THE BAPTISM: This watercolor by local artist Terri McNichol won a Purchase Award from the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission, and will be on display as part of the Mercer County Artists 2015 exhibition at the MCCC Gallery through February 27. For more information and gallery hours, visit: www.mccc.edu/gallery.

The Mercer County arts community came out in force earlier this month to view the rich and varied works of fellow artists at the Awards Ceremony and Opening Reception for “Mercer County Artists 2015,” which will be on display through February 27 at the Gallery at Mercer County Community College (MCCC), located on the second floor of the Communications Building on the college’s West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.

The show features 89 works by 63 artists in a variety of media including oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings, as well as mixed media collages and 23 sculptures.

Gallery Director Dylan Wolfe, who curated the show, announced the award winners with fellow presenters Tricia Fagan and Nora Añanos from the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission. “This exhibit clearly demonstrates the immense talent and culture of Mercer County,” said Mr. Wolfe. “Supporting the arts sustains the inspirations we can each find when we are living in a community flush with creativity, culture, and the expression of passions.”

Mr. Wolfe thanked juror Kyle Stevenson, an artist and MCCC Professor of Fine Arts, for making his selections from 244 pieces submitted by 138 artists. “Having been present during his deliberation, I can tell you with certainty that he made many difficult choices,” Wolfe told the crowd. Mr. Wolfe also acknowledged the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission for its continuing support of the exhibit. “The commission not only supports us through grant funding, but also purchased artwork totaling over $2500 from this exhibit. They continue to build a remarkable permanent collection of county created, county owned artwork, and provide direct support and encouragement to our community of artists,” he said.

Award winners include: the Utrecht-Blick Best in Show Prize to David Orban of Trenton for “The Work Party: The Workbench.” The Juror’s Choice Awards went to Janis Purcell of East Windsor for “Phoenix Rising” and Megan Uhaze of Hamilton for “The Eye.” Juror’s Honorable Mention recipients were Marina Ahun of Princeton for “New York Grand Central Terminal”; Elise Dodeles of Lambertville for “San Francisco Area Fighter A219, Ike O’Rourke”; James Doherty of Lawrence for “Wynwood Walls”; Timothy J. Fitzpatrick of Mercerville for “Low Tide”; and Bill Plank of Lawrenceville for “Birth.”

County Purchase Awards went to Jamie Greenfield of Lawrenceville for “Seven Gold Coins”; Libby Ramage of Princeton for “Incantation”; John Pietrowski of Ewing (untitled); Adam Hillman of Pennington (untitled); Terri McNichol of Cranbury for “The Baptism”; and Cathy Saska-Mydlowski of Hamilton for “South Beach.”

Arin Black, executive director of the West Windsor Arts Council, awarded the Council’s prize to Kathleen Liao of Princeton Junction for “Quantum Leap.”

Featured artists from the Princeton area included: Priscilla Snow Algava, Joanne Amantea, Mechtild Bitter, Katja De Rutyer, Mary Dolan, Janet Felton, Sejal Krishnan, Ronald A. LaMahieu, Ghislaine Pasteur, Christa Schneider, Judith Tallerman, Ellen Veden, and Andrew Werth.

For more information, directions and gallery hours, visit: www.mccc.edu/gallery.

MERCER COUNTY’S SCOTTISH CONNECTION: This winter, volunteer stitchers at Morven Museum and Garden worked on this panel paying tribute to General Hugh Mercer as part of the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry project. When completed, the finished panel, which has the famous Mercer Oak as its centerpiece, will be sent back to Scotland to join others like it celebrating the achievements and contributions of Scots around the world. (Image Courtesy of Morven Museum and Garden)

Morven Museum and Garden on Stockton Street is participating in a worldwide celebration of The Scottish Diaspora by bringing volunteer stitchers together to work on a single tapestry panel that is to be included in a larger work in tribute to the accomplishments of Scots around the world.

Princeton’s contribution features elements from the life of Revolutionary War hero General Hugh Mercer (1726-1777), who died a slow death over several days from bayonet wounds received at the hands of British soldiers during the Battle of Princeton.

After his horse had been shot from under him, Mercer was bayoneted repeatedly and left for dead. Legend has it that he lay under the famous oak tree that would become a symbol of the county named for him, before being taken to the William Clark house nearby.

But Mercer’s story goes back a long way before his friend George Washington, with whom he had fought in the French and Indian War, made him a brigadier general in the Continental Army.

Like many of his patriotic companions, Mercer had fled his native Scotland for the colony of America. As a battlefield surgeon at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, he had witnessed the bloody butchery that ended the Scottish attempt to restore the Stuarts to the British throne. Led by Charles Edward Stuart, the legendary Bonnie Prince Charlie, hopes for this Jacobite Rebellion were dashed at Drumossie Moor where the battle was fought, just north of Inverness.

Two years earlier, at the age of 19, and newly graduated from Aberdeen University, Mercer had been inspired by thoughts of replacing the German-speaking King George II with the prince that highlanders regarded as the rightful heir to the united monarchy of Scotland, England, and Ireland.

Centuries later, the name Culloden retains the power to evoke chills in the Scottish psyche and in a dramatic account of Mercer’s death in General Hugh Mercer: Forgotten Hero of the American Revolution, author Frederick English describes Mercer’s defiance of the British redcoats as a throwback to his days as a battlefield doctor. He would not ask for mercy of soldiers who called to him to surrender, calling him a “rebel.”

Morven’s contribution to the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry Project involved many hands. The Museum’s Barbara Webb commends “stalwart stitching volunteer” Alison Totten for the lion’s share of the work, helped also by Edie Tattersall during the recent holiday period.

The embroidered panel connects Princeton to two dozen other communities engaged in documenting their Scottish connections. The aim is to pay homage to emigrant Scots over the centuries by gathering and celebrating the stories of those individuals who had a profound impact on the areas where they settled.

“I hadn’t picked up a needle since the 1960s but knew this was something I could contribute to,” said Ms. Totten, who welcomed the opportunity to “honor all my Scottish ancestors, who represent a cross section of the Diaspora. I am part of the McLean clan of Argyll.”

According to the project’s organizers, Scots and their descendants “never lost a deeply held pride in Scotland’s culture and its democratic ideals: they took with them their religion, skills in medicine, engineering, botany, education, administration, agriculture, and more besides.”

“I saw a lot of people who, like me, had not done needlework in a long time, and who, like me, were taught by a mother or grandmother all those years ago,” said Ms. Totten who was quick to credit the skills of an accomplished embroiderer from the Embroidery Guild of America for stitching the Mercer Oak and the recumbent figure of Mercer under it. “It was a sheer delight to encourage them to put in a stitch or two and watch their faces transform with joy. We even got a few cub scouts to participate! One 4-year-old girl had to be pried away by a very patient mother.”

Soon to be shipped back to Scotland, Morven’s panel shows the Mercer Oak alongside the names of significant places in the life of the soldier physician. The international artwork of which it will form a part, is a successor to the first communal Scottish tapestry project, The Great Tapestry of Scotland, completed in 2013.

Hundreds of stitchers in 25 countries volunteered thousands of hours to craft panels which illustrate such contributions as the arrival of tea in India; the creation of a steelworks in Corby, England; military leadership in Sweden and Russia; national parks and tobacco growing in the United States; and the gold rush in Australia.

Mercer was one of Washington’s most trusted advisers. According to military historian and Washington biographer Douglas Southall Freeman, had Mercer lived, he “might have been [Washington’s] peer and possibly his superior.”

For more on the Morven project, visit: http://morven.org/the-scottish-diaspora-tapestry-project/. For more about the tapestry, visit: www.scottishdiasporatapestry.org.

ANGEL WINGS: As a trained botanist, Mary Allessio Leck combines a singular photographic eye for detail together with informed scientific knowledge. Shown here are her images of ice and water that will be included in the Gallery at Chapin’s “Parallel Views–Flowers and Ice,” through February 27, at the Chapin School, 4101 Princeton Pike. An opening reception for the artist is scheduled for tonight, Wednesday, February 4, from 5 to 7 p.m., but in case of inclement weather, visitors are advised to check for rescheduling details by calling (609) 924-7206 or visiting the Chaplin School website: www.chapinschool.org.

The Gallery at Chapin’s latest exhibition brings artistry and botanical science together for a close look at flowers and ice, the twin interests of local photographer Mary Allessio Leck. “Parallel Views – Flowers and Ice,” will run through February 27. An opening reception for the artist is scheduled for tonight, Wednesday, February 4, from 5 to 7 p.m., but in case of inclement weather, visitors are advised to check for rescheduling details by calling (609) 924-7206 or visiting the Chapin School website: www.chapinschool.org.

Ms. Leck appreciates water in all its forms. Known locally for her work with the freshwater wetlands once called the Hamilton-Trenton-Bordentown Marsh and now known at the Abbott Wetlands, Ms. Leck was among the founders of the Friends of the Marsh (www.marsh-friends.org). She is also a member of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission (DRCC), which overseas and manages the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park and protects the streams that feed into the canal.

As a photographer she is drawn to both ice and flowers. Although these seem to be such separate subjects, one suggesting coldness and the other passion; one inanimate and the other living, “the properties of water underlie both,” explained Ms. Leck in a recent interview.

While the connection is obvious in the case of ice, it’s a little more subtle in the case of flowers. “As a scientist I’m interested in flowers right down to the level in which water is transported into the cells,” said the trained botanist who is a Rutgers University professor emerita. “My interests in flowers and ice run in parallel, both subjects have a great variety of forms, textures, colors, and patterns. Both are dependent on particular properties of water. Both can be extraordinarily beautiful. Both, also, can surprise and prove opportunities for discovery,” she said.

Her photography reveals forms in flowers as “simple” as a tulip or as complex as an orchid. Recent photographic explorations of flowers have yielded “enlightening” views “of the sparkle and wrinkled surfaces of petals, for example. Flowers can be deconstructed, petals removed to reveal inner details.”

Ms. Leck, who gained a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of Massachusetts and a PhD in the subject from the University of Colorado in Boulder, is partial to photographing irises, orchids, and white flowers in general, but feels that all deserve a look.

When it comes to ice, Ms. Leck has found just as much diversity. She has discovered that ice can be textured. “The surface, bottom, and/or internal crystal formation is critical to determining what happens to light; sometimes the light pattern on the bottom of a puddle can create a complex mosaic superimposed on the leaves that collected there,” she has observed.

Photographing her two subjects combined with her deep scientific knowledge has enriched Ms. Leck’s awareness of the natural world and its myriad of connections: “I’ve come to realize that regardless of the subject, light is critically important to what I see (or that my camera captures). It is the properties of the cells and cell walls of flowers and features of ice crystal formation that determine whether light is transmitted, reflected, or refracted. Ultimately, it is the transparency of water to light that allows us to see, and to see patterns in ice or the pigments in petal cells.”

Her work draws upon the basic scientific techniques of observation and experimentation. “Underlying my photography is the fun of exploring, discovering, and trying to figure out explanations for what I’ve seen.”

Ms. Leck has participated in many shows including Phillips Mill Photography Exhibit, Grounds for Sculpture, Ellarslie at the Museum of Trenton, and D&R Greenway Land Trust.

The Chapin School is located at 4101 Princeton Pike, Princeton. The exhibition can be viewed during school hours by appointment. For more information, call (609) 924-7206, or email: sgomberg@chapinschool.org.

MOONLIGHT ON JUDGE’S SHACK: Ray Yeager’s star studded scene is just one of the evocative images in the D&R Greenway Land Trust exhibition, “High Noon to Midnight Moon–Talismans of the Horizon,” on view through March 20. An Artists’ Opening and reception will be held this Friday, January 30, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Johnson Education Center, One Preservation Place, off Rosedale Road. The exhibition features work by Silver Boureau, Annelies van Dommelen, Lora Durr, Deborah Land, Kathleen Liao, Paula Pearl, Rye Tippett, Diane Tomash and Ray Yeager. All the art is for sale with a percentage going to support the D&R Greenway’s preservation and stewardship mission. To register for the free reception, call (609) 924-4646 or rsvp@drgreenway.org. For more information, visit: www.drgreenway.org.

In celebration of its current art exhibition, “High Noon to Midnight Moon–Talismans of the Horizon,” the D&R Greenway Land Trust will host a reception and artists’ opening this Friday, January 30, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Curated by Diana Moore, the exhibition features the work of artists Silver Boureau, Annelies van Dommelen, Lora Durr, Deborah Land, Kathleen Liao, Paula Pearl, Rye Tippett, Diane Tomash and Ray Yeager. All the art is for sale with a percentage going to support the D&R Greenway’s preservation and stewardship mission.

Viewing the work on display has been described as a “virtual Whistler experience.” The artwork celebrates “the half-light, first glimmers of morning, last rays of evening and especially light in darkness” and is “the ideal tonic for occluded winter days.”

“The exhibit is dark, deep, yet sublime, with magical moons, suns, and stars illuminating rich land & skyscapes, encouraging one to contemplate the immense solitude of the skies,” said Ms. Moore. “The moons symbolize D&R Greenway’s silver anniversary; the suns suggest looking forward to the golden 50th celebration, and the stars remind us of land preserved in perpetuity.”

The art on display is characterized by Whistler-like delicacy. It includes intriguing boxes, which evoke the mysterious constructions of Joseph Cornell; and whisper-soft evocations of light on New Jersey landscapes, including the Pine Barrens and Island Beach by night.

“High Noon to Midnight Moon–Talismans of the Horizon,” may be viewed in the Marie L. Matthews Galleries at the D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center, One Preservation Place, off Rosedale Road, on business hours of business days through March 20. For unscheduled gallery visits, call to be sure rooms are not rented at the time of prospective arrival.

The D&R Greenway’s home—a circa-1900 restored barn—the Johnson Education Center, has become a focal point for conservation activity. Through programs, art exhibits and related lectures at One Preservation Place, the non-profit inspires greater public commitment to safeguarding land.

Admission to both the exhibition and the reception is free. To register for the reception/artists’ opening, call (609) 924-4646 or rsvp@drgreenway.org. For more information, visit: www.drgreenway.org.

MARCH ON WASHINGTON: Danny Lyon’s iconic images such as this August 23, 1963, shot of demonstrators during the march on Washington will be on view in an exhibition that will open at The College of New Jersey on Wednesday, January 28 and run through March 1 at the TCNJ Gallery on the campus at 2000 Pennington Road in Ewing. Gallery hours are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from noon to 7 p.m., and Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information, call (609) 771-2633, or visit: tcnj.edu/artgallery. (Photo Courtesy of Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York)

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the historic march from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama that ultimately saw President Lyndon Johnson sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Besides being the subject of the recent feature film drama, Selma, the march, which was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., together with James Bevel, Hosea Williams, and John Lewis, is documented by the work of photographer Danny Lyon who lived through the period and witnessed the sit-ins, freedom rides, and the 1963 March on Washington that brought about the 1964 Civil Rights Act and legal desegregation of the South.

Some 50 iconic photographs of the period will be on view in an exhibition opening at The College of New Jersey on Wednesday, January 28. “Danny Lyon: Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement” includes works by the renowned photographer and filmmaker that are considered to be some of the era’s most defining.

Born in Brooklyn in 1942, Mr. Lyon became a leading post-World War II documentary photographer and filmmaker, helping create a mode of photojournalism in which the picture-maker is deeply and personally embedded in the subject matter.

As the first staff photographer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), he began his career in the thick of SNCC and Civil Rights Movement activities.

From 1962 to 1964, Mr. Lyon traveled the South and Mid-Atlantic regions. His photographs were published in The Movement, a documentary book about the Southern Civil Rights Movement, and later in Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement, the photographer’s memoir of his SNCC year.

“This young white New Yorker came South with a camera and a keen eye for history. And he used these simple, elegant gifts to capture the story of one of the most inspiring periods in America’s 20th century,” said former SNCC member and U. S. Congressmen John Lewis.

Presented as part of a campus-wide exploration of justice and in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, the TCNJ exhibition features some of the photographer’s most powerful images, including the 1963 “Sit in Toddle House Atlanta” and Sheriff Jim Clark arresting two demonstrators with placards on the steps of the federal building in Selma. Both are exhibited courtesy of Edwynn Houk Gallery of New York.

Largely self-taught, Mr. Lyon is a graduate of the University of Chicago. He has had one-person exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Menil Collection in Houston.

“Danny Lyon: Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement” is on loan to TCNJ by art2art Circulating Exhibitions, a non-profit group that organizes traveling exhibitions. It is presented courtesy of Edwynn Houk Gallery of New York.

Cinéma-Vérité

In conjunction with the exhibition, TCNJ’s Department of Communications Studies will screen Mr. Lyon’s 1975 film Los Niños Abandonados on Wednesday, February 11, at 10 a.m. in the Kendall Hall Screening Room.

Acclaimed as “one of the great cinéma-vérité documentaries,” the film focuses on homeless children in Columbia.

The exhibition, which will continue through March 1, and related programs are free and open to the public. The Art Gallery is located in the AIMM Building on the campus at 2000 Pennington Road in Ewing. Gallery hours are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from noon to 7 p.m., and Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information, call (609) 771-2633, or visit: tcnj.edu/artgallery.

DRAPEAU VODOU: These sequin-covered flags are part of a display of Haitian Art in the Considine Gallery at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, 1200 Stuart Road. The two-part exhibition, which opened January 12 and runs through February 12, features Haitian flags from the private collections of Bucks County resident Jill Kearney and Indigo Arts in Philadelphia as well as drawings by the Haitian artist Edens Cathyl. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. when school is in session. There will be an opening reception on Friday, January 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. and a talk by exhibition curator Madeleine Shellaby on Tuesday, January 27 at 11 a.m. For more information, call (609) 921-6105, or visit www.stuartschool.org.

Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart’s winter gallery exhibition in the Considine Gallery has two parts to it. Both concern the art and culture of Haiti. One is a display of black and white drawings by the Haitian artist Edens Cathyl, the other is a striking collection of vividly colored Haitian flags from the private collections of Bucks County resident Jill Kearney and Tony Fisher of Indigo Arts in Philadelphia.

An opening reception is scheduled for Friday, January 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. and a talk by the exhibition’s curator Madeleine Shellaby will take place on Tuesday, January 27 at 11 a.m.

Ms. Shellaby is the co-founder of the non-profit Princeton Haiti KONEKTE (www.konekteprincetonhaiti.com), which supports educational initiatives in Haiti, and the exhibition commemorates the fifth anniversary of the devastating earthquake in that country. A fund raising event at Stuart will be held on January 25, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Titled “Stories from Haiti,” Mr. Cathyl’s series of drawings depict his life there. A member of the Art Matenwa community on the island of Gonave, Mr. Cathyl began his artistic journey as a “restavek” or indentured servant who was “given away by his mother to his uncle” as a boy.

According to the Art Matenwa website, Mr. Cathyl’s is one of the organization’s success stories (see: http://artmatenwa.org/life-in-matenwa/) having arrived “as an undernourished 13-year-old with enormous eyes and serious demeanor. Long and thin, with the dry skin of an old man, Edens had been abandoned by his mother to his uncle’s family. In spite of his quietness, the school principal recognized his intelligence and artistic ability and sent him to us to learn to make art which he practiced with energy and concentration.”

“First I learned how to make silver jewelry with two other students. When that stopped I learned how to paint and make prints and now I make my own drawings,” said Mr. Cathyl, who has expressed his desire to go to art school. “I want people to love my drawings so I can live,” he said.

Now 26, the artist channels his own experiences through the story of a boy’s life in rural Haiti; several of the drawings are from a book that he is working on. The book will feature images such as Country Boy Leading Goat, which shows a slim figure clad in shorts striding ahead of several goats and donkeys. The drawing, which is black and white ink on gesso board, conveys an almost timeless scene with details suggestive of narrative. The thick rope is slack, its frayed end loosely held by the boy’s hand.

As a developing artist, Mr. Cathyl learned the technique that has allowed him to create such elegant and bold compositions from the artist Ellen LeBow, who divides her time between the Haitian artistic community and her Massachusetts home. He credits Ms. Lebow’s tutelage for helping to develop his keen eye for detail and for teaching him how to use materials such as the India ink he brushed onto the surface of a hard board coated with soft white kaolin clay in order to create images like Country Boy Leading Goat. The artist used a blade to “draw” into the ink-covered gesso board and carve away the ink to reveal the white beneath.

Vodou Symbolism

That part of the exhibition devoted to Haitian flags is a display of traditional sequined cloth festival flags with images of the Haitian Iwa, or spirits.

Known as Drapeau Vodou in Kreyol (or Haitian Creole), the flags constitute a spectacular Haitian art form. Created originally as sacred ritual objects within the Vodou religious community, the flags welcome a pantheon of spirits to temple ceremonies. Once objects of interest primarily to anthropologists, the flags have captured the attention of tourists in recent years and are now being made for the art market.

According to a press release from Stuart, “with this new purpose, the artistic imagery of the flags is changing from a strict adherence to tradition to a freer, more expressive form.”

The exhibition, which includes recent works by contemporary artisans, will be on view at Stuart Country Day School, 1200 Stuart Road, through February 12, when school is in session Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information, call (609) 921-6105, or visit www.stuartschool.org. Tickets ($60) for the January 25 KONEKTE fund raiser include presentations on the life and work of Edens Cathyl by Ellen LeBow and on the creation and significance of Haitian flags by Tony Fisher. For tickets, visit: www.konekteprincetonhaiti.com.

HUMOR AND MENACE BY THADDEUS ERDAHL: Titled “Op One,” 2014, this 33 by 20 by 16 inch ceramic work by Princeton Day School faculty member Thaddeus Erdahl is on show in a solo exhibition by the artist in the school’s Anne Reid ’72 Art Gallery. The exhibition “Yes Sir No Sir This Way That” runs from January 12 through January 29 with a public reception for the artist Friday, January 16 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. For more information call (609) 924-6700 extension 1772 or visit:www.pds.org.

The Anne Reid ’72 Art Gallery at Princeton Day School will present the work of faculty member Thaddeus Erdahl in an exhibition titled “Yes Sir No Sir This Way That.” The show, which opens on January 12 will continue through January 29. There will be an opening reception with Mr. Erdahl on Friday, January 16 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Mr. Erdahl has exhibited throughout the United States. After receiving an MFA in ceramics from the University of Florida, he was the artist-in-residence and program manager at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. More recently, he was artist-in-residence at the Arts Council of Princeton and a visiting artist at Princeton Day School, where he is currently a member of the art faculty. He also recently had a solo exhibition at Greenwich House Pottery in New York City.

Mr. Erdahl uses ceramic sculpture and portraiture as visual narrations to document what he sees around him. He often uses an artifact or imaginary person to allow the viewer to disconnect from the present and look into their own personal histories. His work evokes the humor in human behavior; he uses humor to get through tragedies.

Of his work, Gallery Director Jody Erdman has said: “his manipulation and mastery of ceramic materials is only trumped by his ability to accentuate the human condition in both humorous and menacing ways.”

Mr. Erdahl is represented by the Obsidian Gallery in Tucson, Arizona, and the Signature Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Yes Sir No Sir This Way That” is open to the public at Princeton Day School, an independent, coeducational school educating students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday when the school is in session, and by appointment on weekends. For more information, call Ms. Erdman at (609) 924-6700 extension 1772, or visit:www.pds.org.

VILLAGE HOTEL: The hotel in Lumberville, Pa, that wood engraver Herbert Stewart Pullinger (1878-1961) depicts here brings to mind more tranquil days. Just under 10 by 12 inches, the image on paper is one of over 20 works by the artist in the exhibition “Spirit of the Everyday: Prints by Herbert Pullinger” opening at the James A. Michener Art Museum Saturday, December 20, and continuing through March 29. For more information, call (215) 340-9800, or visit: MichenerArtMuseum.org. (Image Courtesy of the Michener Museum)

A small exhibition of works by one of America’s foremost engravers goes on display at the James A. Michener Museum of Art Saturday. For lovers of the wood cut and the art of wood-engraving, this show should not be missed.

Titled, “Spirit of the Everyday: Prints by Herbert Pullinger,” the exhibition showcases a select group of wood engravings and wood blocks given to the museum by Ann and Martin Snyder. According to the show’s curator, Constance Kimmerle, the artist was Mr. Snyder’s great uncle.

This will be the first time the collection has been shown at the Michener. It is perfectly suited to the intimate setting of the gallery space devoted to works on paper, the Bette and Nelson Pfundt Gallery, and a perfect fit for the Michener’s mission of collecting, preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting American Art, with a focus on art of the Bucks County region.

Herbert S. Pullinger (1878-1961) emerged as one of America’s foremost wood engravers during the 1920s. Born and raised in Philadelphia, where he lived, he also spent many summers in Lumberville, Pa. He studied at the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Arts (University of the Arts) and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and taught graphic arts and watercolor at the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art. Several of his works, such as his 1934 engraving of Dock Street from Delaware Avenue, are in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, although not currently on view.

“It seemed appropriate to show this work in the wintertime because the collection includes several snow scenes,” said Ms. Kimmerle, the museum’s curator of collections, who had not been familiar with the artist’s work until the collection was donated to the museum in 2005.

Ms. Kimmerle, who has been with the Michener for some 14 years, is particularly fond of Mr. Pullinger’s snow scenes and country scenes. “The collection includes some very nice images of Bucks County and some of Philadelphia; they can be divided into urban scenes, country scenes, and scenes of heavy industry.”

The images depict everyday life, landscapes, houses, stores, barns, post offices, bridges, canals, lighthouses, coal breakers, and steel furnaces that the artist encountered in Pennsylvania and New Jersey during the 1920s and 1930s.

“Expressing the ‘spirit of the everyday’ was a genuine concern for many American artists at the beginning of the 20th century, and Herbert Pullinger was no exception,” commented Ms. Kimmerle. “As the works in the show reveal, whether he was rendering a snow scene in rural Bucks County or a dynamic industrial scene in Pittsburgh, Pullinger’s creations moved beyond the mere description of a place to fully capture its distinctive spirit and vital energy.”

Presented by Vivian Banta and Robert Field, “Spirit of the Everyday: Prints by Herbert Pullinger,” will be at the James A. Michener Art Museum, 138 South Pine Street in Doylestown, from December 20 through March 29. The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call (215) 340-9800, or visit: MichenerArtMuseum.org.

MEET DANNY SIMMONS: Brooklyn-based abstract painter Danny Simmons will read from his latest book “The Brown Beatnick Tomes” at the Princeton Public Library this Sunday, December 7, at 3 p.m. Mr. Simmons is the older brother of hip hop impresario Russell Simmons and rapper Joseph Simmons. In addition to being a visual artist Mr. Simmons originated and co-produced the hit HBO series “Def Poetry Jam.” His appearance marks a collaboration between the Library and the Baker Street Social Club, founded by Taneshia Nash Laird.

Danny Simmons is known primarily as an artist but it is as a poet that he will appear at the Princeton Public Library this Sunday, December 7, to read from his latest collection of prose and paintings, The Brown Beatnick Tomes.

As an American abstract painter, he’s been lauded for “meticulously rendered and decoratively impressive” work, which hangs in the Smithsonian Institution and is owned by the likes of music industry executive Lyor Cohen and actor Will Smith.

In addition to an impressive portfolio of what he calls “neo-African Abstract Expressionism,” Mr. Simmons also originated and co-produced the hit HBO series Def Poetry Jam. The Broadway version of the show earned him a Tony Award.

According to a recent article in the International Review of African American Art, the Queens, New York native is number three on its list of movers and shakers in the African American art world.

Along with his equally famous brothers, music mogul Russell Simmons and hip hop legend Joseph Simmons (aka “Rev Run”), Danny Simmons co-founded the Rush Arts Gallery and serves as vice president of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation which provides arts exposure and access to the arts to disadvantaged urban youth.

Mr. Simmons holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from New York University, a master’s in public finance from Long Island University, and is the recipient of an honorary PhD from Long Island University. Currently a resident of Brooklyn, New York, he comes to Princeton at the invitation of Taneshia Nash Laird, founder of the newly formed Baker Street Social Club (BSSC), which is co-sponsoring the event with the Princeton Public Library. His visit is the second such event from the BSSC, which was formed to promote African American art and artists in the Princeton area. The Club is an event-driven initiative focusing on music, theater, art openings, and film premieres.

Originally from White Plains, Ms. Laird lived in Brooklyn with her late husband Roland Laird until moving to the Princeton area. She lived in Trenton for some eight years and in West Windsor for about the same amount of time. Today, West Windsor is where she’s raising her two young daughters, Naima, 4, and Imani, 8.

Baker Street Social Club

Named for the Baker Street that was once part of the African American neighborhood in downtown Princeton until it was removed in 1929 to make way for the expansion of Palmer Square, the Baker Street Social Club aims to honor past history by supporting fine arts and film from the African Diaspora.

Ms. Laird acknowledged Princeton’s rich African American community and the writings of the influential Trenton Central High School (TCHS) teacher Jack Washington as inspiration for her founding of the Club. Known as “a keeper of the African-American legacy,” Mr. Washington has taught American history at the TCHS Chambers Street campus for decades. HIs books include In Search of a Community’s Past: The Black Community in Trenton, New Jersey, 1860-1900 and The Quest for Equality: Trenton’s Black Community 1890-1965.

The BSSC, said Ms. Laird, will also support black artists in nearby Trenton, which has a resident population that is predominantly African American and Latino, as well as the Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick. Membership in the club in its first year is free.

“Our goal is to group like-minded individuals who not only share a love of black arts, but a passion for uplifting the community. In the future, we anticipate trips to the African American Museum in Washington, D.C., the Studio Museum in Harlem, Philadelphia African American Museum, and wherever black arts can be found,” said Ms. Laird, who is a trustee for the Art Pride New Jersey Foundation and the Advocates for New Jersey History. She is a Senior Fellow in the Eastern Regional Network of the Environmental Leadership Program and formerly served as director of economic development in the Douglas H. Palmer administration and later as the executive director of the Trenton Downtown Association.

In 1997, with her late husband, she co-authored Still I Rise: A Graphic History of African Americans. The book was updated and re-published in 2008.

“My late husband had created My Image Studios (MIST), a 20,000 square foot, $21 million entertainment center in Harlem that focuses on cultural offerings–including film, live music, and theater — from the African and Latin Diaspora. He co-developed MIST with real estate developer partners Carlton Brown and Walter Edwards.”

A week after MIST opened officially in January 2013, Mr. Laird died in the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro just two days after his 52nd birthday.

“The mission of the BSSC, to support fine arts and film from the African Diaspora, aligns with the type of programming we do all year round at the library,” said Library Program Coordinator Janie Hermann, whom Ms. Laird credits for helping to get BSSC events off the ground.

“After I had taken my daughters to the Princeton University Art Museum’s exhibition on the African American Presence in Renaissance Europe and to the Princeton Symphony’s performance of a piece inspired by the work of Jacob Lawrence, I wanted to do something to put my arms around what was happening locally and bring it all under one umbrella,” recalled Ms. Laird. “Janie Hermann at the Princeton Public Library has been a fantastic help.”

“I first met Taneshia in March 2009 when she and her late husband Roland gave a reading at the library of their book Still I Rise: A Graphic History of African Americans,” said Ms. Hermann. “We kept in touch over the years and when Taneshia approached me with the idea of having the library be the first venue to co-sponsor events for her fledgling Baker Street Social Club I knew immediately that we would be able to create unique programming that would fill a much needed gap in town.”

“I didn’t want to have to take my kids all the way to Philadelphia or Manhattan for cultural activities so I thought it would be great to develop an audience for African American related material and bring African American artists to the Princeton area,” said Ms. Laird. “This event marks my second collaboration with the Princeton Public Library as part of the Baker Street Social Club and I am thrilled that Danny Simmons is able to be here.” said Ms. Laird. “I have found a lot of support in Princeton and I look forward to bringing some stellar speakers, artists and performers here.”

Mr. Simmons will read in the Library’s Community Room between 3 and 5 p.m. Admission is free.

WHAT SHALL WE EAT? The title of Judy Brodsky’s painting brings to mind the old nursery rhyme, “If all the world were paper and all the seas were ink, and all the trees were bread and cheese, what should we have to drink?” It’s not known whether the esteemed artist had Mother Goose in mind, subliminally or otherwise. Perhaps her question relates to a more contemporary environmental problem. Or perhaps she’s just referring to the glorious abundance of the peaches, pears, plums, grapes, and apples that she renders here. Ms. Brodsky’s work, as well as paintings and drawings by Mel Leipzig and Harry I. Naar, are on view in the exhibition, “Rendering, Representing & Revealing” through December 13 in the Romano Gallery of the Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts at Blair Academy in Blairstown. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or by appointment. For more information, call (908) 362-6121, or visit: www.blair.edu.

Paintings and drawings by three renowned local artists will be on display at the Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts at Blair Academy in Blairstown.

The show is an opportunity to examine differences and parallels in the work and careers of Judith K. Brodsky, Mel Leipzig, and Harry I. Naar, all of whom have played significant roles in teaching and mentoring young artists in New Jersey.

Ms. Brodsky worked for many years as an artist, printmaker, and arts advocate. She is a distinguished professor emerita of visual arts at Rutgers University, where she established two art institutes — The Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions and The Rutgers University Institute for Women and Art.

For 45 years, Mr. Leipzig taught painting and art history at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) where he earned the respect and love of generations of young artists.

Mr. Naar began his teaching career some 30 years ago at Rider University, where he serves as director of the Art Gallery to which he consistently brings stellar and surprising artists and their work.

Besides their teaching roles, however, each of the artists featuring in the Blair Academy demonstrates a singular artistic vision.

“With a background in 20th-century modernism, the artists’ work also includes representational and figurative elements of a 21st-century perspective,” said gallery co-director Rita Baragona. “Though their work often reflects similar origins and motifs, Mr. Naar, Mr. Leipzig, and Ms. Brodsky create very individual artworks that often explore the intellectual, political, and social issues of our time.”

Ms. Brodsky, who has a master of fine arts from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, where she majored in art history, has organized and curated numerous exhibitions. Her work is in the permanent collections of more than 100 museums and corporations around the world, such as the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.; the Victoria & Albert Museum in London; The Stadtmuseum in Berlin, Germany; the Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts at the University of California at Los Angeles; the Rhode Island School of Design Museum; The New Jersey State Museum; and The Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University. She has also written extensively about women’s influence on the arts.

During his long career at MCCC, Mr. Leipzig maintaind his career as a painter, exhibiting his work in solo and group showings across the country, as well as in New Jersey. His paintings can be found in the White House Collection in Washington, D.C.; the Whitney Museum in New York City; the Yale Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut; the National Endowment for the Arts Gallery in Washington, D.C.; the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York City, and closer to home in the the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton. His work is regularly featured at the Gallery Henoch in New York City.

Mr. Naar’s work is also frequently exhibited in private and public collections throughout New Jersey, including The New Jersey State Museum, the American Council on Education, The Morris Museum of Arts and Sciences, Newark Museum, the Montclair Art Museum, Rutgers University’s The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, and The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center in New York City. At the Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, he won the Hassam, Speicher, Betts, and Symons Purchase Fund award and his numerous group shows include The Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; The Canton Art Institute in Canton, Ohio; The High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia; and The Boca Raton Museum of Art in Boca Raton, Florida. Currently, Mr. Naar’s drawings are in the New Jersey State Museum’s exhibition, “America Through Artists’ Eyes.”

“Rendering, Representing & Revealing” will continue through December 13 in the Romano Gallery of the Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts at Blair Academy in Blairstown. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or by appointment. For more information, call (908) 362-6121, or visit: www.blair.edu.

NEW JERSEY NATIVE: As a member of the artist’s group Art+10, local photographer Tasha O’Neill was among a number of artists asked to focus their attention on the native species of the Garden State for a stunning show at the D&R Greenway, opening this Friday, November 14. In addition to her photograph “Wild Columbine,” shown here, Ms. O’Neill captured the beauty of state treasures such as Trout Lily, Royal Fern, Beach Plum, and the tiny orchid with the big name, “Dragon’s Mouth.” (Image courtesy of Ms. O’Neill)

If you haven’t been to the D&R Greenway Land Trust’s galleries of late, a new exhibition opening this Friday, November 14, is sure to entice old friends and new visitors to the Johnson Education Center’s lovingly restored barn, circa 1900, off Rosedale Road.

Titled, “Botanicals Illuminated,” the exhibition is designed to show just what there is in New Jersey that is worth the work of preserving. The works on display have all been inspired by native species that can be found on lands preserved by the D&R Greenway.

The exhibition opens this Friday, November 14, with a reception for the artists from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. To register for the free reception email rsvp@drgreenway.org. It takes place during the D&R Greenway’s 25th Anniversary Year, which has seen continued preservation and protection of natural lands, farmlands, and open spaces throughout central and southern New Jersey, including most recently, preservation of the former Norma Pratico property in Trenton for use as an urban community farm. The site was acquired by the City of Trenton through a partnership organized by D&R Greenway.

The multi-media show features work by members of the Princeton area artists group Art+10, as well as work by award-winning botanical illustrators and sumptuous pieces by three regional artists selected for the show by curator Diana Moore, who has been curating shows at the Greenway for four years now. A fan of the Land Trust and its programs, she started out as a volunteer, but with two degrees in art, one in medieval art from Princeton University, she has found a niche in curating for the organization.

“I have always loved botanical illustrations of the past such as you see in early herbals,” said Ms. Moore. “The work by the artists in this exhibition is exceptionally fine and it is a treat to be able to present these images.”

Known for championing art as an effective means of highlighting the serious work of land preservation and stewardship, President and CEO Linda Mead and her staff have turned the Johnson Education Center into a focal point for conservation activity with inspiring programs, art exhibitions, and related lectures. “Botanicals Illuminated” is one in a long list of singular exhibitions that they have put on in service to their conservationist mission.

“As always, our exhibits are mounted to demonstrate the importance of preservation of New Jersey land and species,” said Ms. Mead. “I am delighted to share the results of a year-long process, which began with lists of native plants of New Jersey and the D&R Greenway preserves where they are most likely to be found.”

Along with botanist emeritus of Rider University Dr. Mary Leck, a D&R trustee, as well as staff members Emily Blackman and Diana Rachel, Ms. Moore asked the artists participating in the exhibition to select specific D&R Greenway sites and plants on which to focus.

“Diana is brilliant in bringing artists of the area together under one roof,” said participating fine art photographer Tasha O’Neill. “I admire her calm in the midst of a storm and the always gracious D&R staff have done a tremendous job in pulling together information about the subject and from the artists.”

In addition to the work of eight botanical illustrators: Chiara Becchi, Carrie Di Constanzo, Fran Henig, Ann Hoffenberg, Robin Jess, Lanis Monfried, Carol O’Neill, and Carol Woodin, the work of regional artists from the Art+ 10 group is being featured.

Collectively titled “Native Plants of New Jersey,” Art+ 10’s members (there are 11, incidentally) Priscilla Algava, Heather Barros, Jim Bongartz, Betty Curtiss, Katja De Ruyter, Suzanne Dinger, Jeaninne Honstein, Ryan Lilienthal, Meg Michael, the above mentioned Ms. O’Neill, and Gill Stewart offer a diverse and pleasing collection of creative and colorful photographs and paintings of plants from the familiar to the rarely celebrated.

Art+ 10 offers its members an artistic home and provides opportunities for solo and group shows. Being a member, “challenges my creativity,” said Ms. O’Neill, who expressed admiration not only for the Land Trust’s efforts but also for the use to which it puts its gallery space. “The Land Trust is the only gallery in Princeton where the themes of exhibitions consistently deal with nature. Buyers of the art support the mission to preserve New Jersey farmland.”

The theme of preservation was not a hard sell to members of Art+ 10. “We are grateful to D&R Greenway Land Trust for their deep commitment to stewarding and preserving nature and also for the many opportunities we have as artists to exhibit and share our work,” said member Priscilla Algava, who described the D&R galleries as “a magic space where community members come together to meet and appreciate the worlds of art and nature.”

The three regional artists selected by the curator are Karen McLean, Carol Sanzalone, and Madelaine Shellaby.

Each artist found their subject in plants across a broad spectrum of beauty and scientific interest. Thus you will find Columbine, Trout Lily, fern, and orchid. Even poison ivy has its place here.

All the art on display is for sale with a percentage going to support D&R Greenway’s preservation and stewardship mission. According to Ms. Moore, there is an attempt to be as inclusive as possible and have prices that range from $100 up into the thousands of dollars.

“Botanicals Illuminated” will be on display through January 9 in the Marie L. Matthews Galleries, Johnson Education Center, D&R Greenway Land Trust, One Preservation Place, off Rosedale Road, Princeton. The gallery is open during business hours of business days.

For more information and to be sure Galleries are open on day of visit, call (609) 924-4646, email info@drgreenway.org, or visit: www.drgreenway.org.

LUCKY GIRL: That’s the title of this oil-on-panel painting by renowned Bucks County artist Robert Beck, who will be exhibiting his latest works at the Gallery of Robert Beck, 204 North Union Street, Lambertville from October 25 through November 23. A free public reception for the opening will take place on Saturday, October 25, from 5 to 8 p.m.; a second reception will take place on Sunday, October 26, from 1 to 4 p.m. The artist’s work can be seen at www.robertbeck.net. For more information contact (609) 397-5679 or robert@robertbeck.net. (Photo by Jeffrey Apoian)

Bucks County artist Robert Beck, whose works are popular among local art collectors, was one of three internationally acclaimed artists to be honored by The Philadelphia Sketch Club at its 154th Anniversary Gala last week. Together with Elizabeth Osborne and Moe Brooker, Mr. Beck received the the Sketch Club Medal. The medal will join no less than 28 other major awards the artist has received over the years; past recipients include Jamie Wyeth and Robert Venturi.

Visitors to Mr. Beck’s gallery, at 204 North Union Street, Lambertville, will have an opportunity to see his recent paintings in an exhibition appropriately titled, “Open Road,” opening with a public reception on Saturday, October 25, from 5 to 8 p.m. A second reception will take place on Sunday, October 26, from 1 to 4 p.m. The exhibition will continue through November 23.

Described as “a Renaissance man,” Mr. Beck is not only an accomplished painter, he has taught other artists, curated art exhibits, and sat on numerous arts organization boards. He’s also hosted a radio show and is a columnist for ICON magazine. He’s known for representational paintings unrestricted by subject matter or genre, and for painting live events in unusual or difficult environments.

Over the years, Mr. Beck, who attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, has built a portfolio of images that speak to the American experience. His subjects show people at work and at play. They depict, he once explained, “who we as Americans are by painting what we do, where we do it, and by giving our everyday world a second look.”

“Open Road” comprises 39 oil-on-panel paintings and one sketch for Lucky Girl, shown here. Visitors will discover plein air paintings and larger studio works of subjects ranging from Maine, New York, and Vienna, as well as local images.

The paintings depict scenes of people at work, in coffee shops and bars, gathered around a table for storytelling, or playing music together as in Jam Session.

“Regardless of genre, I want my paintings to strike a chord in the viewer that gives association to something in memory,” said the artist. “I don’t want to tell you it is a lunch counter; I want you to feel what you felt when you ate at one. I want you to hear the plates.”

“Open Road” includes scenes that will resonate with New Jersey and Bucks County residents such as Stockton Inn, and Behind Phillips Mill, as well as scenes of Manhattan. Especially evocative are Mr. Beck’s snowscapes and night scenes like Night Snow, Manhattan and Broadway, above Columbus, all of which can be viewed on the artist’s website (www.robertbeck.net).

According to his artist’s statement, Mr. Beck has “always been fascinated by what makes things happen” and he uses painting in order to “investigate events that combine to make life’s parade.”

“I really enjoy working under the difficult and distracting circumstances that come with being in the middle of a crowded event, faced with the multiple challenges of motion, unusual lighting, limited time, and interaction with the public. Painting from life adds substance a camera can’t record. Your wet feet make you consider the puddles, and the wind on your face draws attention to the swirl of the leaves and sway of the branches. The experience is included in the artwork and felt by the viewer. I spend hours in one spot taking a good look and, in a form, creating an iconic image of what I see. Over time I observe rhythms that add to the identity of the scene, absorbing a great deal of sensory information.”

Mr. Beck has had dozens of solo shows; his representational style has won awards at the Phillips’ Mill Annual Juried Exhibition, the Woodmere Art Museum Annual Juried Exhibition, the Lambertville Historical Society Annual Juried Exhibition, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Fellowship Exhibition.

He is represented in galleries in New York, Philadelphia and extensively through the region, including the National Arts Club, and in numerous collections, including the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania, and the James A. Michener Art Museum, which selected 37 of his paintings for exhibition in 1999. More recently, the City of Trenton Museum at Ellarslie presented a retrospective of his work in 2007.

The artist’s philosophy is expressed in this remark: “Art is the sum of our collective experience and imagination, and the most powerful way to present ideas that we have. It’s not an answer, it’s a proposition. It keeps the human conversation from going circular.”

Of his most recent work, the artist said: “This has been a year of probing boundaries for me. I’m always trying to identify a basic truth about that first moment when you engage a subject — that thing that gives it identity — and I’m still discovering new ways to describe the world around me.”

The Gallery of Robert Beck is open Saturdays and Sundays, from noon to 4 p.m., and by appointment. For more information, call (215) 982-0074, or visit: www.robertbeck.net.

“LOW TIDE, VINALHAVEN:” This 28 x 23 inch acrylic painting by local artist Charles McVicker will be on display at the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) alongside work by members of the Princeton Artists Alliance, the group which Mr. McVicker founded with several other local artists 25 years ago. The ACP show features 21 artists and opens Saturday October 11, with an public reception from 3 to 5 p.m. For more information, call (609) 924-8777, or visit: www.artscouncilofprinceton.org.

It’s been 25 years since the accomplished local painter Charles McVicker reached out to fellow Princeton artists to form The Princeton Artists Alliance (PAA). An exhibition in celebration of the group opens at the Arts Council of Princeton with a reception this Saturday, October 11, from 3 to 5 p.m.

Inspired by Impressionist painters who had met in Parisian cafes and legendary discussions by Abstract Expressionists at the Cedar Bar in Greenwich Village, Mr. McVicker got together with Margaret Kennard Johnson, Marie Sturken, Jane Eccles, and Joanne Scott. They each made a list of artists they thought might form an interesting salon; 20 was thought to be about right number, and the artists invited to join were charmed by the idea. The aim was to enrich the Princeton art community with talks, open studios, demonstrations, and exhibitions. To this day, the group has maintained its manageable size and its goal of enriching Princeton’s art scene.

Today, as 25 years ago, its members are painters, sculptors, printmakers, and photographers; some recognized nationally, some internationally.

Recalling the group’s beginnings, Mr. McVicker remembers monthly meetings and exhibits wherever an empty space could be found, in empty stores, model homes, and corporate galleries. “Each artist showed their best work, and the art was diverse,” he said in a statement of PAA history. “At some point it was suggested that we have a ‘theme’ for our next show. Robert Fagles of Princeton University, had just released his highly-regarded translation of Homer’s Odyssey and we liked the idea of using this story as a basis for an exhibition.”

Not surprisingly, the exhibition was recommended viewing for a number of college literature classes. After being shown in a corporate gallery, it went on to the Newark Museum, two college galleries, and a cultural foundation in New York City. After such initial success, PAA produced more themed exhibitions, including several focused on the New Jersey landscape and the need to protect it. PAA members have produced work on the Trenton Marsh and the Pine Barrens, a show which ran at The Noyes Museum. Recently, they have presented work that draws attention to the havoc of Superstorm Sandy and global warming at the D&R Greenway Land Trust. Several years ago, they collaborated with poets for a show at the State Museum in Trenton. And this fall, they will feature in another, “America Through Artists’ Eyes,” curated by Margaret O’Reilly.

Over the years, the group has renewed itself as members have left and been replaced. “But,” said Mr. McVicker, “the dedication of the Alliance to high quality shows and the enrichment of the Princeton art community and beyond has never waned. Like the Impressionists, life-long friendships have been made and the cross-pollination of ideas holds the group together, and benefits the community as well.”

“Little did I realize that joining PAA in 2000 would become a turning point in my work,” said Shellie Jacobson, an award-winning ceramicist, book-maker and teacher. “Not only have I grown more confident as an artist, but over time my focus became stronger and my work more mature as we offer each other suggestions and lend support through our common struggles and accomplishments as artists.” Ms. Jacobson’s artists’ books are part of the permanent collection of the Newark Museum and the Ben Shahn Gallery and she has exhibited in Korea, Japan, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Greece. For more of her work, visit: www.shelliejacobson.com.

Alongside such newer members, Mr. McVicker, Ms. Kennard Johnson and others of the original 20-member group, including Marie Sturken, Joanne Augustine, Anita Benarde, and Lucy Graves McVicker, continue as vital members of PAA. Ms. Eccles and Ms. Scott have since moved from Princeton.

Mr. McVicker (www.charlesmcvicker.com), former president of the Garden State Watercolor Society and the Society of Illustrators, is a retired professor of art at The College of New Jersey. His work has garnered many top awards at regional and national juried shows and has been featured in The Artist’s Magazine and International Artist Magazine. His paintings are in the permanent collections of the U.S. Capitol, Princeton University, Dupont and Johnson & Johnson, among others.

Margaret Kennard Johnson (wmgallery.com/Johnson.html) studied with Joseph Albers and taught studio art at the Museum of Modern Art for23 years. Her work is in the collections of the British Museum, The U.S. Library of Congress, and the Tochigi Museum in Japan. The art of Japan, where she lived for eight years, remains a primary influence on her work.

Paper- and print-maker Marie Sturken (www.mariesturken.com) works out of the Dieu Donne Paper Mill in New York City, where she enjoys the “low-tech aspect of making paper by hand, of natural fibers.” Her primary focus of late is to embed a wide variety of materials into the pulp: fabric, yarn, and printed words. Her work is included in public and corporate collections including the New Jersey State Museum, Johnson and Johnson, and the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro.

Joanne Augustine (coryellgallery.com/artists/Augustine/) has a passion for “flowers and beautiful weeds,” and tries to capture their essence in her work. “I find them a spiritual resource, putting me in touch with my own intuition and reverence for nature,” she has said. “As a metaphor for our own lives, they challenge us to remember that we, too, exist on borrowed time.”

Mixed media artist Anita Benarde (www.benardeart.weebly.com) is also a paper- and print-maker. She has published illustrated books for children, including The Pumpkin Smasher, which is part of the Children’s Rare Book Collection at Princeton University’s Firestone Library.

Work by Lucy Graves McVicker (www.lucygravesmcvicker.com) has been shown in national and state-wide exhibitions and competitions and has received numerous awards, including a Gold Medal from the Audubon National juried show in New York. It has featured in exhibitions at Rider University, Lambertville’s Coryell Gallery, and Kean University, and included in private and public collections like Johnson and Johnson, DuPont Corporation, Capital Health System, Princeton University, AtlantiCare, the University Medical Center at Princeton, and the New Jersey State Council of the Arts.

Arts Council Show

The Arts Council of Princeton will showcase the work of 21 PAA artists. In addition to the above mentioned, the show features works by the late Nancy Lee Kern, combining the artist’s love of nature and color. The other artists are: Hetty Baiz, (www.hettybaiz.artspan.com), whose large-scale mixed-media images of animals were the centerpiece of last year’s Woodrow Wilson School exhibition “NonHuman Animals: Eat, Test, Love;” painter, mixed media artist, and poet, Joy Barth (www.joybarth.artspan.com); the English-born Zenna Broomer (www.zennabroomer.com), currently exploring printmaking to visualize abstraction in the urban landscape, and incorporating steel, copper and metal shavings into her work; Jennifer Cadoff (www.jennifercadoff.com), a signature member of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society; Rajie Cook (www.rajie.org), who creates three-dimensional sculptural assemblages; photographers Clem Fiori (www.fioriworks.com) and Thomas Francisco (www.thomasfranciscopho
tography.com); landscape painter Carol Hanson; Harry I. Naar (www.harrynaar.com), director of the art gallery at Rider University; sculptors James Perry (www.jimperrystudio.com) and Richard Sanders (www.richardsanders@carbonmade.com); Madelaine Shellaby (www.madelaineshellaby.com); and watercolorist Barbara Watts.

The Arts Council of Princeton will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Princeton Artists Alliance with an exhibition of work from Saturday, October 11 through Wednesday, November 26. Related events include gallery talks on Saturdays, October 25, November 8, and November 22, from 2 to 3 p.m.; and a panel discussion, Saturday, November 1, from 2 to 3 p.m.

The Arts Council of Princeton is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (609) 924-8777, or visit: www.artscouncilofprinceton.org.

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD: Inspired by the Underground Railroad, this mural can be found behind the Arts Council of Princeton’s Paul Robeson Center, where it was completed by artists Will “Kasso” Condry and James “Luv 1” Kelewae on Sunday, September 14. Both artists are members of the S.A.G.E. Coalition. For more information, call (609) 924 8777, or visit www.artscouncilofprinceton.org.

It’s not visible from Witherspoon Street, so you’ll have to look behind the Arts Council of Princeton’s Paul Robeson Center building to discover the brightly-colored mural that was painted there on Sunday, September 14.

The mural’s clandestine positioning speaks directly to the subject that inspired the artwork. Titled Underground Railroad, the mural commemorates the historic web of routes and safe houses that escaped slaves from the south followed and found refuge in on their harrowing journeys to freedom.

The routes covered thousands of miles and ran through New Jersey. Sections were known as “stations,” and Station A ran through Princeton’s Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood. The mural thus serves as a reminder of Princeton’s historical involvement in the Underground Railroad.

“Those viewers who choose to wander in and explore the ‘hidden’ wall will experience the clandestine nature of the Underground Railroad as well as that of contemporary urban art,” said local curator, writer, teacher and photographer Ricardo Barros who conceived of the work.

Completed in one day by Will “Kasso” Condry and James “Luv 1” Kelewae of Trenton’s S.A.G.E. Coalition, the mural also pays homage to the tradition of quilt-making. According to a press release following the event, “the alternating diamond patterns and geometric shapes that can be seen throughout the mural are directly inspired by African-American quilt patterns, bringing to mind their importance in telling the story of the Underground Railroad.”

As members of the S.A.G.E. nonprofit organization formed in 2012 to initiate, plan, and execute inner-city beautification projects, both artists are used to being watched by the public as they work, in this case to the music of OLD SOL, a Trenton-based funk, hip-hop, and soul band. The arts coalition is a diverse group of visual artists, engineers, fabricators, musicians, and teachers who create everything from murals to 3-D models. Kasso and Luv 1 have already created a series of public art projects in Trenton, including a depiction of Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and Barack Obama. The Gandhi mural generated a strong, positive, public response, and led to the transformation of an abandoned lot into a public urban garden, known as Gandhi’s Garden.

The ACP abstract mural, which took 10 hours to complete, interweaves symbolic images such as lantern, sailboat, sun, moon, and star. The project brings together the art communities of Princeton and Trenton, which is exactly what Mr. Barros, a resident of the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood and ACP Exhibition Committee member, had in mind.

“This day will go down in history. Not because of what we painted, but because of the connections that were made and the new bridges that were built,” said Kasso in a recent blog post on the ACP website, where comments and perspectives on the mural can be viewed.

For more on the S.A.G.E. Coalition, visit http://sagecoalitionnj.com/. For more information, visit www.artscouncilofprinceton.org or call (609) 924-8777.

MURAL ART COMING TO PRINCETON: Shown here is a mural by artists of the S.A.G.E. Coalition that was created in Hopewell. This weekend S.A.G.E artists, Will “Kasso” Condry and James “Luv 1” Kelewae will create a mural for the Arts Council of Princeton. Inspired by the Underground Railroad, the mural will take shape behind the Arts Council of Princeton’s Paul Robeson Center throughout the day, beginning at noon, on Sunday, September 14. For more information, call (609) 924 8777, or visit www.artscouncilofprinceton.org.

The walls may be small, but the subject of the mural that will cover them is large. And the artists who will carry it out are the larger than life Will “Kasso” Condry and James “Luv 1” Kelewae of Trenton’s S.A.G.E. Coalition, the Trenton-based nonprofit organization that was formed in 2012 to initiate, plan, and execute inner-city beautification projects.

The two artists will create a mural that will span two small brick walls behind the Arts Council of Princeton’s (ACP) Paul Robeson Center for the Arts on Witherspoon Street. The work will be carried out and completed throughout the day on Sunday, September 14, beginning at noon.

The mural is inspired by the Underground Railroad and quilt-making tradition. The Underground Railroad was a web of routes covering thousands of miles, several of which ran through New Jersey. Sections were known as “stations,” and Station A ran through Princeton’s Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood.

According to an ACP press release, “members of the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church, spoke out against slavery as early as the 1840s and assisted escaping slaves in their passage north.”

The father of Princeton’s Paul Robeson, after whom the ACP building is named, was a slave who escaped a Southern plantation and eventually settled in Princeton’s Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood, where his son Paul was born. For a time, Paul Robeson’s father was minister of the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church. Paul was born on April 9, 1898, in the church parsonage nearby. He graduated from Rutgers University and Columbia Law School and went on to international acclaim as an actor, singer, and humanitarian. He was an uncompromising champion of black civil rights.

Conceived by local curator, writer, teacher and photographer Ricardo Barros, the mural project will be one of several carried out by members of S.A.G.E., a diverse group of visual artists, engineers, fabricators, musicians and teachers, who create everything from murals to 3-D models.

“The mural will present a stylized, interpretive take on the Underground Railroad, reflecting the S.A.G.E. Coalition’s urban roots,” said Mr. Barros, a resident of the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood and ACP Exhibition Committee member. “The mural will not be visible from the street, but those viewers who choose to wander in and explore the “hidden” wall will experience the clandestine nature of the Underground Railroad as well as that of contemporary urban art.”

Kasso and Luv have already created a series of public art projects in Trenton, including a depiction of Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and Barack Obama. The Gandhi mural in particular generated a surprisingly strong, positive, public response, which led to the transformation of a derelict, abandoned lot into a public urban garden, known as Gandhi’s Garden.

The artists are accustomed to completing their murals in one day and welcome a public audience. They also enjoy working to music, and live musicians and DJs will add to the festive occasion. It’s been rumored that a few break dancers may make an appearance as well.

“The ACP is proud to support the S.A.G.E. Coalition and bring their unique urban vision to Princeton,” said Executive Director Jeff Nathanson.

Founded in 1967, the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP), is a non-profit organization with a mission of building community through the arts. Housed in the landmark Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, designed by architect Michael Graves, the ACP fulfills its mission by presenting a wide range of programs including exhibitions, performances, free community cultural events, and studio-based classes and workshops in a wide range of media. Arts Council of Princeton programs are designed to be high-quality, engaging, affordable, and accessible for the diverse population of the greater Princeton region.

The Arts Council of Princeton is located at 102 Witherspoon Street. The creation of the mural will coincide with the ACP’s Free Fall Open House, from noon to 3 p.m. and its annual Members’ Show, from 3 to 5 p.m. All events are open to the public and free of charge. Parking is available in the Spring and Hulfish Street Garages and at metered spots along Witherspoon Street and Paul Robeson Place.

For additional information about the S.A.G.E. Coalition and to see photographs of previous work, visit http://sagecoalitionnj.com/. For more information about this event, please visit www.artscouncilofprinceton.org or contact Alyssa Gillon at agillon@artscouncilofprinceton.org or call (609) 924-8777 x110.