The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) has announced the new April ARTS Month, a month-long celebration of art, culture, and the Princeton community held with support from Princeton University. The Arts Council of Princeton conceptualized April ARTS as an opportunity to embrace the creativity of the talented local community.

Decentralized events — including the town’s inaugural PorchFest, a concert model successfully held for years in Asbury Park and most recently Lambertville in 2020 — afford Princeton the joy of celebrating that talent in a format that provides more safety and flexibility than Communiversity, the ACP’s springtime arts festival that halted in 2020 as pandemic concerns continued.

April ARTS kicks off on Sunday, April 1 with the launch of the Princeton Piano Project. Local artists and community groups including Arts Exchange students from HomeFront, Princeton Young Achievers, and art students from the Hun School of Princeton will transform 10 upright pianos to be placed around Princeton for neighbors and visitors to play, listen, and enjoy as part of a public art installation. Performances will be scheduled on select weekends throughout the month — a schedule will be available on artscouncilofprinceton.org.

The festivities continue with an array of arts programming throughout the month, hosted by the Arts Council and additional local arts and culture organizations. Scheduled events include the ACP’s Cabernet Cabaret 10th Anniversary Extravaganza, the opening reception for artist Joe Kossow’s “Still Lives from a (Mostly) Stilled Life: Oil Paintings from 2019-2022” in the ACP’s Taplin Gallery, Story and Verse Storytelling and Poetic Open Mic, and a community celebration in honor of Paul Robeson’s 124^th birthday. Local organizations are encouraged to submit their arts and culture events to the April ARTS calendar by visiting artscouncilofprinceton.org.

April ARTS will culminate on Sunday, April 24 with the inaugural Princeton PorchFest from 12 to 6 p.m. PorchFest is a free, family-friendly event featuring musicians of all kinds playing free shows on porches throughout the neighborhood. Attendees are invited to stroll from porch to porch and relax on front lawns and sidewalks as they enjoy live, local talent. A PorchFest Guide will be available on the Arts Council’s website, complete with scheduled performances and pop-up art installations to explore along the route.

To sign up as a PorchFest host or performer, and for sponsorship opportunities, visit artscouncilofprinceton.org. The deadline to sign up to participate is Friday, February 25.

“The Arts Council’s mission of building community through the arts has long been the driving force behind all that we do,” said Adam Welch, ACP executive director. “The inaugural Art People Party, later named Communiversity, was an opportunity to inspire an entire community through art. It’s so exciting to partner with the University to explore how we can reignite that passion, look back at what we’ve accomplished, and what we have yet to fully explore. April ARTS will allow art and music to bloom across town and give our community the power to create and experience art together once again.”

Kristin Appelget, director of community and regional affairs at Princeton University, said, “After a two year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are excited to renew our partnership with the Arts Council of Princeton through the re-imagined April ARTS initiative and hope that this will engage all members of our community.”