1-22 TD

downtowner Trenton’s City Paper

January 2022 |

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Vibes & Visions Trenton artist Chee Bravo on recording the city’s jazz scene and more.

Page 6.

Lois Dodd & friends at Ellarslie, page 2; LOTUS Project breaking the silence, 7.

Moonstruck American master brings her friends to Ellarslie

By Dan auBrey

T

he Trenton City Museum’s “Painting the Moon and Beyond: Lois Dodd and Friends,” featuring works by New Jersey native and noted American painter Lois Dodd and several former students, opens Friday, November 19, and remains on view through April 29, 2022.

An opening reception — free and open to the public — takes place Sunday, November 21, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Dodd is a pioneering artist from an era when women were generally overlooked. Born in Montclair in 1927, she forged a career as an innovative landscape, cityscape, and portrait artist and was the subject of more than 50 solo exhibitions, starting with her 1949 show at the Pyramid Gallery in

New York City.

The founder of the Tanager Gallery, one of the first Lower Manhattan cooperative galleries formed to mount exhibitions outside the sphere of established uptown galleries, Dodd studied at Cooper Union from 1945 through 1948.

In 1951 she began dividing her time between New York City, the Delaware Water Gap, and Cushing, Maine, where she was inspired to paint from her immediate environment, often integrating interiors and exteriors.

As she told one interviewer, “Maine has a landscape light that is more dramatic and graphically clear than that of more southerly locations. The strong light-and dark-value contrast provides a visual simplification of shape and forms and denies disruptive detail,” and “the more personal an expression

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can be is also the most universal it can become.”

Represented by the Alexandre Gallery in New York City, Dodd’s work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, National Portrait Gallery, Whitney Museum, Princeton University Art Museum, as well as the Bowdoin and Colby college museums of art and the Farnsworth and Portland art museums in Maine.

Dodd also taught at Brooklyn College, Queens College, and Wagner College in New York City and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine.

A key to the exhibition is Dodd’s statement, “I started doing nighttime paintings in the 1970s. You could stand outside, and the moonlight was so brilliant certain nights that I realized I could paint in it.”

Eventually she was joined by Trenton native Jeff Epstein, Highland Park resident Dan Finaldi, and Irish-born artist Elizabeth O’Reilly, whose work is also in the exhibition.

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The exhibition also includes a work by nationally known Trenton artist Mel Leipzig, who is friends with Dodd and other participating artists, created a portrait Dodd, and is the subject of one of the outdoor works.

Writing about the exhibition, Dube notes the following:

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A portrait of the artist by Dan Finaldi titled ‘Lois Under Red Maple.’

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I

t all began, for me, with Mel for a group of artists who would go Leipzig’s painting of her. Lois Dodd outside in the wee hours to paint, capis pictured in her New York studio, turing the ethereal magic of Maine at Leipzig’s wide-angle perspective put- night.

Communities of artists fascinate me. ting the pressed tin ceiling and whiteThey provide a space where individupainted floorboards in the foreground, als can nurture, encourage, and supwhile Dodd is seated in a corner, holding her white hair up behind her head. port each other. Artists enjoy camaraderie with like-minded individuals And yet we get a who share advice sense of a woman on everything who doesn’t spend Lois Dodd is a from politics to much time seated: relationships. there’s a painting pioneering artist Such commuin progress on an from an era when nities of artists easel, and a ladhave been a part der just beneath women were generally of Lois Dodd’s life a portion of the overlooked. Born in since her early ceiling in need years at Cooper of repair. (In a 1927, she forged a Union and Skowrecent conversa- career as an innovative hegan, through the days at the tion Dodd told me Tanager Gallery she’d had it fixed landscape, cityscape, she cofounded in but that it needed and portrait artist.

New York in 1952, to be repaired yet where she exhibagain.)

Though ited with Alex Katz, Philip Pearlstein, taking up only a small portion of the Tom Wesselmann, Yvonne Jacquette, canvas, Dodd’s presence is strong.

I wanted to get to know her work and others.

Jeff Epstein, Dan Finaldi, and Elizabetter, and I wanted to get to know this figure who’d played a significant beth O’Reilly are former students of role in the downtown gallery scene of Dodd who have embarked on paint1950s New York and who, as a nona- ing expeditions together near Dodd’s genarian, continues to make paintings homes in Blairstown, New Jersey, and that enamor legions around the world. Cushing, Maine. Together they have Soon I learned that she was a catalyst ventured out to uncover the mysteries

Above left is ‘Rockland Night,’ by Lois Dodd, and at right is Trenton artist Mel Leipzig’s painting of Lois Dodd in her New York studio. of the night.

These artists share an affinity for subject matter, if not style, and feed off each other’s creativity. In addition to the nocturnes, “Painting the Moon and Beyond” looks through windows and doors, and at portraits the artists have made of each other, including the one by Leipzig. It was Leipzig who introduced Epstein to Dodd, and Dodd who introduced Finaldi to Leipzig.

The exhibition comes on the 25th anniversary of a retrospective of

Dodd’s work at the Trenton City Museum and is accompanied by a short film and a catalog.

Painting the Moon and Beyond: Lois Dodd and Friends, Trenton City Museum, Ellarlsie Mansion, Cadwaladar Park, Trenton. Through April 29, 2022. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m., and Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m. Free; donations welcome. 609989-3632 or www.ellarslie.org.

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January 2022 | Trenton Downtowner3

KinderSmile Foundation brings bright smiles to Trenton kids

By Dan Aubrey

‘W

e have treated over 3,000 children and families. You cannot imagine the need in Trenton,” says Nicole McGrathBarnes of the dental services provided

by KinderSmile Foundation.

“We’re not a typical dental practice or Medicaid or hospital. I have created an access to health care for everyone.

Not just for a zip code,” she adds during a recent talk for the Trenton Symposium.

McGrath-Barnes’ statement reflects the nonprofit’s mission to “provide underserved children with access to comprehensive dental care and educate children and their families about the importance of dental hygiene. We envision a future where every child has access to a dentist and preventable dental diseases are eradicated.”

In Trenton’s KinderSmile office the demographics are primarily black or brown and run the gamut from immigrants to state workers.

McGrath-Barnes says the organization uses several different programs.

The prime one is the group’s Oral Health Program. According to KinderSmile materials, the OHP “increases access to dental care for underserved children ages 0 to 18, regardless of insurance status, by bringing dental care to schools or community centers at no cost to caretakers or the school system.”

Others include Special Smiles, an expansion of the OHP that provides dental care and oral health education to children with developmental disabilities, the Pre and Postnatal Program dental services and health education for pregnant women and new mothers, and the Community Service Learning Program that mentors and guides high school and college students to participate in oral health professions.

Describing her journey from the daughter of a Brooklyn Jamaican immigrant mother to dental professional, McGrath-Barnes says she was inspired by how her mother, with limited schooling, had “taught herself the British education system” and become a legal secretary.

In response, McGrath-Barnes says she decided “to educate myself and have a career,” adding that when she was 14 she saw an advertisement for a dental assistant and applied.

Although the “old Jewish doctor” didn’t hire her, he offered to mentor her. The girl accepted and came to the office a few times a week and started to learn the business.

Later the graduate of the University of Maryland’s School of Dentistry opened a private practice in Bloomfield.

After 14 years of practice, she says, “I loved the clinical aspect and re-

lationship with my patients and felt something was missing, and after soul searching and I realized I wasn’t involved with the community that I had been part of it. I went on a search and went to Head Start in Montclair and said, ‘I’m Dr. McGrath and I want to be a program dentist.’ And I said it was pro bono.”

She says she started showing up on Wednesdays, “the day dentists were off,” and talking to children about oral disease prevention — which she calls the easiest disease to prevent.

“I loved it. I felt a connection to the community. As things progressed, I noticed children had rapid decay when they smiled. Montclair is affluent, but there is a ward that is below poverty level.”

The catalyst for creating a larger child-focused dental program happened when she received a call from the receptionist at her dental office about a patient waiting for her at the office. “It was a little girl. She said

‘I didn’t know much about Trenton,’ McGrath-Barnes says. ‘I took a year and a half to learn about it. And in the thick of the pandemic, we opened our doors in Trenton and expanded our service to treating children and adults.’ something about Dr. Nicole. I knew she was from Head Start.”

McGrath-Barnes says the girl’s aunt brought to the office because the girl “had a swelling on the side her mouth the size of a golf ball. It was a nasty, ugly infection. She had it three months and it was in a primary molar.

No other dentist would take her because it was Medicaid. She needed to be on antibiotics ASAP and the tooth needed to be extracted.

“I went home and said something was wrong. I was led by passion and need, and here I am years later.”

The KinderSmile Foundation was established in 2007. McGrath-Barnes says she started first as a mobile operation where she traveled to schools and shelters and used disposable materials. She also used her office and began a partnership with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark. She also asked colleagues to participate but was disappointed when they said they “didn’t want ‘that’ population in my office.”

Then she realized a problem. Even if she found an office, the parents

4Trenton Downtowner January 2022

refused to go. “I found out what they believed was that KinderSmile was their provider and didn’t want to go anywhere else.”

She says she consulted with the foundation’s board and “we decided to open a brick and mortar spot. In 2015 we opened our first dental home. We call it home so people feel comfortable.

She says after KinderSmile developed a partnership with the Boys and Girls Club in Newark, she was invited to participate in a health care program led by Tammy Murphy, the spouse of Governor Phil Murphy.

Also attending the session was the director of Capital Health Institute for Urban Care, Dr. Eric Schwartz. He connected McGrath-Barnes with Deborah Sands Gartenberg of the Princeton-based George H. and Estelle M. Sands Foundation.

Through her involvement with other area organizations, Gartenberg was aware of the need for Trenton children to have access to affordable oral health care. After she visited the KinderSmile “home” in Newark, she asked McGrath-Barnes to expand their services to Trenton. The Sands Foundation supported the effort with $2.4 million of funding. Other funding comes from Medicaid, other grants, and individual donors.

“I didn’t know much about Trenton,” McGrath-Barnes says. “I took a year and a half to learn about it. And in the thick of the pandemic, we opened our doors in Trenton and expanded our service to treating children and adults.”

The organization developed a relationship with a Princeton-based oral surgeon who performs oral extractions and forged a partnership with Mercer County Community College to build a dental curriculum and hire dental assistants.

She also says she is focusing on something else to help Trenton children by recognizing that “a lot of the women in Trenton are single moms.

We believe in focusing on the matriarchs” and “empower the matriarchs in our community.”

During a quick visit the Trenton offices that opened in 2020 in a Mercer County Community College building, McGrath-Barnes moves through the suites of rooms including offices and open examination rooms.

Though it was an off day with one person in the waiting room, a KinderSmile report notes, “Our Trenton office is already bridging the gap in access to oral healthcare for underserved youth and adults in Trenton.

Medicaid/NJ FamilyCare insures 63 percent of Trenton’s children, yet

Dr. Nicole McGrath Barnes is the founder of the KinderSmile Foundation. prior to KSF’s expansion into Trenton, there was only one dental practice that accepted that form of insurance, with limited access to uninsured patients.

“As of November 2021, the percentage of uninsured we serve is approximately 60 percent, nearly double our pre-opening, heavily data-driven projections. Our very successful and one-of-a-kind Perinatal Health and Wellness program provides education, prevention, and treatment solely to uninsured expectant moms and their newborns.”

“Most of our patients with insurance are NJ FamilyCare state Medicaid insurance,” McGrath-Barnes says in an email exchange regarding payments, especially those without insurance. “If an uninsured patient under 12 years old presents to our dental home, the initial exam, cleaning, x-rays and treatment plan is ‘free,’ she continues. “For patients 12 and older, adults, is $40.

Uninsured emergency patients pay $40 as well.

“For continued treatment for the uninsured population, we have extremely reduced fees. The purpose of this is to make access to oral health affordable for all. If an uninsured family or patient cannot afford treatment at all, we apply for grants to help them. Or we assist and encourage them to apply for NJ FamilyCare. No one leaves our dental home without treatment.”

In a response to the establishment of KinderSmile offices in areas known to be lacking in affordable healthcare, NJ Biz newspaper named McGrathBarnes a Heathcare Hero in October 2020 and the Princeton Mercer Chamber of Commerce’s named her a Woman of Achievement in June 2021.

KinderSmile Foundation, 191 North Broad Street, Trenton. For more information on how to use or support KinderSmile resources: 973-744-7003 or www.kindersmile.org.

SIX09 Arts > food > culture

Winter Wellness starts on pg 8 thesix09.com | january 2022

Fresh Outlooks for a New Year Make your new year’s resolution, page 2.

Start 2022 on the right foot with a walk across the Scudder Falls Bridge, 5.

What’s cooking at Al’s Airport Inn, page 6; Winter Wellness, page 8

Lose more than just weight.

Lose your sleep apnea.

The Center for Weight Loss at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton At Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, instead of emphasizing short-term goals like reducing the size of your waist, we focus on long-term benefits like reducing your risk of diabetes, sleep apnea and hypertension. Beginning with a nurse navigator, every aspect of the program, including bariatric surgery, will be clearly presented so you can make the right choice.

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from the cover Start the new year off right

By CaTherIne BIalKoWsKI

The time has come to decide our New Year’s resolutions, promises we make to ourselves that will improve our lives overall for the next 12 months. From eating more healthily to learning better spending habits, we all have areas in our lives that need a bit of extra attention and care. Here are some local resources to help start 2022 in the right mindset, based on the most popular resolutions.

Improving Your Health

Perhaps the number one resolution, year after year, is to live more healthfully. From choosing the right foods to exercising daily, there are a multitude of ways to live a more sound lifestyle.

Dr. Kintur Sanghvi, owner of NJ Heart & Vascular Care in Princeton and Hamilton, says that heart health (and overall fitness) starts with the diet and daily intake of water. It is important, he says, to pay attention to what we put into our bodies, and to take care to avoid greasy, salty, or processed foods. “Most of us eat food on the fly,” says Dr. Sanghvi. “We never have time to sit down. We all just eat quickly and move on.” Paying attention to diet and the effect on the body can be life-changing.

Dr. Sanghvi, a cardiologist and cardiovascular physician, started

An award-winning publication of Community News Service, LLC © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.

Trademark and U.S. Copyright Laws protect Community News Service LLC Publications. Nothing herein may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission of the Publisher.

CO-PUBLISHER Jamie Griswold

CO-PUBLISHER Tom Valeri

MANAGING EDITOR, METRO DIVISION Sara Hastings ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Thomas Fritts

PRODUCTION MANAGER Stacey Micallef DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL INITIATIVES Joe Emanski

2SIX09 | January 2022

15610 HAMILTON CNS_Bariatric ManBlackShirt Apnea_4.313x11.25_m1.indd 1

NJ Heart & Vascular Care after the COVID-19 pandemic hit; he decided to pursue an individualized, personal form of care that would allow him to truly listen to each patient, “instead of a big system where patients get frustrated.” Visit njhvc.com for more information about his practice. *** For help choosing a diet and balancing meals, consider scheduling an appointment with a nutritionist like Caruso’s Physical Therapy & See NEW YEAR, Page 4

SIX09

EDITOR Jamie Griswold ARTS EDITOR Dan Aubrey FOOD & DINING COLUMNIST Joe Emanski AD LAYOUT & PRODUCTION Stacey Micallef SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jennifer Steffen (Ext. 113)

* Results are not guaranteed and may vary by individual

Dr. Kintur Sanghvi is the owner of NJ Heart & Vascular Care in Princeton and Hamilton.

12/6/21 4:01 PM

Community News Service 15 Princess Road, Suite K Lawrence, NJ 08648 Phone: (609) 396-1511 News: news@communitynews.org Events: events@communitynews.org Letters: jgriswold@communitynews.org Website: communitynews.org Facebook: facebook.com/mercereats Twitter: twitter.com/mercerspace Six09 is inserted into each of Community News Service’s nine hyperlocal monthly publications. Over 125,000 copies are distributed each month in the Greater Mercer County, N.J. area.

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“Many of these treatments may come as a surprise to patients suffering from chronic pain, especially those who think that their pain — and poor quality of life — is something they have to endure,” Dr. Patel notes. A double board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management specialist, Dr. Patel focuses on treating pain in the back, neck, face, and joints as well as pain related to cancer and chemotherapy.

With so many different pain-causing illnesses, injuries, and conditions, treatments must be carefully customized to fit the needs of each individual patient. Dr. Patel partners with orthopedists, physical and occupational therapists, and chiropractors to provide a variety of approaches and treatments. With

Regenerative Medicine/ Stem Cell Therapy. Regenerative medicine is a fastgrowing, highly developed treatment that helps the body heal or rebuild itself. Dr. Patel uses stem cell therapy to treat ailments, particularly low back or neck pain, caused by degenerative vertebral discs or joint pain in the shoulders, hips, or knees caused by osteoarthritis. The patient’s stem cells are removed, purified, concentrated, and injected into the injured or weakened tissue. Stem cell therapy can also speed recovery and help avoid surgery.

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). A favorite treatment for sports injuries, PRP uses the patient’s blood to produce a platelet-rich plasma that targets a host of chronic and acute pain conditions, including muscle strain, arthritis, tendinosis, cartilage injuries, joint inflammation, and wound care. The treatment is also used in orthopedic and plastic surgery. By synthesizing platelets and releasing proteins, PRP can aid in generating new tissue. And it has helped chemotherapy patients grow back hair faster and thicker.

Cannabis Therapy. The legalization of medical marijuana has brought new treatment options. “We are very excited by the potential of cannabis-based treatments and we comply fully with New Jersey’s evolving regulations,” says Dr. Patel. He uses a local dispensary to provide treatments, which include edibles such as gummy bears and cannabis-based rubbing and vaping oils.

Minimally Invasive Therapy. Dr. Patel offers a wide variety of minimally invasive therapies. These include epidural steroid injections, facet joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, and spinal cord stimulation for patients suffering from chronic neck and back pain stemming from herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, or spinal stenosis. His goal is to help his patients avoid surgery and at the same time regain functionality.

Thanks to these and other game-changing treatments, pain levels can be greatly reduced or eliminated and quality of life enhanced. Says Dr. Patel, “Stop your pain.

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ASK THE DOCTOR

January 2022 | SIX093 MARCH/APRIL 2020

NEW YEAR, continued from Page 2

Nutrition in Allentown. Their services include physical therapy, nutrition services, salt therapy and pilates; according to the website, carusoptrd. com, “combined, these things make a huge difference.”

The nutrition services include education, screening, monitoring, assessments and counseling, pertaining to each patient’s individual needs.

To make an appointment visit the website and fill out the form for new patients.

Another vital aspect to staying healthy, says Dr. Sanghvi, is living an active lifestyle. “With patients who live to be 90 and 100, one common factor is that all of them are extremely active,” he says. “It is important for overall health and cardiovascular health.” Learning how to train the heart through various forms of exercise is the key to living a long life and reducing the risk of heart attacks and heart disease.

One local resource for fitness is Team85 Fitness and Wellness Center in Bordentown, which offers more than 100 fitness classes per week in cardio, strength and wellness, for all ages. Classes include zumba, barre, yoga, meditation and cycle, among others, and are taught by the best instructors in the area in state-of-the-art studios. Visit team85fitnessandwellness.com for more information.

Taking Charge of Your Finances Learning how to better handle money is another popular resolution.

Becoming financially stable reduces stress and can even increase happiness levels, making it an excellent goal to focus on in 2022.

First Bank NJ offers a variety of services and resources to help organize your finances. Their services include, but are not limited to, home equity loans, checking accounts, auto loans, and commercial and residential mortgages. At First Bank, savings and money market accounts are designed to help you save for the future, and bank staff is there to answer any questions you have about your finances.

The community blog, firstbanknj. blog, is a treasure trove of invaluable information on topics such as cybersecurity, saving for college, scammers, and the importance of emergency funds. First Bank NJ has locations in Cranbury, Hamilton, Monroe Township, Ewing, Lawrence and Pennington. Visit their website, firstbanknj. com, for more information. *** If you are planning to purchase a property, or want to refinance your home, Finance of America Mortgage may be able to help. Their handy mortgage calculator, refinance calculator and mortgage affordability calculator tools make it easy to

understand your financial state, and the team of professionals is happy to share information about the process of applying for a loan as well as finding the right one for each unique situation. There is a branch in nearby Manahawkin; visit foamortgage.com for more information.

Self-Improvement

The quest to become our best selves is ongoing; it includes all aspects of who we are, including what we enjoy, how we spend our time, even how we represent ourselves

The new year is a perfect time to discover a new hobby or interest or rekindle your excitement for an old one. to the world. Here are a few local resources to encourage and guide this journey.

It is no secret that the way we look influences how we feel. Princeton Aesthetics, located in Princeton Junction, offers medical aesthetic treatments to help patients become the best versions of themselves. Princeton Aesthetics offers body sculpting and contouring, facial rejuvenation, tattoo removal, skin revitalization, laser hair removal and hair restoration, among

other services. Dr. Siva Teja Jetty has worked at RWJ Barnabas Health and is a board certified internal medicine physician. For more information, visit princetonaesthetics.com. *** The start of a new year is a perfect time to discover a new hobby or interest. For those with a passion for (or curiosity about) art, consider getting involved with the Arts Council of Princeton. The Council offers a wide variety of events on a monthly basis, including exhibits by Mercer and Hunterdon County artists, as well as classes for adults and children in screen printing, ceramics, flamenco dancing, oil painting, watercolor, junk journaling, capoeira and more. There is also a membership opportunity for those interested in getting more involved. Visit artscouncilofprinceton.org for more information. *** Finally, why not get back into (or discover a new passion for) reading? It improves brain connectivity, reduces stress and increases vocabulary; it is also entertaining. The Mercer County Library System offers a range of book clubs in both broad and specific genres, including a gardening group, sports book group, nonfiction book club, Friday Morning Bookies and a Facebook book club. The book clubs are located in various branches, including, Ewing, Hopewell, West Windsor, Hickory Corner and Twin Rivers. Visit mcl. org for more information.

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out & about Walk (or bike) this way

By Dan Aubrey

The newly opened Scudder Fall Bridge Shared Use Pathway is the closest one can get to walking and bicycling on air and a great addition to various hikes and walks available to people in the region looking to get out and get healthy — especially at the start of a new year.

The 0.86-mile-long walkway is located on the bridge’s upstream span and accessible in New Jersey from the D&R Feeder Canal towpath. A canal and towpath parking area is located on River Road in Ewing. A Pennsylvania ramp is located directly opposite on the Delaware Canal towpath.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, which opened the pathway in November, reports that the “bridge walkways and ramps are 10 feet wide with accompanying 4-foot-6-inch railing heights that meet Federal Highway Administration standards for integration of pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

“The new shared-use facility makes Scudder Falls the only river crossing

in the Commission’s 20-bridge system where bicyclists can pedal across without dismounting. Fifteen of the Commission’s bridges currently provide some form of pedestrian access.

However, for safety, liability, and logistical reasons, bicyclists must dismount and walk across these existing walkways.”

Additionally, the project includes a park-n-ride lot, a comfort station, an interpretive bridge display, and an active transportation network of paths, ramps and bridge walkways, providing direct connectivity between Pennsylvania’s Delaware Canal towpath and New Jersey’s Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath.

“This new facility was constructed by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission and is funded by the tolls the agency collects at its eight toll bridges. The Commission has committed to operating and maintaining the facility’s various components in perpetuity,” says the DRJTBC in a statement.

The newly opened Scudder Fall Bridge Shared Use Pathway, accessible from For more information: www.drjtbc. River Road in Ewing, adds to regional walking, biking, and hiking routes and org. offers spectacular views of the Delaware River along the way.

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what’s cooking?

Fueled by

MERCER EATS

All in the family at Al’s Airport Inn

By Thomas Kelly

One thing that long standing family businesses have in common is their stories. Stories that may have been handed down through generations of owners, employees and customers.

The history in photos, documents and memories are comforting and provide us with a sense of continuity and community. Long standing family businesses provide us with comfort and roots.

Since 1933 there has been an inn near the airport on Bear Tavern Road in Ewing that has been welcoming travelers. Providing hospitality to airport patrons and locals alike, Al’s Airport Inn is keeping the tradition alive and looking to the future. Nestled on a flat plain in the middle of rolling hills, it is easy to think back 88 years and see the warmly lit inn on the outskirts of the airfield, as you climb out of the newly burgeoning transport mode of passenger airplanes.

Family owned and operated, Al’s Airport Inn is now owned by Carrie Ann Bondi, and she is looking to enhance the traditional tavern experi-

6SIX09 | January 2022

Carrie Ann Bondi owns and operates Al’s Airport Inn in Ewing. ence. Taking the time during a shutdown for the pandemic to remodel the floors, ceilings and painting the interior, the inn retains its colonial

feel but is much newer and brighter inside. “Of course we kept the building looking like “Al’s”. We had to keep the exposed beams, woodwork, and

brick. The original building dates back to the 1700s and we want to showcase that,” states Bondi.

Originating right after the airport was built in 1929, Al’s Airport Inn was purchased from by Bondi from her husband’s grandmother in 2018. “It was time for Grandmom to retire as she was in her 90s and it was either sell it to strangers or buy the inn.” Say Bondi. “My husband’s grandparents acquired the business from Al Jones and his wife from which they were partnered with in the Jones’ later years. The inn is named after Al, of course.”

Starting a new venture was almost as important as keeping the inn within the family. Previously working as a marketing and social media consultant, Bondi took the chance, purchased the inn, and has not looked back.

“We were forced to close for 8 months due to the pandemic and have been slowly building back to 25, 50 and now 100 percent capacity. We are especially grateful to our community. We could not have done it without their loyalty and encourage-

YEARS

YEARS

“There have also been instances ment. Many places did not re-open, of more than natural events inside long-established places, so we are the tavern. Chairs being pushed in truly appreciative of the support,” by unseen hand and lights flickersays Bondi. “The regulars were very ing at closing time. These are mostly excited as we re-opened. They had acknowledged to be Al Jones, the been cooped up a long time and were original owner and it is his way of very happy to see the changes made helping to prepare for closing as he here.” did many, many times.”

Many in Ewing frequent Al’s as Family and community oriented, they may miss the venerable FredAl’s Airport Inn continues a longdie’s Tavern, which closed in 2019. standing family business in a time Freddie’s was also opened in 1933 and when it sometimes seems that chain was operated by the Urbano family restaurants are taking over and home for generations. “Many of the Urbacooking is a thing of the past. Connos will frequent Al’s now and enjoy tinuing the traditions of the Al’s Aira meal,” says Bondi. “We still have a port Inn, and starting new ones, is hometown feel that people enjoy. This surely a welcome sight from the air or is still a people oriented business, and from the ground. that is impossible to achieve with a Al’s Airport Inn, 636 Bear Tavern chain restaurant.”

Al’s Airport Inn offers table seating as well as bar seating.

Road, Ewing. Open Sundays through Patrons are longtime residents of Thursdays, noon to midnight, and Frithe area, people affiliated with the airBeing family oriented is impor- patrons and area residents have days and Saturdays, noon to 2 a.m. port, even travelers on flight delays.

“The upgrades to the airport and the tant to Bondi. The inn played a large seen these soldiers. It is generally 609-883-5252 or www.alsairporuptick in travel again are very help- part in her current family history too. understood that they are still walking tinn.com. ful to the Inn,” says Bondi. “We even She met her future husband, Joseph, around here.” get people who come in after their fly- here, as it was his family’s business. ing lessons. After their lessons!” she Their 7- and 9-year-old boys, Wyatt and Ryder, are already showing interreiterates.

Al’s now has a full-time chef in est in the restaurant by both offering Chris Warms, and a whole new menu. recipe suggestions and providing tastThere are appetizers, daily soups and ing services.

Bondi emphasizes inclusion at the specials along with pub fare of burgers, tacos and sandwiches. There is inn. “We have a monthly LGBQT much more variety, and the menu is happy hour, but make everyone feel updated via the website with specials welcome every day of the week. We want to keep a community feel for the announced on social media.

Joseph Vargo and his wife Kim entire community. We host fundraisare Ewing residents and longtime ers, parties and other events to celepatrons of Al’s. They have noticed brate the community we serve. Incluthe changes and the new menu. sion is very important to us. Very “Now there is much better selection important.”

With Bondi’s background in marand whole dinners. Previously they served mostly bar snacks. Now with keting and social media, communicadinners offered, it is much more of a tion is key. “We announce our music schedule, drink destination. They specials and have definitely menu favorites kept the corner Many in Ewing frequent Laptop Laptop Tune-Up Tune-Up Includes: Includes: (+ tax) on Facebook and bar feeling but get great reacwith great food Al’s as they may miss tions.

Immediand a more family  Full Full Scan Scan of Virus, of Virus, Malware Malware & Spyware& Spyware ate connection to atmosphere. It’s a the venerable Freddie’s  Cleanup Cleanup of all ofSystem all System Temp Files Temp Files thousands of folbig improvement. lowers makes it We enjoy the Tavern. ‘We still have  Install Install Microsoft Microsoft updates updates & security&patches security patche easier to get the atmosphere and a hometown feel that  Optimize Optimize andand repairrepair system system configuration configuration word out. We are meeting friends at  Hard Hard drive drive integrity integrity scan scan all so busy it is a Al’s,” says Vargo. people enjoy,’ Bondi great way to stay Bondi states,  Hard Hard drive drive andand registry registry file defrag file defrag “We are a much says. ‘This is still a people in touch with the community.” say more family, comBondi. munity based, oriented business, and It would be gathering place. remiss to write We put in more that is impossible to an article on tables for a restau- achieve with a chain a colonial era rant feel and have building and live music four restaurant.’ not speak about nights a week. some occurIf the musicians have a following, that is great, but the rences that seem to be very apparmusicians can also build a following ent there. While the word haunted here.” There is live music on Mon- is strong, there have been instances day, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sat- where some unexplained phenomena urday nights. “The music is classic have been witnessed.

Bondi elaborates, “There have rock, pop, acoustic and singer-songAccess Access Points Points&&Range Range Extenders Extenders can boost can your boost speed your speed been sightings of Revolutionary war writer types. It is very popular.” without your monthly withoutboosting boosting your monthly costs! costs!

Brunch is offered on Saturday soldiers walking on the property outand Sunday, with drink specials and side. This area was highly traveled by an extensive menu. “People love the Washington’s troops after the crossbrunch. They enjoy that they don’t ing of the Delaware on Christmas, have to venture to Princeton or Lam- 1776. Some soldiers were said to have frozen to death in these parts. Many bertville to enjoy a great brunch.”

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Hamilton Dental Associates Affordable Dental Care Save Big on Dental Care with Our Access Plan. To the folks who might have lost their jobs or insurance during last year’s pandemic, or if you find yourself constantly running into problems with your insurance… you’re not alone. Dental services are a huge problem for many Americans. In fact, research has shown that costs are the most significant barrier to dental care in the United States compared to any other health care service.

Your oral health is crucial to your overall health and well-being, and access to dental care should be easy to obtain. However, proper access to care poses a huge challenge to many families in the area and around the country.

Getting your routine care is important for all and should not cost you and your family a fortune.

Say Goodbye to Dental Insurance. More often than not, dental insurance requires expensive payroll deductions, doesn’t cover everything that you need, and has low annual limits. At times, you probably find yourself

paying out of pocket if you have a slight problem. You might even wind up paying more in monthly premiums than if you paid for the services themselves.

Bi-annual exams, x-rays, cleaning, and fluoride treatment fees can be costly and will begin to add up, especially if you’re providing care for the entire family.

If you’re struggling to find a dental service that caters your budget and your needs, or you’re deciding whether or not to invest in dental insurance, look no further.

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services are a thing of the past with our new plan. We provide the care you need for less.

What’s covered: • Bi-annual dental examination • Cleaning twice per year with bi-annual checkup • X-rays including panoramic, bitewing or full mouth with bi-annual checkup • Fluoride treatment twice per year for patients ages 3 to 17 Our access program is designed to be affordable for everyone, including low-income families. As a member of our plan, you will save up to 15 percent on additional dental treatments, which include orthodontic, restorative, and endodontic services.

Bottom line, the Hamilton Dental Associates Access Plan will save you money on your routine, biannual services while assuring you that additional treatments will not break the bank. Whether you’re looking for an individual plan or taking care of the needs of the whole family, we’ve got you covered!

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January 2022 | SIX099

AllCure Spine & Sports Medicine Tackling Pain with the Newest Technology, Treatments, and a Mission to Educate Patients “From your toes to your nose, we can help.”

“What you don’t know can hurt you,” affirms Dr. Anthony Alfieri of AllCure Spine and Sports Medicine, an expanding pain management practice with offices in Monroe and Hamilton.

“Too many people are in pain and unhappy with their quality of life. Yet they are unaware of new possibilities of treatment that can significantly reduce or eliminate severe, chronic pain.”

Dr. Alfieri and his colleagues at AllCure’s offices are on a mission to raise public awareness of the causes of pain and the growing range of non-surgical therapies available to treat them. His multidisciplinary approach spans pain management, laser therapy, physical therapy, chiropractic, and acupuncture.

Within these categories are numerous noninvasive solutions that address every part of the body and are administered by a professional team of medical doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and physical therapists. This expert team collaborates to find the most effective treatments to provide long-lasting relief from pain.

“By listening carefully to our patients describe their symptoms and medical history, we can

Brothers Anthony Alfieri, DC, left, and Victor Alfieri, DPT. create a treatment program that combines various therapies to optimum effect,” says Dr. Alfieri. “Many patients have endured pain for years, thinking that heavy medication and possible surgery were the only avenues open to them.”

But new treatments are emerging. The practice has invested in a new FDA-approved laser machine that has proved effective in treating back and neck pain and plantar fasciitis, conditions that are becoming more common with an aging population, intensive computer use, and rising obesity.

With two highly trained acupuncturists on staff, this ancient therapy is now used to treat a vast range of conditions. Acupuncture can alleviate joint and back pain and migraines but has uses for conditions that may not be

actually painful but cause discomfort, impact function and quality of life, and can lead to other problems. These include allergies, anxiety, depression, and difficulties in quitting smoking.

Pregnant women can get relief from side effects such as morning sickness, swollen ankles, and back pain. Acupuncture also helps treat infertility, menopause, and menstrual cramps.

Unfortunately, Medicare and some other insurance plans do not cover acupuncture.

“We make every effort to provide affordable acupuncture treatments,” says Dr. Alfieri.

A large percentage of the practice includes patients suffering from peripheral neuropathy, usually manifested by stabbing pain and/or numbness in the hands and feet. This has many causes, from diabetes to infection or a traumatic injury. “There is no cure for this, but there are treatments that can significantly reduce pain, including laser treatments,” says Dr. Alfieri.

Cannabidiol (CBD) oil has shown promise as a pain reliever without the dangers of addiction posed by opioids. AllCure uses a pure form of Cannabidiol (CBD) oil that has proved effective.

“We want our patients to know that today, they have options,” Dr. Alfieri asserts. “A total cessation of pain may not be possible, but we can often bring pain levels down to a point where the patient’s mobility and quality of life is vastly improved.”

AllCure Spine & Sports Medicine, 140 Cabot Drive, Suite A, Hamilton. 609-528-4417. www.allcurespineandsports.com. See ad, page 9.

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Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute Experts in Compassionate Treatment of Patients in Pain Dr. Ronak Patel MD is the founder and medical director of Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute. Ronak Patel, MD, is a double board-certified in anesthesiology and pain management. He leads a team of medical professionals dedicated to resolving chronic pain in all its forms.

Dr. Patel specializes in the treatment of back pain, neck pain, joint pain, and facial pain as well as cancer-related pain. While training across the country with leaders in pain management, Dr. Patel acquired advanced skills in innovative spinal cord and peripheral nerve interventions/ ablation, fracture repair through vertebral augmentation, state-ofthe-art regenerative therapy, and both ultrasound-guided and X-ray guided procedures. He is an active member of several pain societies and has presented several times at national anesthesiology and pain medicine conferences.

Dr. Patel grew up in New Jersey and is excited to return to the area and help serve his community.

Having experienced a sports injury to his spine that required extensive rehabilitation and ultimately spinal injections, he understands what it means to be a patient in pain.

Dr. Patel takes great pride in his gentle bedside manner and believes in spending time with his patients in order to fully understand their pain condition, develop an individualized treatment plan, and help regain functionality. His goal as a pain management doctor is to bring expert, comprehensive, safe, and effective pain care to as many patients as possible.

The practice offers an extensive range of non-surgical treatments for a broad spectrum of musculoskeletal disorders. It aims to help patients avoid surgery by embracing a variety of traditional and alternative solutions to longterm pain and using minimally invasive techniques to deliver effective treatments. While their particular focus is on orthopedic care for back and neck pain, the

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Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute providers have expertise in treating conditions as varied as arthritis, fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), peripheral neuropathy, and migraines.

The innovative, multimodal approach of Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute targets the source of chronic pain wherever possible, using regenerative medicine methods such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), stem cell, and exosome injections.

These natural, biological therapies use the patient’s healing cells in concentrated form to stimulate faster and more vigorous healing of damaged and diseased tissues.

Other treatments available include viscosupplementation for knee pain, peripheral nerve stimulation and spinal cord stimulation, physiotherapy, vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, epidural injections and joint injections containing steroid medication, an extensive range of nerve blocks, and radiofrequency ablation. Dr. Patel is also a certified prescriber of medical marijuana under the State of New Jersey’s Medicinal Marijuana Program.

Patients of Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute benefit from the availability of same-day or nextday appointments and secure telehealth technology for remote consultations.

Call 609-269-4451 or visit www. njpaindoc.com now to book your first consultation. See ad, page 3.

Dr. Patel specializes in the treatment of back pain, neck pain, joint pain, and facial pain as well as cancer-related pain.

12SIX09 | January 2022

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12/6/21 4:04 PM

Aura Dermatology Treat Your Skin Right During the Cold Winter Months First and foremost, amidst a rise in COVID-19 cases, Aura Dermatology hopes everyone had a happy and healthy holiday season! As winter approaches and the holidays are behind us, it’s time to focus on Winter Wellness!

Here are some things you can do this winter to maintain optimal skin health.

Cold weather and indoor heating are triggers for dry, itchy skin. We recommend avoiding hot showers/baths (even though they feel good!), applying moisturizing creams to the wet or damp skin immediately following, and considering using a humidifier in the home. For those patients who suffer from eczema or psoriasis, you may have a flare-up of your conditions during this season. It is important to make sure you have a dermatologist to help manage these conditions.

Now that you spend less time outdoors, no reason to wear sunscreen, right? Wrong! It is important to wear sunscreen daily (at least SPF 30). Sun exposure

is still relevant if you are driving, getting sun through windows at home/work, going out for a walk, etc.

Additionally, on snowy days or on the ski slopes, UV rays can reflect off the snow and affect your skin.

Although you are not sunbathing, this chronic cumulative exposure can still contribute to premature skin aging and development of skin cancer. At Aura Dermatology, we recommend the use of broad spectrum (UVA/ UVB) sunscreen with a minimum SPF 30 daily.

This is also a great time to come in for your full body skin exam. You should always be performing monthly self skin exams to look for new or changing moles or growths (changing color, shape, size, bleeding/non-healing).

However, it is important to have your dermatologist check you thoroughly for suspicious spots, especially if you have a history of sunburns, numerous moles on your body, and a personal or family

MILY CE

history of skin cancer.

Lastly, just because the holidays are over, doesn’t mean we can’t still want to look good!

There a variety of treatments like photofacials to fade away sun spots/blood vessels (IPL), chemical peels, laser resurfacing, laser hair removal, or botox/fillers that can be performed to enhance the appearance of our skin. Many of these procedures require sun protection before and afterwards or

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We hope you all remain healthy and safe. Now is the time to focus on Winter Wellness all around!.

Aura Dermatology, 17 Main Street, Suite 304, Robbinsville.

609-415-3376. www.auraderm. com. See ad, page 11.

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January 2022 | SIX0913

The Dental Difference Mini Dental Implants: A True Innovation in Dentistry Mini Dental Implants (MDIs) have changed the face of implant dentistry. Unlike traditional implant placement, where multiple dental visits are often required, MDIs can eliminate the need for extensive surgery. The most common use for MDIs is the stabilization of dentures and overdentures. MDIs firmly anchor the dental prosthesis, which means there is no longer a need to suffer with ill-fitting, loose and ANNOYING dentures!

MDIs are designed to eliminate elaborate bone grafting and to expedite treatment. Traditional implants may require significant bone grafting and a longer recovery period. The latent period allows the anchor of the implant to properly embed itself into the jawbone. The smaller size of MDIs means that no recovery period is possible, and the denture can be fitted the same day.

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MDIs are a true innovation for people who are reluctant to have invasive dental surgery and who are suffering denture wearers. One significant advantage MDIs have over traditional implants is that they offer a viable treatment choice for patients who have experienced extensive bone loss. Depending on the quality and density of jawbone available at the implant site, four or more of these mini implants may be implanted at one time. The most common use for MDIs is to stabilize a lower denture, however they can be placed anywhere in the mouth.

Other advantages associated with MDIs may include: • Better smelling breath • More self-esteem • Clearer speech • Easier chewing and biting • Easier cleaning • Firmer denture fit • Good success rate • Less denture discomfort • No cutting or sutures • No need for adhesives or messy bonding agents • No rotting food beneath the denture

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• No slipping or wobbling • Quick treatment time • Reduced costs How are mini dental implants placed? The whole mini dental implant placement procedure takes approximately one hour. Generally, in the case of lower jaw implants, four to six MDIs will be placed about 5mm apart. Prior to inserting MDIs, Dr. Mosmen will use many diagnostic and planning tools to find the optimal location to implant them.

After placement, a denture will be modified and affixed to the MDIs. The rubber O-ring on each MDI snaps into the designated spot on the denture, and the denture then rests snugly on the gum tissue. MDIs hold the denture comfortably in a tight-fitting way for the lifetime of that implant.

In almost all cases, no stitching is required, and no real discomfort is felt after the procedure. When the denture placement procedure is complete, light eating can be resumed. The denture can be removed and cleaned at will. MDIs enhance the natural beauty of the smile and restore full functionality

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Trenton artist Chee Bravo’s silkscreens are music for the eyes

By Lori Goldstein

L

ook closely at Chee Bravo’s latest silkscreen of the Candlelight Lounge in Trenton, and you’ll see the artist herself sitting behind the drummer.

The work, “Candlelight II —The Celebration,” depicts her birthday party last May at the Candlelight. Six of a dozen jazz musicians who were on hand for “The Celebration” appear in the silkscreen.

In this post-Covid Candlelight reopening, the jazz was as effervescent as the champagne Bravo enjoyed with friends and family.

The Candlelight Lounge is a renowned jazz club that attracts musicians from New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., as well as from countries in Europe, South America, and Asia.

As soon as she moved to Trenton in 2017, Bravo scoped out the Candlelight and brought her husband, Juan Bravo, there. “We’re regulars,” says Bravo. “We have friends in the neighborhood, friends in the art circle that I know, who go Thursday and Saturday nights. It has such a cool vibe that you don’t want to lose it … it feels like family.”

Candlelight owner E.C. Bradley says “Chee fell in love with our place and has been coming back ever since.”

Bravo has depicted the Candlelight in three other silkscreens, one of which recently hung as a banner beside her portrait of local DJ Ms. Sue of WTSR, 91.3 FM. Those banners, as well as the pair, “Delaware at Trenton,” her rendering of the “Trenton Makes, the World Takes” bridge, and “Trenton LOVE,” a bus shelter vinyl, were Bravo’s contribution to Trenton’s TRANSITional Art Project. The project was meant to beautify the area surrounding the train station as it undergoes renovation.

Bravo’s fascination with musicians as the subjects of her silkscreens began in 2011, when she discovered a group playing beside the subway tracks in Manhattan. With her camera, she captures “that joie de vivre, that element of people having a good time in doing what they do.”

Her process involves three media: the photography, a digital collage created from it, then a small-edition silkscreen. The pre-silkscreening process involves separating the collage into layers, each representing a different color. The layers are converted to transparencies, or film output, to be burned on screens, which are prepared with a light-sensitive emulsion, then exposed to light from a large flatbed camera. The positive areas allow light to pass through and washes out; the negative areas block the light, remaining opaque. On the silkscreen press, Bravo squeegees ink through

Chee Bravo, left, presents her silkscreen work ‘Candlelight II —The Celebration,’ to Candlelight Lounge owner E.C. Bradley, right. the positive areas onto the paper, one However, when he saw how she excelled at the college, he managed to layer at a time.

Bravo was an emerging artist even fund not only the second year of her as a toddler. She would draw on the associate’s degree, but also the comwalls of her house with crayons until pletion of her bachelor in fine arts at her Trinidad-born mother gave her pa- Florida International University (FIU).

At FIU, Bravo majored in printper. During elementary school, Bravo would save up her allowance earned making, or lithography — etching on from helping out in her parents’ food stone or metal plates—since FIU did truck and visit the local bookstore af- not have any silkscreen presses. After school. “I can’t remember seeing ter college, since she still didn’t have any art books [there], so I was drawn access to printmaking facilities, she to comic books, picture books, fairy started painting then creating threetale books, even science books—for dimensional bricolage, which led to her work in multi-media installations. the illustrations.”

Bravo spent She would imitate 20-plus years as an illustration, ‘It has such a cool vibe a graphic design“then make it that you don’t want er in Miami after mine.” graduation. She Her first art met Juan Bravo class was in high to lose it,’ musicianwhen they were school, when her inspired artist Chee both students teacher made still in an FIU envilife studies for the Bravo says of Trenton’s ronmental class. students. “I drew Candlelight Lounge. ‘It When he took a my way through job in Cranbury, high school. Any feels like family.’

New Jersey, in question that had 2011, she told a diagram, I would him, “Whatever pick that one and draw it, such as the circulatory or ner- you make, that’s what we’ll live on.” vous system.” At the time, she wanted She decided to concentrate on her art to be an archaeologist, taking pre- full-time.

Bravo enrolled in one silkscreening college courses in zoology, physics, and calculus. After high school gradu- class at Frontline Arts in Branchburg, ation, Bravo worked for three years as and that’s all it took for her to begin a bank teller, earning enough money mastering that medium. The subway for one year at the International Fine musician series has taken her to Paris, Barcelona, and Cuba. Her goal is “to Arts College in Miami.

As the featured artist in September recreate the intoxicated, congested at Grounds For Sculpture, Bravo told feeling that she gets when she is interviewer/curator Áine Mickey that there.” Bravo’s silkscreens explode her father, an immigrant from China, with color much like the costumes wanted her to pursue a career in sci- she saw at Carnival. She vividly recalls ence. Even though he was illiterate, how “when hundreds of steel-pannists he valued education but wasn’t happy are performing, it feels like the earth with her decision to go to art school. is shaking as the bass reverberates Bravo remembers him saying, “Art- through your body.” Bravo feels that ists don’t make money until they die.” her two-dimensional art has come

6Trenton Downtowner January 2022

full circle, in that it evokes the vitality of Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago.

Thirty-plus silkscreens may be viewed on her website, jcheebravo.com. “Barcelona” is in Trenton City Museum’s permanent collection. Bravo has given the “Candlelight” banner to E.C. Bradley, who will display it in his club.

Before they moved to Trenton, Bravo and her family rented the refurbished “chicken coop” on the 90-plus acre Philips Mill estate in New Hope.

Now they own a house in Glen Afton, one of Trenton’s historic neighborhoods. Bravo likens what is happening in Trenton to what she saw in South Beach, Florida, where she had a studio. Since the neighborhood isn’t “economically thriving, artists move in because of the cheap rent for studios where they can work.” (Bravo’s current studio is in her home.) “In Trenton, people [besides artists] who also work in Manhattan, are buying the more affordable houses.” She says many families with children are moving in and references the state-ofthe-art high school recently built on Greenwood Avenue.

Bravo is happy to be part of the fabric of the art community in Trenton, whose mayor, Reed Gusciora, is an important advocate for the arts. She is a member of Artworks Trenton, “the art hub. It is the main connecting artery in Trenton,” says Bravo. It houses three galleries, rents studios, has a small print-making facility including silkscreen equipment, and sponsors community arts programs.

While Bravo has recently focused on silkscreening, her website reveals that she has worked in many other media. Her installation, “Zygote Garden,” uses lighting, movement, and the sound of a heartbeat to imitate the feeling of being in the womb. Her latest installation, “Free Me—The Ritual” allows guests to meditate while chanting to an OM soundtrack, free themselves of a particular worry while dancers twirl fiber optic wands around them, then add to a community painting with a glow stick. It was one of several installations at the Chashmala Gala at Times Square in Manhattan in November. In the planning stage is another installation that will address the issue of women’s suffrage.

“I enjoy the process of silkscreening. I’ll see where it leads me, perhaps to more mixed-media works.

I’m inspired to use new media which I research and experiment with before incorporating them into the final pieces.” Her installation art is influenced by the work of James Turrell, whose “Aten Reign” she saw at the Guggenheim in 2013. And Yoko Ono, whose multi-media retrospective Bravo recently attended, she regards as a kindred spirit. Bravo says, “I’ll use whatever medium it takes to present the art.”

Trenton LOTUS Project concerts aim to fill pandemic silence

By Dan Aubrey

‘S

tay courageous, fearless, strong, directed, supportive, sympathetic, resilient, patient, tolerant and kept my sense of humor!” responded an unnamed individual to an online invitation offered by the LOTUS Project, a Trentonbased organization that is having its debut on Saturday, January 22, at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral at 205 West State Street.

The event will also premiere a new sound work incorporating the above line and those more than 30 others by people who followed the online thread that said “2020 was a ‘silent’ year for many. What’s your story? Complete the following sentence and become a part of our first concert! ‘During The Silence, I . . .’”

In addition to the opening statement, other responses filling the empty space included, “I heard myself,” “Saw the hurt that ended up shaping me,” and “Struggled with meeting needs of my family, yet discovered a new passion in creativity which delivered me from darkness.”

“During COVID we experienced something once in a lifetime,” says the Westminster Choir College trained professional musician and LOTUS Project artistic director Alicia Brozovich. “We need to acknowledge it.”

Brozovich says the nonprofit group was founded in November, 2020, when she and a number of her colleagues were out of work and looking toward the future.

“Perhaps it is crazy,” she says about founding a new organization while others were challenged and closing, “but we thought the pandemic was a way of looking at the future. We’re an intentional organization. Our mission is to craft immersive musical experiences in which we can encounter the world with new eyes and a renewed sense of wonder.”

The Trenton resident and administrator with the Trenton Children’s Chorus says the name is also intentional and points to the lotus flower’s journey through darkness and mud to the surface of a body of water, where it dies to begin again.

“It has deep personal significance,” she says.

“That’s the human experience. We’re challenged, grow, and then fall back. We can’t grow without challenge. And art reflects that experience.”

The decision to spell the group’s name in capital letters is based on the idea of community inclusion and growth. “We want to curate concert experiences that engage with audiences where they become part of the experience,” she says.

The approach is outlined in the group’s mission statement that calls for “immersive concerts” in non-traditional performance venues, uses compelling stories about shared human experiences, highlights “historically excluded voices,” and engages in partnerships with the local community.

While the language for the organization’s vision was inspired in part by an approach by the New York Theater Ensemble, Brozovich says the spark for the organization was a Trenton experience and points to the occasion when she and other Westminster-trained LOTUS founders participated in the “Anthracite Fields” production in Trenton in 2017.

Contemporary American composer Julia Wolfe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning oratorio based on the words of Pennsylvania coal miners was produced by Westminster Choir College at the Roebling Wire Works building.

“There are a number of people from Westminster,” she says about the group’s core. “(But) we’ve been prioritizing people who appreciate what Tren-

ton is. They need to love Trenton, people who live and work in Trenton.

“We’re not here to fix Trenton. We’re here to join an art scene and help it come to life,” she says, noting that for the first presentation they’ll be working with the James Halsey Foundation’s young filmmakers project and engage Trenton visual artist Tamara Torres.

B

rozovich may have put down roots in Trenton, but she was raised in Conway Springs, Kansas, 30 miles south of Wichita.

In a 2019 interview for U.S. 1 Newspaper, music writer and WWFM radio host Ross Amico says Brozovich’s “passion for music brought her to Westminster Choir College to pursue a master’s degree in choral conducting in 2013. Following her graduation, she joined the faculty of Westminster Conservatory.”

He notes that Brozovich was a Westminster conductor fellow who has led choirs from the Midwest to Florence, Italy, and Oxford, and assisted in collaborations with the Juilliard Orchestra, Juilliard415, and members of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra.

She also serves as assistant conductor for New York’s Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra and directs the adult choir at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Pennington.

As a soprano, she performs regularly with the Philadelphia Symphony Chorus and has performed with the Westminster Choir at Carnegie Hall and participated in musical events at the Boston Early Music Festival, Spoleto Festival in South Carolina, and the World Symposium on Choral Music in Spain.

Her husband, Colton Martin, is a pianist and the organist and full-time director of sacred music at the Roman Catholic parish of St. Dominic in Brick. The couple married after they completed the graduate program together at Westminster.

They live in Trenton’s Hiltonia section with their three-year-old son.

“It’s still a work in progress,” Brozovich says of the upcoming concert. “We’re trying to do more than stand up and sing.”

Referring to the uncertainty of creating a production and abstraction in the mission statement, Brozovich says, “It’s vague because we don’t want to limit ourselves. We need time to figure things out.”

That includes combining the January 22 selfgenerated Trenton sound work with an American premiere by contemporary English composer PaulDominic de Grande and other works.

Brozovich discovered de Grande’s “Let Me Up Out Here” by chance on YouTube and felt it reflected the mood of LOTUS’s debut.

Although the 12-minute piece has little text and uses German and Latin texts, Brozovich says she was attracted by the phrase that expressed the unifying sentiment of “one baptism” and the work’s sound that suggested the movement of water.

Brozovich says she contacted the composer, who while known for concert and church music was cited by the English newspaper The Observer as “a talented composer sure to inherit the mantle of best score-writer in British television.”

De Grande says the work “was the result of combining different sections from previous compositions, namely: a mass, an art project, a piano-solo and a piano-quintet. It’s what I call a ‘Frankenstein piece,’ a process around which new compositional

Artist Tamara Torres — seen here with her painting ‘Silent Enough to Listen to Fragments of Your Soul’ — has lent her creative eye to the LOTUS Project’s debut presentation. bridges can spring and sometimes become sections in their own right. Incidentally, by taking out and reworking one of these sections I have been developing a new pop-song, so this process is not necessarily one merely of addition. I have a fondness for this piece because it constitutes various versions of myself in one, and they all seem to be getting along.

“As for the instrumentation, I am a great admirer of the saxophonist: Branford Marsalis, and I wanted to have something of the shimmering-richness of his tone in the piece. The oboe always seems to have one foot in the past and for me conjures up a sense of timelessness. The harp sounds like a liberated and romantic piano, and its soft and sometimes bracing reverberation was an ideal candidate to form the foundation of the piece. Finally, the sound of the voice is the most wonderful sound in the world, for me it is the apex-synthesis of communication and mystery.”

Excited about having an American premier of the work, the composer says in a recent email that “music has kept me going through this strange year, that it can travel so far and so quickly around the world is so wonderful.”

“The best way to describe the concert is that it’s a concept concert,” says Brozovich, who adds that since the group “believes art is for everyone, our ticket model is pay-what-you-want.”

Yet, she says, the group is suggesting a $25 donation, the price of a normal concert ticket, for those who can afford it, and notes that LOTUS has raised its targeted $20,000 in a Go Fund Me campaign.

“It’s a model that makes sense for the city and supports the idea that we’re trying to get though life together,” she says.

Out of Silence, Trinity Cathedral, 205 West State Street, Trenton. Saturday, January 22, 7 p.m.

Free ($25 donation requested).

LOTUS’ second presentation, “Rach ‘All Night,’” featuring 20th century Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “All Night Vigil” is set for Sunday, February 27, 3:30 p.m., at St. Mary’s Assumption (Byzantine) Church, 333 Adeline Street, Trenton. www.thelotusprojectnj.org

January 2022 | Trenton Downtowner7

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