Art

NEW AT ELLARSLIE: “Messenger,” a wood sculpture by Richard Sanders, left, and “The Worst Part of a Good Day,” a painting by Christina MacKinnon, are featured in “The Conversation Continues” and “On the Forefront,” two exhibits opening on September 26 at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie in Cadwalader Park.

Trenton City Museum to Reopen with New Exhibits

The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie is set to invite the community back for in-person visits beginning at noon on September 26. Ushering in the reopening are the abstract art exhibition “The Conversation Continues,” and the Trenton history exhibition “On the Forefront: Trenton’s Junior 1, 1916,” both in the museum and online.

A timed entry system available at ellarslie.org. Mask requirements, social distancing, museum capacity of 25 persons at a given time, and barriers in the museum store are among the museum’s new safety measures.

“Our two new exhibitions get to the heart of our mission to examine our Trenton history and showcase compelling works by emerging and established artists,” said Trenton Museum Society President Joan Perkes. “We are thrilled to reopen to the public with new programming accompanied by a host of measures that support equally welcoming and safe surroundings. In fact, the subject of our history exhibit ‘In the Forefront,’ echoes a past epidemic as Trenton’s Junior No. 1 had to forego a grand opening and fanfare and open many weeks later than planned due to a polio epidemic in the summer and fall of 1916.”

“The Conversation Continues” showcases 40 abstract works by 16 artists that communicate predominantly through form rather than subject matter. Curator Madelaine Shellaby has installed unexpected groupings that “converse” about their differences while drawing viewers into their conversations to perhaps find common ground among what is initially perceived as difference. Replacing a traditional opening reception for the exhibition will be a Meet the Artists Weekend, planned for October 2 and 3 from noon to 4 p.m. and October 4 from 1 to 4 p.m., when select artists are available at different times. Artists inlcude Joyce Chen, Tim Eads, Lisa Fischetti, Terri Fridkin, Erika Gehringer,

“ART AND MUSIC: TOUCHING SOUND”: This work by Susan Hoenig is featured in the Arts Council of Princeton’s newest exhibition, on view September 26 through October 24 in the Taplin Gallery. Featuring paintings, drawings, and sculpture, the show is a collaboration between the Princeton Artists Alliance and Mobius Percussion.

James Jansma, Shirley Kern, Marsha Levin-Rojer, Christina MacKinnon, Eva Mantell, Florence Moonan, Jim Perry, Debbie Reichard, Richard Sanders, and Adam Welch.

Visitors may sign up for timed entries for these or other days at Ellarslie.org.

A virtual Curator’s Talk led by Shellaby is planned for the fall, with the date to be announced.

“On the Forefront,” curator Karl J. Flesch was inspired to create the exhibit by haunting and beautiful photographs of the building’s interior and exterior by J. Carlos Vargas and Robert J. Sammons.

“I wanted to go further and tell the history of building the school and thus my research began,” said Flesch. “Junior Number 1 was one of the first junior high schools to be built in the East and became a model for other districts to see. I soon discovered that the story was not just one story but many: the nationwide junior high school movement; architect William A. Poland; Herman C. Mueller, the school board president and founder of the Mueller Mosaic Company; high school principal William A. Wetzel; Mayor Frederick W. Donnelly; the 1916 infantile paralysis epidemic; the building of Trenton’s other junior high schools and high school; and the Integration of Trenton’s public schools.”

A virtual Curator’s Talk led by Flesch is planned for the fall, with a date to be announced.

The Trenton City Museum is housed in Ellarslie Mansion, in the heart of Trenton’s Cadwalader Park. The museum’s reopening will phase back in with COVID safety measures and reduced hours: Saturdays from 12 noon to 4 p.m., Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m., and occasional additional dates. For more information, visit ellarslie.org or call (609) 989-1191.

“PORTRAIT OF PLACE”: Morven Museum & Garden’s latest online exhibition, “Portrait of Place: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints of New Jersey, 1761-1898” features a collection of 120 original works of New Jersey graphic history assembled by New Jersey collector and bibliographer Joseph Felcone. Visit morven.org to view the exhibition. “Art and Music: Touching Sound” at Arts Council

The Arts Council of Princeton now presents “Art and Music: Touching Sound,” a collaboration between the Princeton Artists Alliance and Mobius Percussion. The exhibition, featuring paintings, drawings, and sculpture, is inspired by Mobius’ performance of paper melodies (my music box music) by Jason Treuting, a member of the acclaimed ensemble S Percussion. The show will be on display in the Arts Council of Princeton’s Taplin Gallery from September 26 to October 24.

In this collaborative project, co-curated by Donna Payton and Kathleen Preziosi, the artists have searched for their imagery through the original music. The musicians have the opportunity to see how visual artists interpret their work and, likewise, the artists have the opportunity to visually record the influence of musical sounds.

A recording of paper melodies will be playing in the gallery as visitors view the artwork. Standing before the art and listening to the musical score offers the viewer a richer sensory experience, enhancing the human link between listening and seeing.

The Ar ts Council of Princeton is located at 102 Witherspoon Street. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 1:30-4:30 p.m. For more information, visit artscouncilofprinceton. org.

Hunterdon Library to Host Bead Society Jewelry Display

The Hunterdon County Library will host a display of the works of members of the Delaware Valley Bead Society (DVBS) from Friday, October 2 through Friday, October 30. Unique handcrafted jewelry and fashion accessories created by 26 DVBS members can be seen in the showcases on the first floor of the library at 314 State Route 12, Building 3, in Flemington. Check hclibrary.us for current library hours.

The jewelry and beadwork techniques used to create the 52 individual pieces include bead crochet, bead embroidery, bead weaving, bead loom weaving, bead stringing, bead knotting, chainmaille, enameling, Niobium metal work, Kumihimo braiding with beads, metal work, wire weaving, and wire wrapping.

Some of the jewelry pieces in the exhibit are available for sale after the close of the exhibit on October 30. Participating New Jersey artists are Emily Barbour and Joan O’Shaughnessy, Lebanon; Marti Brown, and Kathleen vonWebern, Frenchtown; Yvonne Chatlos, Inna Dzhanibekova, Susan Fellin, Christine Jochem, Valerie Kurz, and Brenda Poston, Flemington; Irene Erhardt, Rosemont; Debbie Haydu, Stewartsville; Alice Heinzelman and L. Jean West, Annandale; Christina Herndon and Linda McKay, Califon; Meredith Higgins, Milford; Roz Long and Linda Williams, Hampton; Jane Samulka, Washington; Karina Sherman, Somerville; Victoria Watson, Bridgewater; and Diana Wilson, Stockton. Participating from Pennsylvania is Marie Stackhouse, Easton.

Due to the pandemic, the fall DVBS meetings have been suspended until 2021. Individuals interested in beading, jewelry making, or future membership in the DVBS are welcome to attend a meeting to get acquainted with the Society. Normally the Bead Society meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month (except December and January) in the Café in the lower level of the Hunterdon County Senior Center at 4 Gauntt Place, Building 1, in Flemington.

For more information, call the Delaware Valley Bead Society at (908) 246-1231 or visit delawarevalleybeadsociety.org.

Area Exhibits

Check websites for information on safety protocols.

Arts Council of Prince

ton, 102 Witherspoon Street, has “Art and Music: Touching Sound” September 26 through October 24. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 1:30-4:30 p.m. artscouncilofprinceton. org.

D&R Greenway Land

Trust, One Preservation Place, has “Garden State Watercolor Society’s 50 th Anniversary Virtual Juried Exhibition: Out of the Wild,” through September 30 and the ongoing virtual galleries “Trail of Breadcrumbs: Nature in Fairytales” and “Portraits of Preservation: James Fiorentino Art.” The center is currently closed to the public. drgreenway.org.

Ellarslie, Trenton’s City Museum in Cadwalader Park, Parkside Avenue, Trenton, has “The Conversation Continues” and “On the Forefront: Trenton’s Junior 1, 1916,” both in the museum and online beginning September 26. Timed tickets required. ellarslie.org.

Grounds For Sculpture,

80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, has “Bruce Beasley: Sixty Year Retrospective, 1960- 2020,” and other exhibits. Hours are Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Timed tickets required. Indoor buildings are closed to the public. groundsforsculpture.org.

Historical Society of

Princeton, Updike Farmstead, 354 Quaker Road, has “A Virtual Tour of Hamilton’s Princeton” and the “History@ Home” series. princetonhistory.org.

Hopewell Valley Bistro

& Inn, 15 East Broad Street, Hopewell, has “This Too Shall Pass,” an exhibition of artwork by Hopewell Valley Arts Council members, through October 29.

James A. Michener Art

Museum, 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pa., has “Ponstingl: Dreams of Past Futures” through September 27, and “Rising Tides: Contemporary Art and the Ecology of Water” through January 10. The museum is now open to the public. michenerartmuseum.org.

Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, has “Dreaming of Utopia: Roosevelt, New Jersey” through January 24 and the online exhibit “Portrait of Place: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints Of New Jersey, 1761–1898.” Open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. morven.org.

Old Barracks Museum, 101 Barrack Street, Trenton, has the ongoing virtual exhibit “When Women Vote — The Old Barracks and the AntiSuffrage Movement.” The museum is currently closed to the public. barracks.org.

Princeton University Art

Museum has a virtual tour of “Life Magazine and the Power of Photography” along with many online events. The museum is currently closed to the public. artmuseum. princeton.edu.

We s t W ind so r A r t s

Council, 952 Alexander Road, has the online exhibit “Art and Healing” through October 23. The center is currently closed to the public. westwindsorarts.org.