Arts | Town Topics

May 15, 2024

Film Sees Genocide Through a Child’s Eyes

The Trenton Film Society will present the world premiere of Once a Child Soldier on Saturday, May 18 at 1 p.m. as part of its celebration of documentaries produced by regional filmmakers, at Mill Hill Playhouse in Trenton.

The 31-minute film was co-produced by Sopheap Theam and Princeton-based filmmaker Janet Gardner, who also directed. It is the latest documentary from The Gardner Documentary Group. The film explores the Cambodian genocide through the eyes of a former Khmer Rouge child soldier. In his own words, Sayon Soeun confronts his childhood experiences during Cambodia’s darkest hour, revealing what he witnessed and struggled with as he came of age. more

Call for Art by June 13: “Ellarslie Open 41”

Kimberly Camp

Trenton City Museum invites artists to submit artwork for consideration in “Ellarslie Open 41.” Kimberly Camp, renowned as an artist, educator, museum leader, and gallery owner, will jury the 2024 show. Trenton City Museum will accept online entries through June 13.

Artists may submit a total of up to four pieces. Entry categories are Sculpture, Paintings, Works on Paper, Photography. and Digital Art, which will include video for the first time. Entry instructions and schedule are at ellarslie.org/EO41. The top award, Best in Show Overall, carries a prize of $1,000. Monetary awards are also given for first place in each category and for special sponsored awards whose criteria and subject matter vary. Best in Show Overall in 2023 was awarded to David Orban of Hamilton, whose work is on view in the new show “Space & Clutter,” along with works by Jackie Lima of Easton, Pa., and Paul Smith of Brooklyn, N.Y. more

Artisans to Exhibit Work at Arts & Crafts Show

ARTS & CRAFTS SPRING SHOW: Craftsmanship is displayed at the 2023 Arts & Crafts Show, presented by the Montgomery Arts Council. This year’s show is on May 18 and 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Regional artisans will have their talents on display when the Arts & Crafts Spring Show returns May 18 and 19. Presented by the Montgomery Arts Council, this year’s indoor event spotlights local community talent in woodwork, textiles, glass, ceramics, fine arts and more.

“We are excited to provide a platform to these prodigiously talented creatives for our Arts & Crafts Spring Show,” said Montgomery Township Mayor Neena Singh. “We will continue taking every opportunity to support local artisans, while presenting our residents with some of the most talented work in the region.” more

Two Photography Exhibits Coming to Gallery 14

“SMALL TAKES ON BIG PLACES”: Images by John Stritzinger are on view at Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography in Hopewell May 18 through June 16. Works by Dutch Bagley are also featured. An opening reception is on May 18 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography in Hopewell will present exhibits by two of its members May 18 through June 16. Both are award-winning artists who regularly exhibit in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. They have also had images included in a variety of professional national and international media.

An opening reception with the artists is on May 18 from 1 to 3 p.m.

“ECHOES OF ABSTRACTION”: Works by four ceramic artists are at The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster through June 2. Two other exhibitions are also display at the center this spring.

The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster has announced three exhibitions on view through June 2.

“Echoes of Abstraction,” curated by John Reinking, brings together the work of four contemporary ceramic artists: Ruth Borgenicht, Eric Knoche, Joris Link, and Tina Opp. more

May 8, 2024

Night Thoughts By the River with Paul Auster and Edgar Allan Poe

By Stuart Mitchner

What you see is what you see….
—Frank Stella (1936-2024)

My name is Paul Auster. That is not my real name.
—Paul Auster (1947-2024), from The New York Trilogy

There are few persons, even among the calmest thinkers, who have not occasionally been startled into a vague yet thrilling half-credence in the supernatural, by coincidences of so seemingly marvellous a character that, as mere coincidences, the intellect has been unable to receive them.
—Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

Here’s my ideal reading experience: I’m on the top floor of the Fieldstone Suite at the Black Bass Hotel in Lumberville, Pa., it’s the last Sunday in April 2024, the hour before midnight, my wife is asleep in the bed by the window, and I’m watching the gleaming, darker-than-night waters of the Delaware River move relentlessly toward New Hope, Trenton, Whitman’s Camden, Poe’s Philadelphia, and points south and on into the Atlantic. The small book I’m holding half-open is the 1899 Raven Edition of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, which I’d stuck in my overnight bag at the last minute.

For the better part of 30 years, I’ve been meaning to read all 130 pages of this charismatic little volume with its charming deep-blue, deep-black cover, a raven perched in a grey circle at the center. At this hour of the night, with the window slightly open for a breeze, you can almost hear the water moving, and while I know the river is the Delaware, tonight it’s the Seine and the Hudson flowing as one, and it belongs to Poe, who has reimagined the murder of a New York girl named Mary Rogers as the murder of Marie Rogêt, a Parisian grisette, meanwhile rewriting the Hudson as the Seine, New York as Paris, Weehawken as the Barrière du Roule, and Manhattan’s Nassau Street as Rue Pavée Saint Andrée.

Princeton Boychoir Presents Season-Ending Performance

By Nancy Plum

The centuries-old tradition of boys’ choirs has always had a strong presence in the Princeton area. The American Boychoir School musically trained and educated hundreds of young men in its six-decade history in Princeton. Following closure of the Boychoir School, the Westrick Music Academy chose to expand its highly-successful Princeton Girlchoir program by incorporating a boys’ choir under its umbrella, and in the fall of 2017 launched the Princeton Boychoir. Aimed at singers grades three through 12, this program not only provided a musical extension to former American Boychoir members, but has also appealed to a new clientele of talented young performers. Today, the program includes three choirs addressing all stages of the changed and unchanged voice while imparting principles of “confidence, character, and leadership” to create fine young men.

TEMPTATIONS AND MORE: The Broadway hit “Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of The Temptations” is among the shows coming to the State Theatre New Jersey in the coming season. (Photo by Johan Persson)

State Theatre New Jersey has announced its 2024-25 Broadway Season, featuring five shows with Tony Award-winning hits, Broadway fan favorites, and multiple State Theatre debuts. Season tickets for the 2024-25 Broadway Series are now on sale.

Shows are TINA—The Tina Turner Musical, October 3-5; Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of The Temptations, October 25-27; The Addams Family, January 25-26; and Dear Evan Hansen, March 28-30. Also included as an add-on to season tickets is Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, November 23-24.

State Theatre New Jersey is offering season tickets to its Broadway Series. Season ticket holders can order their series tickets now before single tickets go on sale to the general public on August 2. They are also able to secure some of the best seats in the historic theater and those seats will remain theirs, year after year, for as long as they remain season ticket holders. Season tickets also come with added benefits such as 20 percent savings off single ticket prices, half-price drinks at concessions, ticket exchanges within the series, and a bring your friends discount that allows single tickets (once on sale) to be added on at a 15 percent savings off single ticket prices.

The State Theatre New Jersey is at 15 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick. Visit stnj.org.

Folk Music Society Presents Irish Music Duo

SOUNDS OF IRELAND: Ivan Goff, left, plays uileann pipes, Irish flute, and whistles; and Katie Linnane, right, is on fiddle at a May 17 concert at Christ Congregation Church.

The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Irish music duo Ivan Goff (uileann pipes, Irish flute, and whistles) and Katie Linnane (fiddle) on Friday, May 17 at 8 p.m., at Christ Congregation Church, 50 Walnut Lane.

The couple are stalwarts of the New York City Irish traditional music scene. Goff has toured with several Irish traditional bands, including Dervish, Danú, and the Eileen Ivers Band. He also has performed in theatrical productions, including extended engagements with Riverdance (on Broadway and on tour), and Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance.

Linnane got her start in the “Irish Riviera” music scene of Pearl River in Rockland County, N.Y. She studied with Willy Kelly and has been influenced by other players including Paddy Canny, Patrick Ourceau, and Mike Rafferty. She performs with other New York-based groups such as The Murphy Beds, Lúnasa, and Green Fields of America. She also is an accomplished step dancer and teacher.

Tickets at the door: $25 ($20 members, $10 students 12 – 22, $5 children 11 and under). Ample free parking. A livestream also is available. For more information: www.princetonfolk.org.

McCarter Announces Lineup for 2023-24 Dance Series

KOREAN COMPANY: Bereishit Dance Company, which is based in Seoul, is among those scheduled to appear at McCarter Theatre Center in the coming season. (Photo by Javier Labrador)

McCarter Theatre Center’s 2024-2025 Dance Series will feature Ballet Hispánico; “SW!NG OUT” from choreographer Caleb Teicher; “Noli Timere” — a new collaboration between Director/Choreographer/Princeton University Professor Rebecca Lazier and sculptor Janet Echelman; Seoul-based Bereishit Dance Company; and Twyla Tharp Dance. Also included as an optional season encore is the return of Pilobolus.

“Our 2024-2025 Dance Series showcases an exceptional lineup, featuring some of the most celebrated artists of the past 60 years alongside emerging talents poised to shape the future of dance,” said Director of Presented Programming Paula Abreu. “This season, we will journey from the streets of Seoul to 25 feet in the air on a voluminous net sculpture, savor ballet infused with Latin rhythms, master the Lindy Hop, and traverse through six decades of the legendary Twyla Tharp’s groundbreaking choreography.”

Subscriptions to McCarter’s 2024-2025 Dance Series for new and returning subscribers are now available at Mccarter.org or by calling (609) 258-2787. Subscribers save 20 percent on tickets and receive benefits like free exchanges, exclusive pre-sale access, and preferred seating.

“Slow Motion” Exhibition at Grounds For Sculpture

“SHHH”: This 7-foot-high work by multidisciplinary artist Ana Teresa Fernández is featured in “Slow Motion,” on view at Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton through September 1, 2025. (Photo by Bruce M. White)

Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) in Hamilton now presents “Slow Motion,” an exhibition guest-curated by Monument Lab that expands the boundaries of contemporary sculpture through the use of unconventional materials and processes. Founded in 2012, Monument Lab is a nonprofit public art and history studio based in Philadelphia that cultivates and facilitates critical conversations around the past, present, and future of monuments. Traditional approaches to monument-making emphasize durability, solidity, and myths of enduring permanence; however, “Slow Motion,” on view through September 1, 2025, embraces the pleasures and possibilities of material transience.

“HORSE IN A FIELD”: Artist Vivian Slee, whose work is shown here, is the speaker for the Inside the Artist’s Studio series event on Thursday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Princeton Makes in the Princeton Shopping Center.

On Thursday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m., artist Vivian Slee will be the featured speaker for the Inside the Artist’s Studio series at Princeton Makes in the Princeton Shopping Center. Slee, a member of the Princeton Makes artist cooperative, is a Colombian American artist who makes figurative and landscape paintings. She will share insights from her career and art practice.

Raised in Trenton, Slee earned her undergraduate degree in visual arts at Drew University, and an MFA in fiction from Columbia University. She worked in the art world in New York and Germany and lived in Moscow and London before settling in Princeton with her husband and two daughters. She creates compelling figurative paintings that capture narratives from her community and lived experiences.

Works by the late Dick De Groot, a Dutch American painter, sculptor, and inventor, are on view at SFA Gallery, 10 Bridge Street, Frenchtown, through May 31. An opening reception is on Saturday, May 11 from 5 to 8 p.m. For more information, visit sfagallery.com or call (908) 268-1700.

Booth Named Leader of New Hope Arts Foundation

Lawrence P. Booth

The New Hope Colony Foundation for the Arts (NHCFA) has announced Lawrence P. Booth of New Hope, Pa., as its new president of the board of trustees. Booth takes the helm of the nonprofit organization that is centered in the village just north of New Hope Borough that is the “birthplace” of the Pennsylvania Impressionists. The NHCFA seeks to preserve the buildings that make up the art colony and propel the area into the future by encouraging and promoting the arts.

A resident of New Hope since 1995, Booth is a longtime teacher at Carrier Clinic/Hackensack Meridian Health in Belle Mead. He also is a director of the Delaware Valley Fire Museum and has served on the boards of the Free Library of New Hope & Solebury and Friends of the Free Library of New Hope & Solebury. He proudly served in the U. S. Air Force. Booth brings a wealth of knowledge, ability, and enthusiasm to the New Hope Colony board.

May 1, 2024

Closing Out Poetry Month with Shakespeare, Berlioz, Swift, and Vendler

By Stuart Mitchner

The adolescence of a whole American generation was mediated by Dylan’s songs…

—Helen Vendler (1933-2024)

The last week of National Poetry Month began on Tuesday, April 23, William Shakespeare’s 460th birthday. Right now a whole generation of listeners is being “mediated” by Taylor Swift, whose latest album The Tortured Poets Department opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, “with historic numbers,” according to the New York Times. It’s hard to ignore an album with that title in a month celebrating poetry, not to mention the fact that Swift’s work is the subject of courses being taught at major universities, including Harvard, which offers an English Department class called “Taylor Swift and Her World.” more

Princeton Symphony Orchestra Presents Evening of Chamber Music

By Nancy Plum

Members of professional orchestras often have successful performing careers on their own, both individually and as part of chamber ensembles. Princeton Symphony Orchestra principal cellist Alistair MacRae maintains a bi-coastal performing life, with faculty and principal appointments on the West Coast in addition to New Jersey. One of his affiliations is as a member of the Puget Sound Piano Trio, ensemble-in-residence at the University of the Puget Sound School of Music in Tacoma, Washington. Princeton Symphony Orchestra presented MacRae and his colleagues in the Trio, violinist Maria Sampen and pianist Ronaldo Rolim, in a concert at Princeton’s Trinity Church last Wednesday night. With the music of Franz Joseph Haydn, Miguel del Aguila, and Felix Mendelssohn, the Trio showed how its four-decade history has created both musical cohesion and high-level performance. more

Twenties Drag Culture Is Setting for ActorsNET

MAE WEST’S DRAMEDY: Actors in the famous movie star’s play “The Drag” include, from left, Nicholas Pecht as Clem “The Doll” Hathaway, Daniel Gleason as Rolly Kingsbury, and Grace Albert as Clair, Rolly’s wife. The production runs through May 12 at the Heritage Theater Center in Morrisville, Pa.

Drag culture meets drawing room dramedy as ActorsNET performs Mae West’s show, The Drag, through May 12 at the Heritage Center Theater in Morrisville, Pa. The play is set in New York City during the 1920s, and is a love triangle topped with a decadent celebration of drag and sprinkled with a moral dilemma that still resonates today: How can we be ourselves in a world that is hostile to queer people? more

Zimbabwean Liberation War Is Subject of New Musical

NEW MUSICAL: Cast members in rehearsal for the premiere of Tanaka Dunbar Ngwara’s new musical, “Paivapo ’76,” to be presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Theater and Music Theater May 3-5. (Photo by Allison Ha)

Princeton University senior Tanaka Dunbar Ngwara, a student of the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Theater and Music Theater, will premiere his new musical, Paivapo ’76, May 3-5 at the Wallace Theater in the Lewis Arts Complex. Show are at 8 p.m. on May 3 and 4, and 2 p.m. on May 5. Admission is free. more

Amos Lee Performs “Transmissions Tour”

PHILLY FOLKS: Philadelphia natives Amos Lee, pictured here, and special guest Julia Pratt bring their blend of modern folk to New Brunswick on May 18.

On Saturday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m., State Theatre New Jersey presents “Amos Lee — Transmissions Tour” at the theater located at 15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. Joining Lee for this concert is special guest, Julia Pratt.

Modern folk musician Lee’s musical style encompasses folk, soul, and jazz. He has been on tour with musicians such as Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, John Prine, Dave Matthews Band, and most recently, Indigo Girls. Lee’s songs include “Sweet Pea,” “Colors,” “Windows Are Rolled Down,” “Arms of a Woman.” more

Ballet Company and School Mark Birthday Milestone

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: American Repertory Ballet dancers dressed in their finest at the company’s Platinum Jubilee Gala, which celebrated the 70th year of the company and the Princeton Ballet School.

American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School celebrated the organization’s 70th anniversary with a sold-out Platinum Jubilee Gala on Saturday, April 20, at Jasna Polana.

This milestone event honored the chairs of the board of trustees from 1954 through to the present. Nine were in attendance, including Nancy Becker, Patrick Bradley, Susan Croll (current chair), DonnaJean Fredeen, Rachel Gray, Penelope Lattimer, Nancy MacMillan, Marie Mascherin, and Charles Metcalf. more

Award-Winning Music Festival Known for Eclectic Programs

NEW COMMISSIONS AND MORE: The Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo is among the performers at the Raritan River Music Festival’s 35th season in Hunterdon County May 4-25.

The Raritan River Music Festival, winner of the National Award for Adventurous Programming from ASCAP/Chamber Music America, will hold its 35th season on Saturdays, May 4-25, 7:30 p.m., at venues in Hunterdon County.

Guitarists Laura Oltman and Michael Newman, the festival’s artistic directors, founded the festival with the goal of bringing live chamber music to historic venues in Hunterdon County. The four-week festival includes debuts, new commissions, and world premieres. more

“Habitats” Joint Exhibition Coming to Artists’ Gallery

“THE POND”: This oil on board work by TingTing Hsu is featured in “Habitats,” her joint exhibition with Mark Oliver, on view at Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville May 9 through June 2.

Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville will present “Habitats,” featuring new gallery members TingTing Hsu and Mark Oliver, May 9 through June 2. The exhibit showcases natural and man-made habitats in the oil paintings of Princeton-based Hsu and the watercolors of Lambertville-based Oliver. An opening reception is on Saturday, May 11 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Hsu’s use of vibrant colors and intricate textures evoke a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world. Hsu is the 2023 winner of the Jack Staub award at Phillips’ Mill. For more about Hsu’s work, visit tingtinghsu.com. more

“The Air Between” Exhibit At Morpeth Contemporary

“SEAWALL, CLEARING AFTER RAIN”: This oil on linen work is featured in “Christine Lafuente: The Air Between,” on view May 4-31 at Morpeth Contemporary in Hopewell. A reception is on May 4 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Morpeth Contemporary presents new work by Christine Lafuente, an artist inspired by the beauty of nature, in “Christine Lafuente: The Air Between,” on view May 4-31 at Morpeth Contemporary in Hopewell. A reception is on Saturday, May 4 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Be it outdoors in Maine or in her Brooklyn studio, the same questions inform her paintings: How does fog reduce color? How does the sun at once create and break down forms? How does mist accentuate light? How do flowers offer such saturated color? more

Arts Council Exhibits Works By Young Students

INNOVATIVE ART: A special exhibition on view recently at the Arts Council of Princeton highlighted projects by young students from Johnson Park Elementary School who completed the Olivia & Leslie Foundation’s innovative Arts + Math Program.

More than 60 parents, children, and educators celebrated a special exhibit at the Arts Council of Princeton recently that showcased projects by young students who completed the Olivia & Leslie Foundation’s innovative Arts + Math Program.

The twice-a-week afterschool program, which took place at Johnson Park Elementary School, is designed to foster critical thinking, cognitive skills, and social-emotional development in kindergarten and first-grade students through visual arts education. more

April 24, 2024

Record Numbers

Princeton Record Exchange was one of thousands of independent record stores around the world to celebrate Record Store Day on Saturday, April 20. Fans of the iconic store known as PREX turned out to browse and buy from the slate of titles, many of which have limited production runs. (Photo by Sarah Teo)