To the Wall and Chaos

Order and Chaos, E. McCue

You still have a chance this week to catch the work of sculptor Elizabeth Miller McCue and painter Bruce Rigby at Ellarslie, the Trenton City Museum. Bruce is exhibiting works from his Wall Series - a project that has absorbed his artistic explorations for some time now. Elizabeth is exhibiting sculptures new and old - primarily cast bronze - that elegantly explore a range of thematic and visual queries.

November 14, 2009 - January 3, 2010 Ellarslie, the Trenton City Museum, Cadwalader Park off Parkside Avenue, Trenton, First Floor Main Galleries

Meta-More-Something!

polaroid by Neil Larson

Meta-More-Faces, an exhibition featuring photographs by Ricardo Barros, Ilya Genin, Neil Larsen and Andrew Wilkinson and curated by photographer/author Jon Naar, opens with a reception January 9 (6-9 pm) and will remain up through February 21, 2010 (11 Everett Alley/on Stockton St, Trenton, N.J.). For more information, visit the ARTWORKS website.

Follow the Strand

JEAN BURDICK

"STRAND"

paintings and works on paper

January 8 - February 4, 2010

ARTIST'S RECEPTION

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8TH from 6-8 PM.

THE SILVA GALLERY OF ART

The Pennington School

112 W. Delaware Ave

Pennington, NJ 08534

Perkins Center for the Arts Seeks Photographers

Thanks to Will Ostergaard for this reminder and information:

A Call for Works — PHOTOGRAPHY 29
Perkins Center for the Arts announces “PHOTOGRAPHY 29”, a juried exhibition of photographs by regional artists, professional, student and amateur, at the Perkins Center ’s Moorestown Gallery. This year's juror is Julia Dolan, H.W. Goldsmith Curatorial Fellow in Photography, Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Work must be hand delivered on Friday, January 8 between 10:00 am and 3:30 pm; or on Sunday, January 10 between Noon and 4:00 pm. Artists may enter up to three works at an entry fee of $8 per piece (for the full calendar, download a prospectus.)

“PHOTOGRAPHY 29” opens January 31 and runs through March 7, 2010.
Opening Reception: Sunday, January 31 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

Awards include up to 6 Juror Awards totaling $600 for Artistic Excellence of and exhibited works will be offered to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for their photography collection with a Maximum Purchase award of $600.
Perkins Center for the Arts - 395 Kings Highway , Moorestown , New Jersey 08057 - Contact: Philip J. Carroll, curator: P: 856-235-6488 F: 856-235-6624 ext.202

What? What Child Is This?

Yep...they're at it again. This Wednesday night. Mill Hill Saloon. Free! See you there!

Art Scholarship for Trenton High School Senior

For those of you in touch with some of the many talented children living in Trenton, there's a chance for a terrific holiday "gift" being offered by the Trenton Musicians Foundation. They're offering their inaugural Arts Award Scholarship to support talented high school seniors living in Trenton who wish to continue their education in either the visual or the performing arts. The grant application is available on-line. Deadline for the scholarship is December 31, 2009. The winner will be announced February 16, 2010.

Photos from Debby Berger on NJ.com photo gallery slide show on the revival of Trenton Central High School's marching band.

Job Opportunity for Arts Educator

Susan Roseman passed along the following:

Bucks County Community College is looking for an arts educator with a Masters Degree (ideally in Early Childhood Education) to teach a course for the Spring 2010 semester. Interested folks should contact John Petito at Bucks. His email address is petitoj@bucks.edu .

Description: Part Time Art/Movement/Play Position (#112509-13200)
Discipline: Education
Required: Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. or closely related field Teaching experience in an early childhood or elementary school setting. Additional experience planning lessons involving the integration of art, movement, and play.
Preferred: We seek an individual to teach an education course titled Integrated Art/ Movement/Play who has teaching experience in higher education, preferably in a community college, and who understands the mission of a community college. The course will be taught during our spring semester beginning in January. Please submit the following to the College Human Resources Department: a cover letter, resume, names of three references, and informal transcripts from degree-granting institutions.

NOTE: for some useful discussion on some Integrative Arts Education programs, you can check out the Vermont Arts Council's page on programs in their state.

Art and Nature!

Janet Felton

Nina Wommack

This weekend, there’s another wonderful opportunity to do some of your holiday shopping locally while supporting area artists and artisans and supporting land conservation efforts in the region. The “Winter Green: Gifts of Nature” Holiday Sale takes place this Sunday, December 6, from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm and the Johnson Education Center of the D&R Greenway.

"A selection of treasures by regional artists and artisans, including jewelers, will be on display for sale and special orders. These intimate and reasonable works have been chosen for seasonal giving with 35% of the proceeds supporting D&R Greenway's preservation and stewardship..."
Handmade calendars, recycled art, ceramics, photography, mosaics, jewelry, and baskets are just some of the items that will be available from artists Beatrice Bork, Maggie Creshkoff, Valerie Ramos-Ford, Jeanne Johngren, Robin Hepburn, Joy Kreves, Tasha O'Neill, Lynn Ebeling, Nina Wommack, Eva Mantell, Janet Felton, and Leah Targon. Author Sophie Glovier will also be on hand signing her best-selling compact guidebook: “Walk the Trails In and Around Princeton."

Directions to Johnson Education Center

While there, be sure to check out the two exhibits on display: Season's Greenings, A Gift of Nature (in the Marie L. Matthews Gallery) and Hey Mister: Is That the Ocean? (Olivia Rainbow Gallery).

Frost is in the air -- and at Poet's House!

Are you going to be in NYC over the holidays? If you have a chance, consider checking out the lovely new Poets House, located in Battery Park City at 10 River Terrace (at Murray Street). Opening on December 2, through January 15, 2010, they’ll be displaying “Robert Frost’s Annual Christmas Cards” -- “...beautiful, illustrated chapbooks of Frost’s poetry” that the poet and his publishers sent out as holiday greetings for almost 30 years. (For directions, click here.)

Poets House is closed December 24, 25 & 26, 2009 and January 1 & 2, 2010.

In 1926, 28-year-old Joe Blumenthal founded The Spiral Press with a partner, George Hoffman. For Christmas in 1929, Blumenthal printed an illustrated chapbook of Robert Frost poems to send out as the holiday greeting from himself and Henry Holt and Company (one of Frost’s printers.) All 275 copies were sent out before they realized that none had been sent to the poet, himself. (Frost insisted that the printer retrieve a half dozen for his own Christmas list!)

Spiral Press was hit hard during the Depression. Blumenthal closed shop and lived in Europe for several years where he designed a new font type (Emerson). He returned to the US in late 1933, settling just north of NYC in Croton Falls, NY, and started up Spiral Press with a small handpress, quickly reestablishing his reputation as a master printer. Each Christmas from 1934 through 1962, Spiral Press printed - in collaboration with Robert Frost this time!!! - new illustrated chapbooks of Frost poems.

Artists-in-Education application available online

The NJ State Council on the Arts asks: “Passionate about the art you make? Interested in applying to become a residency artist in a NJ school?” They’re now seeking professional practicing artists in all disciplines whose work is of high artistic quality and who personally exhibit the commitment and ability to create a lively, substantial, and sequential (5 – 20 days) arts program in an educational setting. The Artists-in-Education (AIE) program helps to place highly qualified artists in classrooms throughout the state to lead arts residencies.

Guidelines, handbook and application for artists interested in being on the FY11 AIE Artist Roster are now available online at www.njaie.org or www.njartscouncil.org. Interested artists are also encouraged to attend one of the free technical assistance workshops listed below:

Tuesday, December 8, 2009, 6:00-8:00 PM
Perkins Center for the Arts. 30 Irvin Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08108.

To register for this workshop, please call Karen Chigounis at (856) 235-6488, ext.201.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ 07901 (Central NJ) To register, call (908) 558-2550

Technical assistance is also available by phone or e-mail. Please call the AIE Consortium office at 877-NJ-ARTS-ED or 609-633-1184, or e-mail Shelley Benaroya, Arts Education Administrator at sbenaroya@yanj.org.

NOTE: Acceptance onto the roster, while providing opportunity for further professional development, does not guarantee residency work.

Robin Larsen

Robin Larsen (right)

The regional art community suffered a tremendous loss earlier this month with the untimely death of Robin Larsen, founder and executive director of New Hope Arts. I'm posting an obituary, below, with information about a memorial service taking place this Sunday for Robin. Any of us who have had an opportunity to share her energy, enthusiasm, and passionate advocacy for the arts know that while Robin's death leaves a great rift in our cultural fabric -- her active, colorful, engaged presence among us for the past several decades has left a rich, art-filled legacy for all of us. Thank you, Robin!

November 5, 2009

Robin Larsen

Robin Larsen, a New Hope-based arts administrator and promoter, died Oct. 28 at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia. She was 60.

Born in Ann Arbor, Mich., Robin was a graduate of Louisiana State University. She was a studio artist working in various media before moving to New Hope in 1980. The arts community in New Hope became Robin’s inspiration, and in turn, Robin inspired the community to new creative heights. She staged local events that featured the area’s many creative talents, and brought in artists, writers and performers from around the country to the New Hope area.

As the artistic director of the New Hope Festival of the Arts, she worked hand-in-hand with the late Jim Magill, New Hope’s mayor, and a dedicated group of board members and volunteers, to produce plays, cabaret, dance, gallery shows and classical music events. Among the various artists brought to New Hope under Robin’s guidance were actress Celeste Holm, comedienne Judy Gold, singer Margaret Whiting, actor and writer Jack Wrangler, playwright David Ives and the Shetland Island Youth Fiddle Orchestra.

Through the festival, Robin mentored many young playwrights and authors, offering them a first venue to see their works professionally produced. The play, “Six Story Building” by David Del Aquila, went from its New Hope premiere directly into a successful New York run.

Robin served as the director of the New Hope Outdoor Arts Show, an annual street fair featuring the crafts of many area artists. It was Robin’s vision that led to the town’s outdoor sculpture exhibits. Much of this statuary remains on permanent exhibit throughout the town.

Robin’s long held dream of a permanent home for the performing and visual arts was realized with the opening of the New Hope Arts Center on Stockton Street. Housed in the Gerenser building, the center stands as a monument to Robin’s dedication and energy.

In addition to her artistic endeavors, Robin was generous in lending her organizational skills to fund-raisers for many other community organizations such as the local libraries and the Lambertville Education Foundation. Robin brought hundreds of people along for the ride, as board members, contributors, artists, performers, volunteers and audience members. Her welcoming spirit, ready smile and gentle wit fostered artistic careers, new audiences for the arts, civic pride and new friendships that would last a lifetime.

Robin is survived by her beloved husband, John; their children, Sean Lee Power and his wife, Sheila, of Solebury; Liz Larsen and her husband, Sal Viviano, of New York City; and Karen Larsen of Boston; their grandchildren, Ian Power, Meredith Power, Andy Viviano and Joey Viviano; her mother Jeanne Wilchar and her sister Sharon Wilchar, both of California. Robin will be remembered at the kind of event she loved best – a big gathering of family and friends at the Eagle Firehouse, Sugan Road at Route 202, New Hope, at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15. All are invited. Memorial donations may be made to the New Hope Arts Center, 2 Stockton St., New Hope 18938.
Van Horn-McDonough Funeral Home, Lambertville, N.J.

Artisan Fever!

box by Annelies van Dommelen

It’s that time, again: fine crafts shows popping just when you need them. But, trust me, make your plans to check them out now, because these shows are like winter flowers: beautiful, unique -- and gone almost as soon as they appear! Keep in mind that many, if not most, of these artisan-based shows accept only cash and checks -- Here’s your chance to keep the holidays CitiBank- and AmEx-free!

The 36th annual Transformations show is at the Hopewell Train Station (Railroad Place and Greenwood Avenue) this weekend, Sat. 14 (10am-5pm) and Sun 15 (11am-5pm).

Featured artists/artisans include:

Connie Bracci McIndoe pottery and jewelry

Jo Freud fabric art on annealed wire

Bob Greenblatt turned wood

Carol Krickus elegant balsam pillows

Ken McIndoe ceramic tiles

Mar tha Mulford Dreswick baskets

Susan Nadelson hand spun and dyed wool

Christine Rist contemporar y jackets

Sally Stang jewelry and pressed flowers

Piroska Toth felting

Gail Trautz felting

Annelies van Dommelen heirloom archival boxes

Pat White & Isa Vogel weaving

Ellie Wyeth floor cloths, placemats, notecards

The End of the Road artist and craft show, at 25 Rock Road (off of Quarry Road) - a historic farm house in Lambertville, NJ - takes place Saturday and Sunday next weekend, Nov. 21 and 22, from 10am - 5 pm each day.

Piroska, Sally and Anneliies will be at this show, too, along with:

Judy Tobie paper vessels

Deborah Cyr fabric collage

Jeanne Walton elegant clothing

Chris Darway wearable sculpture

Martha Mulford Dreswick basket maker

Hanneke deNeve children's clothing, knits

Amy Whitney maiolica pots, wool duvets, roving

There will also be demonstrations of basketmaking, spinning, knitting, cider and donuts, and homemade soup. For information on End of the Road, you can email yates28@verizon.net

And the Covered Bridge Artisans are inviting visitors into their home studios November 27, 28 & 29th (10 am - 5 pm) for their Fifteenth Annual Holiday Studio Tour. The studios are located in and around scenic Stockton, NJ. For directions and a link to a self-guided map, click here.

In addition to the fine art paintings, stained glass, metal sculpture, and ceramics featured in the artist studios (The Art Colony studio (Prallsville Mill), Long Lane Farm, Sunflower Glass Studio, Swan Street Studio, and Moorland Studios), you’ll also find hand made jewelry, leather goods, ceramics, sculpture, yarn and other items offered by invited guests who will be set up in The Locktown Stone Church.

Whichever (or all!) of these 3 shows you visit, whether in Hopewell, Lambertville or Stockton, in addition to meeting some terrific artists and having the opportunity to purchase some wonderful one-of-a-kind gifts (yes, it can still be a gift if you buy it for yourself!) you’re also getting the chance to spend time in a beautiful part of NJ and possibly visit some lovely, historic buildings - all at the same time.

Art Venues Rise

Viridian Gallery, Pennington

Earth Normal by L. Simeonov at Alfa Art Gallery

Jack Koeppel, who - with his family - owned the Queenstown Gallery on South Main Street in Pennington from 1965 - 2005, is reopening a new gallery in the same location. You're invited to join him on Saturday afternoon, December 5, from noon - 4 pm for warm cider and other seasonal treats; or that evening from 6 - 8 pm for a wine & cheese reception to celebrate the grand opening of Viridian Gallery!

And while we're talking about "phoenix" (new from old) art venues, thanks to Will Ostergaard (newly annointed as the King of New Venues for this blog!) for sharing information about the Alfa Art Gallery at 108 Church Street in New Brunswick. They have an art exhibition, Transfigured, opening next Friday, November 20 @ 7:30-10:30pm that has some interesting artists for fans of figurative and expressionistic work (including Lidia Simeonov, recently named the 2010 Artist of the Year by Pittsburgh's Boxheart Gallery.)

It may be of particular interest to regional artists to note that Alfa Art has recently received its tax exempt status, and welcomes submissions both locally and from all over the world in the fields of contemporary fine art, sculpture and photography. As always, check out any gallery carefully before agreeing to be exhibited there. If you're not familiar with the gallery, make a point to visit. Talk with artists who have exhibited with the Gallery in the past. Research Gallery owners and staff. Be responsible about discussing terms, fees, responsibilities.

Sound Views

"Point de Vue" oil on panel, 24" x 30"

At Morpeth Contemporary Gallery

Hopewell, NJ

Opening Reception: this Saturday, November 7, 6 - 8 pm

Marc-Antoine Goulard

Gallerist Ruth Morpeth opens a one-man exhibit by French artist/musician Marc-Antoine Goulard this weekend, and the preview images are compelling (although I have to ask: has this man studied with Pat Martin, too???!!!) Goulard, an abstract painter, was schooled as a classical musician, studying the flute at the Conservatoire de Musique in Paris as well as saxophone and jazz composition at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, but says, "...it is in painting that I found my voice."

Goulard has had shows in commercial galleries in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, and in shows at the United Nations, the French Institute, and Columbia University in New York. In 2006, he was an artist in residence at the Joseph and Anni Albers Foundation in New Haven.

Stop Correcting Me

Wilbo Wright (l.) and Eric Haltmeier (r.) of Stop Correcting Me in concert this Thursday, November 5 at The Gallery, Mercer County Community College --

7:30 - 8:30 PM FREE!!!

For more information, see post below. For directions, click here.

A Truly Capital Party This Weekend!

This Saturday, November 7, please join the I Am Trenton Community Foundation and other members of the Trenton 1784 Committee (visit their newly constructed website - still under construction - for more information) at a kick-off event to celebrate the 54 days in 1784 that Trenton was the Capital of the new nation. The party takes place from 6pm to 10pm at the NJ State Museum, 205 West State Street, Trenton, NJ.

Tickets $10 per person or $15 per couple, with children under 12 admitted free of charge.

You may purchase tickets at the door or online at www.IAmTrenton.org

Connecting the Dots with SOUND!

Thursday, November 5

7:30 pm

Can musicians make shapes out of sound? Is it possible for sounds to "feel" the same way as a specific artwork "feels"? Can composed, improvised music relate to contemporary visual art pieces? Stop by Thursday evening for an enjoyable event and some possible answers:

Free Concert by Stop Correcting Me - the Haltmeier/Wright duo

Performing original score composed in relationship to the

CONNECT

exhibition on display at The Gallery at Mercer County Community College

For information about the exhibit, click here.

For directions to the College, click here.

The Gallery is located on MCCC's West Windsor campus (1200 Old Trenton Road/Rt. 535) on the 2nd Floor of the Communications Building.

Heaven Hell and whatever's In Between

Visitors to the fantastic American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, MD are well aware of the orgy of creativity that can be sparked by the death of someone close to even the most non-artistic person. [Oh, okay...you caught me. You might know this even if you haven’t made the pilgrimage to the AVAM yet. But you’ve got to get down there...promise me!] That same pulsing energy in the hands of a lifelong artist can sometimes generate work that pushes out beyond the norm. It sounds as if Highwire Gallery has some of this work on display in their upcoming exhibition: Heaven, Hell and Original Sin.

Fiber artists may find the work of Philly-based fiber artist Melissa Maddonni Haims (creator of the Heaven and Hell portions of the show) especially interesting. She’s been working feverishly with yarn (knitting, crocheting, stitching) since her mother died 2 years ago, creating a personal version of heaven and hell. Much of her “Heaven” is specific – organic, unconventional sculptures memorializing people who have died. Her backroom Hell apparently evokes Dante-esque imagery including damned inhabitants and towering terrains. The middle gallery (Original Sin?) represents a visual dialogue between The Grimm Sisters, aka artists Rochelle Marcus Dinkin and Rachel Isaac, are on display.

The Opening Reception takes place during Philadelphia’s next First Friday event: November 6, from 5 – 9 pm and runs through November 29. Highwire Gallery is located at 2040 Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia.

Movement Studies

center panel, Deconstructing Jane Avril triptych, F. Moonan
Movement Study #8, F. Moonan

If you haven’t seen Florence Moonan and Carol Sanzalone’s show, Innovations, up at Artists Gallery in Lambertville, you’ve still got time to catch it this weekend. Florence has been studying with Pat Martin, and that fertile combination has generated some striking drawings and paintings, well worth visiting. The will be Florence’s last show at Artists Gallery, so if you’ve been planning on stopping by to say “Hello,” you can catch her there this Friday (October 30) between 11 am – 6 pm; or you can stop by the “cider and donut closing event” this Sunday, November 1 between 2 & 5 pm.

Doors Are Open!

On Thursday evening, November 12 (4:30 to 7 p.m.), you're invited to the Conference Center on the Mercer County Community College's West Windsor Campus for its annual Open House and Report to the Community. At this FREE event, you can find out, firsthand, about the many opportunities and activities this College offers, while enjoying live music by the MCCC Jazz Band, delicacies prepared by student chefs, videos and robotics created by Mercer students, and even relaxing chair massages offered by physical therapy students.

Potential students of all ages, as well as parents, alumni, community partners, teachers, guidance counselors, business people and governmental representatives are welcome.Check out the many study choices offered at Mercer, including 68 associate degree programs (including new degrees in Digital Film, Game Design, Solar Energy/Technology, Culinary Arts and Physics) and year-round noncredit programs for career advancement and personal interest.

I often tell people that Mercer has one of THE best fine arts departments in the entire region. You don't need to be matriculated to take credit classes, and the instruction available to artists in a wide range of media is spectacular. I've personally taken courses in painting, art history, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, creative writing and television production so far, and can enthusiastically recommend them all.

There's an odd perception in some quarters about Community Colleges. Trust me, Mercer is a treasure trove for the lifelong learner; so don't be one of "those people." Stop by and get a taste of what all there is to offer at Mercer. To sign up, click here.

Going out on a Limb

Have you been pondering your family tree lately? Unsure of how to get started? The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is offering a series of helpful and very affordable genealogy workshops this fall. A beginner workshop, only $15 for non-members of the Society, will provide novice genealogists with the tools you’ll need to begin your own family research. It will cover everything from how family interviews should be conducted, to what resources are available (including public records, federal and local repositories, historical societies, ancestral DNA testing, and genealogical databases) and how best to use them.

The workshop will be offered on two separate dates: Wednesday, October 28 at 6 pm and Friday, October 30, at noon at the HSP: 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA.

Instructor: Lee Arnold, family historian and director of the library and collections at HSP (who has been researching his own family since 1980). He received his masters in library and information science from the University of Wisconsin and his masters of liberal arts with a concentration in archives management from Temple University.

Upcoming workshops include information on tracing your Civil War ancestors. Cost includes a one-day admission to HSP's research library. To register online click here. Or call 215-732-6200 ext. 214 for more information.

Ma, ma, ma, my Matryoshka

Artist Meri Adelman will be among the featured artists & crafters at the upcoming Germantown Jewish Centre Women’s Club Craft Show taking place Sunday, November 15, 2009, from 10 AM to 4:00 PM. Meri will be showing paintings on wooden Fertility Dolls (Matryoshka), ceramic tiles (with Rebecca Tobias), and paper. The Centre is located at Lincoln Drive & W. Ellet Street [400 W. Ellet Street] in Mt. Airy, PA (215-844-1507). Admission is free.

Patterned Response!

Midori Yoshimoto, Gallery Director at the NJ City University, will be curating a show for the Arts Council of the Morris Area’s Gallery (14 Maple (Morristown, NJ; on the 3rd floor of the new "green" Dodge Foundation building). The exhibit, “Emerging Patterns” has a 6 month run (February 15, 2010 – August 11, 2010), so be sure that the work you enter can be available for that full time period.

This show is open to all artists working in any medium who live or work in New Jersey. There is a limit of 5 submissions per artist. All accepted work must be professionally presented and ready for installation or hanging (by wire or D-rings). Artists may be required to supply pedestals for 3D work. Midori Is especially looking for works that include any kind of patterns recognized and manifested by artists. She will, however, be working with a committee who will have some input into the final selection.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Images (see below for presentation requirements), artist’s statement about the works submitted, up-to-date one page resume or c.v., and attached Submission Form with the Object List section fully completed including for each image submitted, the title, year of work, medium, size (H x W x D), weight, value for insurance purposes, and whether the work is for sale.

DEADLINE for SUBMISSIONS: Artwork shall be submitted by e-mail to kbecker@morrisarts.org in the form of jPEG images (resolution of 300 dpi). JPEGS must be named as follows: artistsname_titleofwork.jpg. Deadline is Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 5 p.m.; no exceptions.

For additional information, email Karin Becker at kbecker@morrisarts.org

Time to Focus

Veil of Mist by Robert Sheuerman - Best in Show winner, 2008

Although entries for the 2010 Voices of the Marsh photography exhibition are not due until April 2 of next year, photographers should keep in mind that all photographs submitted need to be taken within the borders of the Hamilton-Trenton-Bordentown Marsh. This regional treasure-trove of botanical, geographic, ornithological, and environmental diversity is one of the vast unsung jewels of the County, and is celebrated every other year in the Voices... exhibition, held by the Friends of the Marsh. Click on their name to visit the website and download a copy of the prospectus for this show. Better still, participate in one of the organized canoe or field trips organized by the Friends (info under the Events link on their website), or bring a friend and a camera and enjoy the beauty of this wonderful place on your own.

Truly "Off the Block"!

There's still time to make your reservation for the Arts Council of Princeton's gala "Dining by Design" fundraiser taking place October 24th -- or, if you prefer, to bid on one of the spectacular, mouth-watering dinners offered on-line in their silent auction. Here's a chance to dine at some of the more astonishing private homes in the area, on meals cooked by some of the region's top chefs, while supporting Arts Council programming for children. For more information, visit their website. To preview the "Off the Block" dream dinners being offered in the silent auction, click here.

MONSTERS' ALERT!!!

Monsters Ball

Artworks' Halloween Party Fundraiser

Friday, October 30

...8 pm til the wolves howl!!!!!!!!!!

Terrified by the idea of a capital city without any art? Join fellow art lovers and for a monster-ously great time on Friday, October 30 and exorcise those demons together. The same people and creative energy that's brought you "Art All Night" are promising an equally spectacular Halloween event. And, with three really affordable ticket levels, not even the recession should stop you from showing this organization 'a little love.'

Here's what's on tap for the night: “Artworks' unique, soaring space will be decked out in its scariest finery, courtesy of Fannelli Design Group, the lighting designers who did the magical lighting of the Museum of Contemporary Science for Art All Night.

“A delicious spread of food, as well as beer, wine (ID required at the door) and other non-alcoholic beverages will be available. Outside, creatures of all sorts can gather around the fires lit in giant steel tikis and steel wire firebowls created by artists Glenn Moore and Peter Abrams.”

Outside in the ARTWORKS’ parking lot, Trenton’s own “Thriller Dancers” help set the tone as they join groups worldwide in reenacting the entire 14 minute dance from Michael Jackson's 1983 Thriller music video. (If you know the routine, and are in ghoulish costume, join in!) Throughout the night you will also be dancing to the evil sounds of DJ Maddtronix; making-your-own scary art project; thrilling to professionally told ghost stories; watching classic scary movies playing all night long, including Nosferatu and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; and entering costume contest (the winner gets six free art classes at Artworks or two months use of its shared studio space.)

Michael Gumpert's so committed to making this event special, he's having plastic surgery to complete his costume. You'll get to witness the grand unveiling at the party. Tickets are $10 (costume required! and buy your own drinks after the first), $45, and $75. For full information, and to buy tickets now, visit the ARTWORKS website or call them at 609-394-9436.

Burooo-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!! And for those of you itching to "to get your ghoul on" a little early, ARTWORKS has several events leading up to their spectacular MONSTERS' BALL coming up on Friday, October 30. Those of you who feel that one day of costumes just isn't enough are invited to join fellow ghouls, ghosts, gypsies and beasties for a “guerilla marketing” blitz of Joe’s Mill Hill Saloon on Friday, October 23. Folks will be meeting, in costume, at ARTWORKS at 9 pm and will walk over to the Mill Hill together.

If you prefer to exorcise your inner demons from the comfort of your own home, consider creating an entry for ARTWORKS’ Monsters’ Ball Poster Contest. ARTWORKS’ executive director, Michael Gumpert, invites artists of all ages to try to “Terrorize the competition with your talent” in designing the poster for ARTWORKS' 2010 Monsters’ Ball Halloween Party Fundraiser! The winning poster will be selected by guests at this year's party. (NOTE: Participants are encouraged but not required to attend the party.) For rules and information on the contest, click here.

Making the Right Connect-ions!

Enkindle by Caroline Lathan-Steifel

THAT! by Berendina Buist

The MOVIS collective invites you to

CONNECT

with contemporary art at

The Gallery, Mercer County Community College

Opening Reception: Saturday, October 17

2 - 4 pm

Gallery hours: Tuesdays 9 am - 4 pm and 6 - 8 pm

Wednesdays 9 am - 3 pm and 6 - 8 pm

Thursdays 11 am - 3 pm

Gallery Talk: Monday, October 26, 7 pm

Special concert featuring Stop Correcting Me (Wilbo Wright & Eric Haltmeier):

Thursday, November 5, 7:30 pm

all events are free and open to the public

Exhibiting artists include: Peter Arakawa, Rita Asch, Berendina Buist, Mark Cooley, Anne Dixon, Yevgeniy Fiks, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Brian Goings, John Goodyear, Susan Hockaday, Lucy Hodgson, Eve Ingalls, Margaret Kennard Johnson, Caroline Lathan-Steifel, Marsha Levin-Rojer, Frank Magalhaes

Meet the Author, Meet Our History

pencil sketch of Mikvah Israel Synagoge design by Louis I. Kahn (MoMA collection)

On Tuesday, October 27th, at 5:30 pm author Susan Solomon will be at Labyrinth Books (122 Nassau Street, Princeton) to talk about her new book, “Louis Kahn's Jewish Architecture: Mikveh Israel and the Midcentury American Synagogue.”

Solomon’s earlier book, “Louis Kahn's Trenton Jewish Community Center,” and her ardent advocacy helped to preserve the Trenton Bath House, arguably one of Louis I. Kahn’s most seminal buildings. The Bath House, now on the National and NJ Registers of Historic Places, is located right here in Ewing, NJ. The County of Mercer’s Culture & Heritage Commission and Department of Planning recently launched an informational website on the Trenton Bath House that includes archival photographs, restoration plans, and information on Louis I. Kahn.

Solomon will talk about Kahn’s 1961 plans for the never-built Mikveh Israel synagogue, exploring the transformation of the American synagogue between 1955 and 1970, and looking at how Kahn struggled to “…reconcile his own profoundly spiritual aims for …modern architecture…"(Joseph Siry, Wesleyan University) with his distant relationship to Judaism as a non-practicing man of Estonian Jewish heritage.

All Kinds of Jazz-zy

Wing Dam with Wilbo Wright, John Sheridan and featuring Tom Cottone

Nationally known post-modern jazz trio, the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey plays at at Joe's Mill Hill Saloon this Tuesday, October 13th. Among the opening acts is the well-known regional go-go boot jazz trio, Wing Dam. This all-ages show starts at 7:30 pm

Joe's Mill Hill Saloon is at 300 S. Broad St, Trenton, NJ 08608. 609-394-7222. Tickets are $8 (in advance) are available online http://www.millhillsaloon.com/ $10 at the door!