Musical performance won’t get closer to some performer’s homes than the two days devoted to musical concerts performed on home porches in Princeton and Bordentown.
The first is “Princeton Porchfest,” set for April 23, noon to 6 p.m.
Organized by the Arts Council of Princeton, with support from Princeton University, it’s part of a month-long series of festivities honoring local artists and the artistic successor to ACP’s annual Communiversity — originally called the “The Art People’s Party.”
The last Communiversity — also organized in cooperation with Princeton University — was in 2019.
Adam Welch, the executive director of the Arts Council of Princeton, estimated that over 40,000 guests had made Communiversity an annual success. But when the 2020 pandemic showed no signs of stopping, Welch and his team needed to explore new options.
The sheer size of such an event would have been dangerous because of the virus, so after speaking with the mayor, council and university staff, April ARTS was born. With a decentralized event system, ACP hopes to not only recognize the talents throughout Princeton, but highlight them in a socially distanced, outside environment.
For “Princeton Porchfest” residents “donate” their front porches or stoops for the occasion, giving musicians a stage for free, family-friendly live performances. The inaugural concert will adhere to all ongoing COVID-19 precautions and will carry on rain or shine.
Attendees can walk or bike across the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood, as well as Nassau Street by the central business district, to appreciate the rotating sets of bands.
“All the performers will play in their respective locations simultaneously,” Welch says. “Essentially, there will be 55 musicians, easily found by the printed and online map letting you know where they’re playing and when.”
While the idea originated in Ithaca, New York, and spread to other cities around the nation, New Jersey’s Asbury Park has taken the lead in the state and has hosted a Porchfest for several years.
Following the Asbury Park’s model, ACP asked the bands performing first to lend sound equipment to subsequent performers, creating a friendly, collaborative atmosphere and eliminating the time between acts.
“What we’ve decided to do is [choose] sites that are within walking distance, but not within earshot, so that you’ll be able to easily walk in between set breaks to different locations,” Welch continues, one of their concerns being to eliminate sound pollution.
Taking in the architecture and talents of Princeton, Welch says, is a welcome experience they want to facilitate, with chatty neighbors and music abounding as the front yards transform into community spaces. ACP suggests that attendees indulge in Princeton’s culinary experiences as well, citing the countless lunch and dinner options mere steps away from the porch front stages.
Another key part of April ARTS is the Princeton Piano Project.
Using pianos donated from Princeton residents, ACP commissioned local creatives to paint the seven instruments, which will be placed around Princeton and remain available for anyone to play.
“What we’re going to be doing is creating a public art piece and a performance space,” Welch says. Specific performances will be coordinated, likely on weekends, during the month.
The piano artists include Leon Rainbow, Ronah Harris, Albelardo Montano, Susan DeConcini and Lisa Walsh, Marlon 7oveChild Davila and Stephanie and Naomi Nazario.
Leon Rainbow is a Trenton-based artist whose work, most notably his colorful murals, are inspired by graffiti and street art. The theme for his piano, the “Touch of a Master’s Hand,” is brought to life with a mixed-media approach of spray paint, acrylics and paint markers.
Rainbow’s design features a spray can on one side and hands playing the piano on the other.
“Music or art is the touch of a master’s hand; it’s not really the instrument or the supplies. It’s just the creativity, and the amount of work that it takes to get to a certain point with it, that really makes a difference from great art or music from mediocre,” he says.
“It’s the first time I painted a piano, so it was an interesting surface to work with,” adds Rainbow. “I feel like it’s gonna have a different life once it’s out in the community.”
Marlon Davila, also known as “7ove Child,” is a lifelong Princeton resident embracing both nature and his “inner child” through symbolic artwork. His name comes from being a self-described “love child” himself, aiming to lessen the stigma by signing his paintings as such.
Davila became involved with the Piano Project via a connection from his previous residency with ACP in 2019, where a mural, titled “Journey,” was created at John Street and Leigh Avenue.
Inspired by the ornate designs and intricate woodwork of his piano, Davila says he “let the art flow in” for the project. A spring scene blossomed up on the instrument’s surface, the artist painting his piano with flowers and femininity as his muse. Davila grew up around women, calling the “enchanted piano” a way to honor figures like Frida Kahlo and his mother.
An active artist in the Princeton community, Davila hopes April ARTS will continue in the future.
Princeton Porchfest, Saturday, April 23, noon to 6 p.m. Free. More information and a full calendar of events are available at ACP’s website: www.artscouncilofprinceton.org.
The City of Bordentown’s PorchFest follows the same design for its free Saturday, April 30, noon to 5 p.m., event.
A production of nonprofit Bordentown Arts, the event will feature musicians of various ages performing a wide range of music throughout the city.
As a participating performer, Alpha Rabbit band member Jamie Parker says, “I’m aware of other PorchFest in other parts of the state and always thought it looked like a cool and interesting idea and when I heard Bordentown was having one I was very excited and I decided right away I was going to apply to host and play. For me, this is like a holiday because when you play in a band you meet a lot of other musicians and you make a lot of friends who are also musicians.”
The Downtown Bordentown Association will also be hosting its “Stepping into Spring” event on the same day and offering PorchFest attendees the additional opportunity to shop or stop by at one of the food trucks on Farnsworth Avenue.
Bordentown Arts president Leon Stanley says that after the pandemic, it was time for the community and visitors to come together for a family-friendly event.
But more importantly, he says, “We have a lot of musical talent in this town, and this is one of the things that motivated me to organize this,” adding that all performers are volunteers.
To make the event navigable for those who are not familiar with Bordentown, Stanley says there will be a map, schedule, and description of music that will be available.
He also hopes that it may become an annual event and sites the support of Schino Property Management for sponsoring the event and Leaping Dog Art Studios for creating signage.
As Stanley puts it, “This is going to be a pretty festive day in Bordentown City.”
Bordentown PorchFest 2022, Saturday, April 30, noon to 5 p.m. Free. PorchFest HQ located at: 91 East Burlington Street, Bordentown. www.bordentownarts.org.
Rebekah Schroeder and Jasmine Lee contributed reporting.
