other devices, participants are encouraged to bring “board games, books, beach balls, sketchpads, embroidery projects, friends, family, and well-behaved dogs.”
The idea came to ACP Artistic Director Maria Evans as she was deciding how to spend some money from a fund provided by benefactor Timothy M. Andrews. “That fund generates some excess money that he earmarks for me, to kind of make my dreams come true,” Evans said on Tuesday. “Last year, I bought new pedestals for the gallery. That was fine, but it’s boring. This year, I had some more money to work with. I wanted to do something fun for the town.”
Evans started brainstorming with ACP Director of Programming and Events Melissa Kucsin. Checking out some old posters from the 1970s that ACP Executive Director Adam Welch had framed and hung on the walls, one in particular sparked their interest.
“It was about kite-flying and a picnic,” Evans said. “That gave us the idea to make an art-inspired picnic. Melissa did some digging, and looked into some other cities, where she found out that they do big picnics in downtown parks. We started looking at the parks in Princeton.”
Their first thought was to hold a picnic in Marquand Park. But they soon realized that there wasn’t enough parking. Eventually, they thought of Community Park South.
“I live right near the park, and I go there every day,” Evans said. “I see how many people are there — walking, biking, playing soccer. Everyone uses it. And it’s good for parking. When you go to a picnic, you are lugging stuff around, so you need parking to be close.”
The biggest expense is the giant gingham oilcloth blanket, which is being shipped from Houston and will be staked into the ground. “It’s bigger than the floor of our gallery,” Evans said. “It’s supposed to arrive today, and I can’t wait to see it.”
The ACP purposefully planned the picnic to be before school gets out for the summer and people leave town for vacation spots. While the gingham cloth will seat plenty of people, participants are encouraged to bring a backup blanket or lawn chairs, just in case.
Evans wants the event to be an art installation as well as a picnic. “Everyone is invited,” she said. “We want to see if it catches on. It’s definitely not your average picnic.”