Tracy K. Smith, the Roger S. Berlind ’52 Princeton University Professor in the Humanities and a professor of creative writing in the Lewis Center for the Arts, has been named the 22nd Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry for 2017-18.
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced the appointment today. Ms. Smith will take up her duties in the fall, opening the Library of Congress’s annual literary season with a reading of her work at the Coolidge Auditorium. more
The beautiful women on view in the James A. Michener Museum’s vision of Jazz Age Manhattan in “Charles Sheeler: Fashion, Photography and Sculptural Form” range from elegant ladies in “dragonfly-stitched ermine coats” to Ziegfield dancers like the exhibit’s cover girl Bobbe Arnst and little (4’10) Ann Pennington, who can be seen in a series of Sheeler photographs performing Black Bottom moves like “Bon Bon Buddy,” “Down Baby,” “Step Out,” “Raggedy Trot,” and “Clap Hands.” more
INTERACTIVE ART PLAYGROUND: “Impulse,” a new installation at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, features 15 giant seesaws that, once in motion, produce a harmonious sequence of sounds and lights. It will be at GFS from June 11-July 9. The above photo shows “Impulse” at Leicester Square Gardens in London, as part of the Pause and Play Festival. (Photo by James Munson)
Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) is featuring “Impulse,” a new installation at the 42-acre sculpture park comprised of 15 giant see-saws that will transform the southern end of the Great Lawn into a vast, illuminated interactive art playground. more
“MY GARDEN”: This floral painting by Joanne Smith Bodner is among the 16 works by local artists that will be on display from June 10-24 at the Sawmill Gallery at Prallsville Mill in Stockton.
The Hunterdon Watercolor Society will be hosting its 2017 art exhibit at the Sawmill Gallery at Prallsville Mill. Sixteen artists will be displaying not only watercolor paintings, but all media of art including oils and acrylics. The show opens Saturday, June 10 and runs through Saturday, June 24. Viewing hours are Monday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. more
“SHEEP GATHERING”: This painting by Diane Pastore will be among those featured in “Small Works by Watercolorists Unlimited,” running June 4 through June 30 at the Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury.
This June the Gourgaud Gallery at 23-A North Main Street in Cranbury will host an exhibit, “Small Works by Watercolorists Unlimited,” featuring small watercolor paintings (under 11”x 17” framed) by Watercolorists Unlimited, a group of 13 New Jersey artists who meet monthly to critique work together. Each month the group chooses a new subject to paint, and then meets at the end of the month for lunch and a formal critique. Many of the artists have been active in the group for more than 20 years. There will be several paintings from each artist on exhibit, and most works will be for sale. more
ARTJAM: The annual pop-up art gallery by HomeFront will run from May 19 to June 6 at 19 Hulfish St. in Princeton’s Palmer Square.
HomeFront’s seventh annual ArtJam pop-up gallery will open Friday, May 19 at 19 Hulfish St on Princeton’s Palmer Square. HomeFront is a Mercer County-based nonprofit that works to fight homelessness in the area, and ArtJam serves in part as a major fundraiser for the organization’s ArtSpace programming. ArtSpace is an open studio for clients at HomeFront’s new Family Preservation Center in Ewing. Ruthann Traylor, the ArtSpace director, explains that it is meant as both a therapeutic creative outlet for HomeFront clients, as well as a means for them to pick up entrepreneurial skills through the sale of their artwork. The ArtJam pop-up gallery will feature artwork from ArtSpace participants as well as the work of over 100 locally and nationally celebrated artists. more
HAPPY 25TH GFS: Grounds for Sculpture (GFS) has welcomed more than 2.05 million guests since it opened to the public in 1992. GFS celebrates its anniversary this year through a host of activities, including a festive summer gala in June, plus special programs, themed tours, and pop-up events. One of the new exhibitions for the spring/summer season is “Elyn Zimmerman: Sensitive Chaos,” an exploration of space and sky with photographic collages and pastels like the image pictured here titled, “Heavens Breath.”
In honor of its 25th anniversary, Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) opened its Spring/Summer Exhibition Season on May 7 with five new exhibitions, including a site-specific installation of glass by Daniel Clayman and an exploration of space and sky with photographic collages and pastels by Elyn Zimmerman. GFS continues the celebration with Grounds For Sculpture: 25 Years, an exhibition curated by GFS Director of Exhibitions & Collections, Faith McClellan and GFS Director of Education & Engagement, Heather Brady. more
LESS IS MORE: “A Wonderfully Difficult Journey,” based on The ARC Mercer, is among the short films being presented May 20 and 21 at the third annual Nassau Film Festival.
It didn’t take long for word to get out about the Nassau Film Festival. In just three years, the annual spring celebration of short films has blossomed from 35 submissions in 2015 to 336 for this year’s event, which returns to the Princeton Garden Theatre May 20 and 21. more
“SUMMER HARVEST”: This painting by Debbie Piscreta will be on display alongside the work of Gail Bracegirdle in the Artists’ Gallery’s latest exhibit, “Quiet Spaces,” that runs until June 4.
Recent work by Gail Bracegirdle and Debbie Pisacreta will be on display at the Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville from May 4 to June 4 for the “Quiet Spaces” exhibit. The opening reception will be Saturday, May 13 from 4 to 8 p.m. Both Ms. Bracegirdle and Ms. Pisacreta’s paintings evoke a quiet and calm feeling where the choice of subjects and the use of muted palettes contribute to the sense of contemplation and reflection that both artists feel when they paint. more
This painting by Meredith Remz is included in her solo exhibition and art sale at Small World Coffee titled, “Brave.” The artist draws inspiration from her experiences with contemporary and industrial design, as well as nature.
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 is gearing up for the annual Communiversity ArtsFest, set for April 30, 2017 in downtown Princeton from 1-6 p.m. Central New Jersey’s largest and longest running cultural event will have more than 200 booths showing original art and contemporary crafts, merchandise, and food from around the globe, plus six stages of continuous live entertainment. The event draws more than 40,000 to the streets of downtown Princeton. (Photo Credit: Emily Reeves, Town Topics Newspaper)
“PRETTY IN PINK”: Wondrous on Witherspoon Pop Up Art Gallery at 14½ Witherspoon Street is presenting “WoW, Spring into Art! An Artist Invitational.” It will feature the works and demonstrations by accomplished and emerging artists from April 28–June 8. There will also be a reception and art walk on May 19 from 6–9 p.m. Pictured here is a watercolor by artist Sandy O’Connor.
Beginning April 28 and just two days before Communiversity ArtFest, Wondrous on Witherspoon (WoW) will once again be “popping up” to offer works of art for sale by some of New Jersey’s most accomplished artists. Thanks to owner, Jeffrey Siegel, this show will mark WoW’s fourth pop-up gallery event in the former Army and Navy Store, located just steps away from Nassau Street and the gates to Princeton University. more
“ST. MICHAELS FARM PATH”: This piece by Lucy Kalian is among the works on display at the D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center as part of the “Eternal Beauty, Perpetual Green” exhibit.
D&R Greenway Land Trust presents Eternal Beauty, Perpetual Green: Preserves through the Seasons at the Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place in Princeton until June 16, with a reception on Friday, April 28 from 5:30–7:30 p.m.; light refreshments will be served. RSVP by (609) 924-4646 or rsvp@drgreenway.org. The artists in this exhibit celebrate the beauty of preservation with many works depicting D&R Greenway preserves throughout the year. Also on view in the Olivia Rainbow Gallery is Eden/Habitat: Celebrating April as Autism Awareness Month. In this exhibit, Eden Autism students share creative views of their campus, through May 12. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, visit www.drgreenway.org. more
“NASSAU INN”: This charming oil painting of the Nassau Inn is among the 27 works by James McPhillips currently on view on the second floor Reading Room of the Princeton Public Library. The exhibit titled, “Nassau Hall to Hoagie Haven,” includes familiar scenes of Princeton along with McPhillips’ pop rebus images. The paintings are on display and available for purchase until July 31.
If you don’t already have James (Jay) McPhillips’ Princeton rebus on your car, you’ve likely seen the bright orange bumper stickers around town. Mr. 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, Mr. 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 Mr. McPhillips’ name. more
ARTJAM 2017: ArtSpace, the art therapy program at HomeFront, is welcoming sponsors for this year’s ArtJam. Opening in May, the art show and sale brings together established artists and HomeFront client-artists to celebrate community, creativity, and the love of art. Pictured here is a piece by one of the HomeFront artists titled, “Mountains.”
HomeFront’s ArtJam, a fun and funky pop-up art gallery, will open Friday, May 19 at 19 Hulfish Street, Princeton and run for three weeks. The 7th annual event brings together professional artists and HomeFront client-artists in a celebration of creativity. It will feature a rotating collection of art for sale and meet-and-greets with the artists. more
“PURIFICATION 1”: This photo by Vita Forlenza of Langhorne, Pa. was selected for the Phillips’ Mill Photographic Exhibition that runs from June 4-25 in New Hope. The photo was taken in a himba village in southwest Africa and shows a woman undergoing a purification ritual.
For three weeks in June, the 124 photos selected for the 25th annual Phillips’ Mill Photographic Exhibition will be on display at the Phillips’ Mill Community Association in New Hope. Held June 4-25, the exhibition, themed “Photography as Art” and “Photographer as Artist,” features a vast array of images that jurors selected from a pool of 462 framed submissions. In all, 114 photographers entered their work and 78 were chosen for the exhibition. more
AUTUMN PATH: This photographic work by Frank Sauer is from his exhibit “Mountain Lakes: A Lens on the Seasons,” which will be on view at the Arts Council of Princeton through April 30. There will be an artist talk with the photographer at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 1.
Watching snow flurries from the south-facing rear windows of our house a day after the opening of Frank Sauer’s exhibit, “Mountain Lakes: A Lens on the Seasons,” I seemed to be seeing his photography again in the white haze of distant trees, the way limbs and branches were sharply defined and at the same time fluid in the fallen and falling snow. more
“UNTITLED”: This photograph is from Ricardo Barros’s exhibit “Figuring Space.” He will speak at 7:30 p.m. at the D&R Greenway Land Trust, 1 Preservation Place, Princeton on Monday April 3. The event is free and open to the public.
In his most recent work, noted photographer Ricardo Barros tackles the inexpressible — the abstraction that is space itself. Barros will be giving a lecture on his portfolio “Figuring Space” on Monday, April 3 for the Princeton Photography Club at the D&R Greenway. more
Exactly when or where the novelist James Michener came into the world has never been officially documented. Which is why I’ve never had a satisfactory answer to the question I’ve been asked most of my life the moment people hear my last name:
“Any relation to the author?”
Perhaps the most remarkable instance of this perennial minor dilemma occurred recently at the Doylestown museum that bears Michener’s name. Although I’ve been showing my press card at the admission desk for 13 years in the course of covering close to 30 exhibits, this was the first time I’ve been asked the any-relation question. I gave my usual answer: “Well, uh, um, no, not really, but —”
If I have time or energy for the conversation that often follows, I’ll offer the standard storyline, which is that the famous, fabulously successful author was a foundling taken in by a distant cousin of mine, Mabel Michener, a Quaker woman in Doylestown, Pennsylvania who raised him along with a coming, going brood of as many as 13 homeless children. more
YOUTH ART: This drawing by Shannon Boyle is among the works selected for the upcoming art show at the Gourgaud Gallery. The exhibit showcases artwork from Cranbury School students of various ages in celebration of National Youth Art Month.
In celebration of National Youth Art Month, Cranbury School student artists will be featured at the Gourgaud Gallery at Town Hall in Cranbury. The show will run from March 7 — March 30. more
“A LENS ON THE SEASONS”: The upcoming exhibition of Frank Sauer’s photographs of The Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve show our town’s beauty in all four seasons. Pictured here is a photo by Sauer entitled “Dogwood.”
Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) is sponsoring an exhibit of photos taken in the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve by long-time Princeton resident Frank Sauer. The exhibition, titled “Mountain Lakes: A Lens on the Seasons,” includes both color and black-and-white photographs and will be shown at the Arts Council of Princeton. more
“BREAKING POINT”: Starting February 28, this piece by Kahlilah Sabree will be on display at the Prindiville Mohey Gallery at Artworks Trenton. “Explorations in Geometry,” an exhibition of prints by Bill Brookover will open the same day in the Artworks Community Gallery.
Artworks Trenton presents two exhibitions opening February 28, 2017. There will be an opening reception March 11, 6-8 p.m. for both exhibitions. more
“CONCRETE REEF”: This photo by Valerie Chaucer-Levine is part of the “Cell Phone Images Only” art exhibition on display in the Considine Gallery at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Princeton from March 3– April 13. The public is invited to the Opening Reception on Sunday, March 5, 2-4 p.m. and the Gallery Talk on Tuesday, March 7, 1-2 p.m.
Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart announces the spring exhibition in the school’s Considine Gallery will feature works from the Princeton Photography Club. Over 25 photographers are represented in the innovative exhibition, “Cell Phone Images Only,” which runs March 3 — April 13, and is made up entirely of images taken on cell phones. The opening reception is Sunday, March 5 from 2-4 p.m. There will be a gallery talk with the artists on Tuesday, March 7 from 1-2 p.m. The gallery is open from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, when school is in session. more
“WITHIN THE LIGHT TENT: A SELF- PORTRAIT”: This photo by Shana Mimnaugh ’17, will be a part of Princeton Day School’s upcoming exhibit, “Identity.” The student artwork explores the individual identities of the PDS community and will be on display from February 13 until March 8.
The Anne Reid ’72 Art Gallery at Princeton Day School is pleased to present an exhibit titled “Identity,” on view from February 13 to March 8. Entirely composed of work created by Princeton Day School students in all three divisions, the exhibit centers around individual identities and the diversity of the PDS community. The artists reception will take place on Thursday, February 16, from 12:30–1:30 p.m. Both the exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. more
