The phrase that comes to mind regarding the area’s visual art season is simple: “let’s see.” And area arts organizers are planning to help visual art seekers to do just that by offering exhibitions that include everything from international art icons to the locally vital experimenters.
Princeton University Art Museum
Princeton campus, 609-258-3788, artmuseum.princeton.edu.
Leading by example with an area-specific exhibition that involves state artists who became world-class innovators is the Princeton University Art Museum and its fall event, “New Jersey as Non-Site,” opening Saturday, October 5, and continuing to, Saturday, January 4.
This special exhibition highlights the state’s role in “some of the most advanced artistic experiments occurring from 1955 to 1975.” Featuring approximately 100 works, the exhibition involves the efforts of trendsetting artists who just happened to be New Jersey connected, including Nancy Holt (former Princeton University instructor), Allan Kaprow (b. Atlantic City), George Segal (South Brunswick), Tony Smith (b. South Orange), Robert Smithson (b. Passaic), poet Amiri Baraka (b. Newark), and others. It promises to be one of the season’s highlights and will help set the record straight about where art happens.
When the New Jersey exhibit opens it joins the recently opened “The Itinerant Languages of Photography,” an interdisciplinary exploration of how artifacts containing disembodied images shift through time and across cultural and artistic boundaries. It continues to Sunday, January 19.
Looking toward the spring at PUAM is “Edvard Munch: Symbolism in Print,” featuring 26 compositions by the famed Norwegian symbolist artist (1863-1944) and explores his printmaking techniques to distill his complex imagery into potent and universal signs that continue to speak to basic human concerns. It opens Saturday, February 8, and continues to Sunday, June 8.
“Disegno in Translation: Italian Drawings from the Princeton University Art Museum” neatly sums up the exhibition that opens Saturday, January 25, and continues to Sunday, May 11. According to museum information, it will feature 90 rarely seen objects from its collection of more than 1,000 Italian drawings and “provide a fresh examination of Italian draftsmanship by mapping issues and concepts such as technique, function, and connoisseurship.”
The Princeton University Art Museum is on the Princeton University campus. Admission is free. Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. Free highlight tours of the collections are given every Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and major holidays.
New Jersey State Museum
New Jersey State Museum, 205 West State Street, Trenton, 609-292-6464, www.nj.gov/state/museum.
At the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton, its New Jersey Artist Series presents an exhibition by Palisades Park-based artist Dahlia Elsayed, running Saturday, October 12, through Sunday, February 2. The artist — influenced by conceptual art, comics, and landscape painting, — uses texts and images to create “diaristic” paintings and installations that have been shown in numerous solo exhibitions, including those at the Jersey City Museum, Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, MA, and the Gallery Of South Orange. Her group exhibitions include the Beacon Street Gallery in Chicago, the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Battery Park, NY, Locust Projects in Miami, and City Without Walls in Newark.
Zimmerli Museum
71 Hamilton Street at George Street, New Brunswick, 848-932-7237, www.zimmerlimuseum.rutgers.edu.
The Zimmerli Museum of Art, at Rutgers in New Brunswick, has already launched its fall season with “Diane Burko: Glacial Perspectives,” and is preparing to open new exhibitions and continue several others. Burko’s exhibition of paintings and photographs reflects her “interest in extreme landscapes and her ability to transform visual and technical data into dynamic views of some of the most sublime landscapes on earth” and turn “aside the distracting political debates to call attention to the facts of climate change.” It continues to July 31, 2014.
A small, yet intriguing, show opening Saturday, September 14, “Staging Symbolism: Programs for the Theater de l’Oeuvre in Paris.” It features 20 programs by artists Edouard Vuillard, Felix Vallotton, Ker-Xavier Roussel, Alfred Jarry, and others for the company that daring selected to stage works by Ibsen, Strindberg, and other writers who explored human psychology and took on social issues. It continues to Sunday, February 2.
“Artists’ Portraits: Putting a Face to the Name” uses more than 30 photographic portraits of Soviet nonconformist to see the faces of those who dared to disagree with the restrictions on art imposed by the Communist regime during the Cold War era. The exhibition opens Wednesday, October 19, and runs to Sunday, April 6.
Stars: Contemporary Prints by Derriere L’Etoile Studio (Part Two) — 1990s, opens Saturday, October 5, and continues the first part of the exhibition, set to close Sunday, September 29.
Both shows feature contemporary prints produced by Derriere L’Etoile (“Behind the Star”). Founded in New York in 1978 by Maurice Sanchez, the influential studio has produced prints in lithography and other traditional printmaking media, as well as with the latest photographic and digital technologies. It runs to Sunday, March 2.
Grounds For Sculpture
18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, 609-586-0616, www.groundsforsculpture.org.
Grounds For Sculpture opens with “Athena Tacha: Sculpting With/In Nature (1975-2013),” a survey of the work of the internationally acclaimed earth art pioneer. Created by the artist who designed the Trenton public art plaza “Green Acres,” the exhibition reflects Tacha’s singular and persistent focus on the patterns and rhythms of nature through public sculptures models, related reliefs and drawings, photos of the constructed works, small landscape sculptures, photoworks, and her early artist books. It opens in the Domestic Art Building on Saturday, October 5.
On Saturday, October 19, GFS’s Museum Building will be open with two established artists and two artists in the sculpture garden’s GreenLight program, which presents the work of highly accomplished early-career artists.
For the former, look for “Edwina Sandys: Provocative and Profound,” an exhibition of the London-born and New York-based artist — and granddaughter of Winston Churchill — who combines “the lighthearted and the profound in ways that are at once playful and mind provoking,” and “William Knight: Out of Context,” which includes the Burlington, New Jersey, artist’s auto tire sculptures (made from tires found on state highways), works that include aluminum wire and found wood, and pedestal sculptures “that combine the brittle mechanisms inside of light bulbs with a variety of discarded objects.”
The GreenLight artists are Lauren Clay — who has exhibited in major venues throughout the country and is represented by the New York City-based Larissa Goldston Gallery and will show work based on abstract sculptor David Smith’s (1906-1965) well-known stainless steel Cubi series — and Philadelphia-based Rachel Udell — who works with yarn, fabric, string, lace, and others to create “metaphors for the connectedness of the human organism with all of the systems that define life.”
Michener Museum
138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 215-340-9800, www.michenerartmuseum.org.
The James A. Michener Art Museum focuses on the art of entertainment this season with two show-biz exhibitions that open just days apart.
“Local Mill Makes Good: Celebrating 75 Years of American Theater at the Bucks County Playhouse,” rises its curtain on, Friday, October 26, for a run through Sunday, March 2. The exhibition “tells the story of this historic New Hope landmark, tracing the Playhouse’s impact on American theater as well as the regional economy and cultural life. Bringing together a collection of diverse material, including rare photographs and footage, and artwork by Charles Child, Ben Solowey, Al Hirschfeld, Robert Beck and others, this exhibition celebrates the players, productions and producers who made the Playhouse a legend, from its birth in 1939 to its recent rebirth as the leading professional theater in the area.”
“From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly — Beyond the Icon,” fittingly joins the Bucks exhibition on Monday, October 28. As Michener museum director Lisa Tremper says, “The opportunity to bring together a comprehensive exhibition that focuses on the depth and breadth of Grace Kelly’s extraordinary life is an important acknowledgement of her impact on so many facets of 20th century history. Throughout the years, interest in Grace — her compassion, her radiance, her individuality and her dignity — has never waned. Her hometown of Philadelphia is eager to honor this spirit.” The exhibition, the only stop in the United Sates, continues to Sunday, January 26.
Regional Venues
Artworks in Trenton opens its fall season with “Biomimesis — Sculptures on Paper,” by Trenton-based artist Michelle Rothwell. Using the same 3D digital tools that produce video games and animated films, Rothwell has been creating such “virtual sculptures” for more than a decade.
An associate professor of animation and game Graphics at the New York City College of Technology, Rothwell’s visual inspiration comes from a new scientific field, biomimicry or biomimetics, which examines nature to design approaches to human problems. The show runs Wednesday, September 11, through Thursday, October 10. An Opening Reception will be held Friday, September 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. An Educational Presentation on Saturday, September 14, from 1 to 2 p.m., will explain the creative and technical process used to produce her work.
Other Artworks exhibitions and projects include, the Homefront Exhibition, continuing to Monday, September 30; “Art of Darkness,” Tuesday, October 8, through Tuesday, November 5, with a reception Saturday, October 26, 8 p.m.; “Art All Day,” “Mapping Trenton,” and “Sneaker Art,” opening with a reception on Saturday, November 9, and continuing to Saturday, November 30; “10×10 Red Dot Show,” “Orphan Art Show,” and “Steel, Ice & Stone,” Wednesday, December 4, through Thursday, January 9.
Artworks, 19 Everett Alley, Trenton, Regular gallery hours are Wednesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 609-394-9436 or www.artworkstrenton.org.
Elsewhere in Trenton is the Trenton City Museum (in Ellarslie Mansion in Cadwalader Park). Its first new exhibition of the season is “Artists of Woodstock: Collective Creativity,” from Monday, September 28, through Sunday, November 10, with opening reception Saturday, September 28, 7 to 9 p.m.
Other Ellarslie exhibitions are as follows: “Frank Applegate, George Bradshaw, and the School of Industrial Arts,” “Early Unusual Gifts to the Museum: and their Donors,” and “Adopted: Restored Art, Artifacts, and Books,” all from Sunday, October 6, to Sunday, February 9, with opening reception Sunday, October 6, to 2 p.m.; “Paper Work,” from Saturday, November 16, through Sunday, January 5; reception Saturday, November 16, 7 to 9 p.m.; and Ellarslie Open XXXI, Friday, May 2, to Sunday, June 22; reception set for Saturday, May 3, 5 to 8 p.m.
Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, Tuesdays through Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sundays 1 to 4 p.m., through Sunday. Free. 609-989-1191 or www.ellarslie.org.
The Arts Council of Princeton currently is showing “Portraits of WPRB’s Jazz DJs” by area photographer Peter C. Cook (continuing to Thursday, October 31) and opens its “Annual Members Exhibition” with a reception on, Sunday, September 15, 3 to 5 p.m. The members’ show closes on Thursday, October 3.
Next up is “Thread Bare,” opening Thursday, October 10, with a reception at 5 to 7 p.m. Curated by ACP artistic director Maria Evans, the exhibition features artists “who utilize textiles to preserve and protect their personal cultural perspective and engage the viewer in social and political dialogue using non traditional methods.”
D&R Greenway’s “The Feathered and the Field: Birds in Autumn” — featuring several regional artists — continues to Saturday, October 5, when it makes way for “The Fallen and the Unfallen: Trees in Peril.” Developed in collaboration with the Princeton Artists Alliance, the exhibition offers “a contemporary visual interpretation of one of the most frequently painted subjects.” While the exhibition officially opens on Monday, October 14, there is an opening reception on Friday, October 25, and a closing reception on Saturday, December 14.
Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, Princeton, Gallery hours: Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 609-924-4646 or www.drgreenway.org/art_galleries.htm.
The West Windsor Arts Council season is on its way with “Under Pressure,” exploring a number of printmaking approaches, including digital printmaking. Eileen Foti — printmaking instructor at William Paterson University and past master printer at the Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions, juried the show that runs through Friday, November 15. An artist reception is set for Sunday, September 15, 4 to 6:30 p.m., including artists and the screening of the documentary “A Ripple in the Water: Healing Through Art,” written and co-produced by juror Eileen Foti, will begin at 5:30 p.m.
West Windsor Art Center, 952 Alexander Road, Princeton Junction, gallery hours Mondays through Fridays, noon until 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.westwindsorarts.org, 609-716-1931, or info@westwindsorarts.org.
Fine Art Photography
The two (and rare) area galleries devoted to fine art photography have September openings on schedule and other shows in development.
Gallery 14, a collective in Hopewell, recently open with a two shows: the black and white landscapes and still life studies of Hunterdon County freelance photographer, Theresa (Terri) Hood, and “Waterlilies — Monet’s Flower” by the Ringoes-based photographer and digital artist Charles Miller. It closes Sunday, October 6.
Upcoming shows include works by Martin Schwartz, Ken Kaplowitz, and Ed Greenblat, running October 11 through November 10. Followed by Jesse Hurler and Charlie Gross, Friday, November 15, through Sunday, December 15.
Gallery 14, 14 Mercer Street, Hopewell. Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Free. www.photogallery14.com.
Red Filter Gallery opens “The Hudson River: An Inspiration,” on Thursday, September 12. Subtitled “The Selected Works of Joseph Squillante,” a New York State photographer who in addition to photographing the Hudson for 35 years is a member of the American Society of Media Photographers and is represented in the permanent collections of the New York Historical Society, Museum of the City of New York and the Albany Institute of History and Art. The exhibition continues to Sunday, November 3.
Red Filter Gallery, 74 Bridge Street, Lambertville. www.redfiltergallery.com, 347-244-9758, inquire@redfiltergallery.com or on Facebook.
Universities and Colleges
In addition to the exhibitions above, the region universities and colleges greatly add to the region’s cultural health and wealth.
Under the thoughtful and expert coordination of professor and artist Harry Naar, Rider University’s season starts on Thursday, September 19, with “John Sears: Contrast” which uses the art and life of the painter and teacher who “encountered physical and emotional obstacles that challenged his spirit and his ability to make art after he suffered a traumatic brain injury in a 1985 bicycling accident.” The unusual exhibition will include drawings and paintings created before and after his injury, illustrating his approach to life and to art: “Contrast is the Key.” A Panel Discussion on the creative spirit and its ability to drive people to create despite challenges will follow on Thursday, September 26, 7 p.m. The exhibition closes Sunday, October 13.
“Daniela Bittman: Mural-Size Canvases,” is set for Thursday, October 24, through Sunday, December 1, and features the Romanian-born (and now Princeton-based) artist’s ambiguous figures and images drawn from memory or imagination. It’s followed by “Basil Alkazzi: An Odyssey of Dreams — A Decade of Paintings 2003-2012,” featuring the work of the British artists whose work is included in numerous museums opens Thursday, February 6, and continues to Sunday, March 2.
The Rider series concludes with “John Heliker: The Music of Painting,” a retrospective focusing the late artist’s “small paintings of figures, landscapes, and still lifes, as well as material from his copious daily sketchbooks and manuscript material from his relationships with prominent American composers.” Organized by Deborah Rosenthal, a professor of fine arts, the exhibition runs Thursday, March 13, through Sunday, April 20.
The College of New Jersey likewise continues its increasingly visible general exhibitions on Wednesday, October 2, with the opening of the David Sarnoff Collection “Innovations that Changed the World.” While not art in the tradition way, the collection — named in honor of the chairman of RCA, the founder of NBC radio, and the pioneer in radio and TV — comprises more than 6,000 artifacts that document major developments in communication and electronics in the 20th century. The Sarnoff Collection Museum is located in Roscoe West Hall. There will be an exhibition opening reception, and this event is free and open to the public. Visit www.tcnj.edu/sarnoff.
“Vido Cubana” — with more than 25 videos exploring the world through the lens of Cuban culture — follows on Wednesday, October 23, and continues to Sunday, December 15. Then look for “Art Amongst War: Visual Culture in Afghanistan, 1979-2014” to follow starting on Wednesday, March 5, and closing on Saturday, April 5.
Exhibitions are free and open to the public with gallery hours set for Tuesdays through Thursdays, noon to 7 p.m. and Sundays 1 to 3 p.m.
Mercer County Community College’s gallery features the following schedule of significant area shows. “Mercer County Photography Exhibit,” 175th Anniversary of the County, leads the way and runs Tuesday, November 19, through Wednesday, December 18, with a reception Wednesday, November 20, 5 to 7 p.m.
Up and coming in the New Year is “Left of Central” (part of collaborative exhibition series with the New Jersey State Museum, Princeton Art Museum, Arts Council of Princeton, Woodrow Wilson School’s Bernstein Gallery, opens on Tuesday, January 21, and continues to Thursday, February 20. A reception is set for Wednesday, January 29. It is followed by “Mercer County Artists 2014,” on view from Tuesday, March 11, through Thursday, April 3, with a reception Wednesday, March 19.
The MCCC Gallery is located on the second floor of the Communication Building on Mercer’s West Windsor campus, at 1200 Old Trenton Road. Gallery hours are: Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All events are free and open to the public. 609-586-4800 ext. 3589 or gallery@mccc.edu.
Private Schools
Chapin Gallery’s Kate Grave’s exhibition of watercolors and sculpture opened last week. Thursday, September 12, 5 to 7 p.m., marks the reception for the artist known for her sturgeon sculptures (that she sets in the wild), her work with the AbOminOg iron pouring collective, and her fine art quilts. In “Trenton: A Post Industrial Survey,” she captures the disappearing spaces and places as a heartfelt record of a place that the California native embraced years ago when she came to work at the Johnson Atelier. Her show continues through Saturday, September 28.
The schedule — which is strong on presenting regional as well as guest artists — continues with a photography exhibition by veteran the Times of Trenton photographer and fine photo artist Mike Mancuso, Tuesday, October 1, through Thursday, October 31. His opening reception is set for Wednesday, October, 5 to 7 p.m.
Trenton-based artists Tom Clark and Andrew Wilkinson are paired next for an exhibition running Friday, November 1, through Friday, November 29, with a reception Wednesday, November 6, 5 to 7 p.m. Sculptor John Spedding and painter Kathleen Wallace open their exhibition Monday, January 6, continuing through Wednesday, January 29.
Noted area painter Charles McVicker follows on Monday, February 3, to Friday, February 28. Reception: Wednesday, February 5, 5 to 7 p.m.
Painters Jody Erdman, Jamie Greenfield, Dolores Evangelista Easton, Phyllis Write, and Chapin Gallery curator Dallas Piotrowski, Tuesday, April 1, through, Friday, April 25; reception, Wednesday, April 2, 5 to 7 p.m.
Chapin School, 4101 Princeton Pike, Princeton. Exhibitions can be viewed during school hours by appointment by calling 609-924-7206. www.chapinschool.org/The-Gallery-at-Chapin.
At the Mariboe Gallery at the Peddie School in Hightstown, it’s a homecoming of artists. That’s because all 2013-2014 exhibitions mark the school’s 150th anniversary and feature Peddie alumni artists.
Libby Rothfeld (’08) — who infuses corporate identities and media imagery with unexpected results — and the late Doug Pedersen (’48) — who sought to create works to spark spiritual regeneration — opens the season, Wednesday, September 11. The show runs to Friday, October 11.
Opening on Friday, October 18, and continuing to Friday, November 8, are Hungarian-born artists Balazs Szabo (’62), known for his “fantastic realists” style, and Kerry Adams (’00), whose “multimedia sculptures and installations are rooted in the domestic because this personal space is closely associated with leisure time and with the identity of an individual.”
Beginning Friday, December 6, Laura Britton (’07) will show her works that combine installation and fiber arts, and are investigations of ritual and compulsion. She will be joined by Timur Babakol (’06) and work that “explores applications of optical phenomena such as diffraction and interference.” The show closes Saturday, December 16.
Zara Stasi (’08), Lynnette Hesser (’76), and David Blair (’73) open their show on Friday, January 10, running through Friday, February 7. Documentary and fine art photographer Paige Stoyer (’89), creator of wearable objects and her sculptural pieces Kelly McCallum (’97), and oil painter Kelly McCallum (’97) conclude the year with their exhibition running from Friday, March 28, to Friday, April 18.
Mariboe Gallery, Swig Arts Center, Peddie campus, 201 South Main Street, Hightstown. Contact the gallery’s curator/director, Eric. edrotch@peddie.org or call the school at 609-944-7500. www.peddie.org/mariboegallery.
Princeton Day School’s Anne Reid ’72 Art Gallery offers several guest artists exhibitions that started this week. “Tom Sheeran — New Paintings,” featuring works by the oil painter and muralist, continues to, Thursday, October 3. There will be an artist’s reception on Thursday, September 12 from 5 to 7 p.m., which is open to the public.
Other PDS exhibitions include Princeton University lecturer and ceramicist Adam Welch’s brick influenced “Deconstructing the Local,” Monday, November 25, through Monday, December 30; “Golden Nuggets,” juried work from 2013 Origami USA Collection and folded cardboard furniture created by Connecticut artist Zach Rotholz, Monday, January 13, to Thursday, January 30; artists Samantha Ritter, Liv Aanrud, and Samantha Pirello in a group exhibition that involves creating site-specific constructions, Monday, February 10, through Thursday, March 6; and Caldecott Medal winning illustrator Paul Zelinsky’s exhibition “In Search of (Im)Possibilities,” March 31 through April 25.
Princeton Day School, 650 Great Road, Princeton. Exhibitions and related events are free and open to the public. Contact Jody Erdman, gallery director, 609-924-6700 x1772.
While not listed here, there are a variety of galleries — independently owned, cooperative, and cafes — supporting artists in most of the communities that art seekers can easily visit and support. In any case, there’s plenty to see and plenty to think about.
Alfa Art Gallery
108 Church Street, New Brunswick, 732-296-6720, www.alfaart.org.
Namaste: An Exploration in Indian Culture. Opening reception. On view to September 28. Friday, September 6.
Earth Monsters. Opening reception for exhibit of ceramics and sculpture by five women. Thursday, October 3.
Arts Council of Princeton
102 Witherspoon Street, 609-924-8777, www.artscouncilofprinceton.org.
Thread Bare: Fabrics That Preserve and Protect. Curated by Maria Evans and featuring works by five artists who utilize textiles to preserve and protect cultural perspective and engage the viewer in social and political dialogue. Opening reception. Through November 23. Thursday, October 10.
Artworks
19 Everett Alley space, Trenton, 609-394-9436, www.artworkstrenton.org.
Biomimesis. Opening reception for an exhibit of sculptures on paper created by Michelle Rothwell. A professor of animation and game graphics at the New York City College of Technology, the works were created using the same 3D digital tools that produce video games and animated films. On view to October 10. An educational program focusing on the creative and technical process used to produce her work will be held on Saturday, September 14. Friday, September 13.
Art All Day. Showcases creativity in Trenton throughout day, followed by gallery and reception. Saturday, November 9.
Bell’s Tavern
183 North Union Street, Lambertville, 609-397-2226, www.lambertvillearts.com.
Art Exhibit. Exhibit of local landscapes by Joe Kazimierczyk. On view to October 30. Friday, September 6.
Blawenburg Market
393 Route 518, Blawenburg.
Flowers for Wanda. Opening reception for an exhibit featuring paintings of flowers created in the past two months by Alan Taback. His friend, Wanda Saums, requested flowers from him a few months ago. She died before Taback showed her the paintings. On view through October 25. Friday, September 20.
College of New Jersey
Art Gallery, Ewing, 609-771-2065, www.tcnj.edu.
Innovations That Changed the World. Opening reception for exhibit exploring the state’s pioneering contributions to the electronics industry. Faculty roundtable discussion Tuesday, September 3, at 5 p.m. “Mercer Makes: Innovation and Technology in the Capital County” symposium on Thursday, October 4, at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, October 2.
D&R Greenway Land Trust
Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, Princeton, 609-924-4646, www.drgreenway.org.
Champions: Best of the Best. Reception for a decoy exhibition featuring works by Pat Godin. With formal background in wildlife biology and ornithology, Godin’s carvings often include habitat to radiate the life of a real bird. Friday, November 8.
Gallery 14
14 Mercer Street, Hopewell, 609-333-8511, www.photogallery14.com.
Vintage France, Searching for Tranquility, Peru and Ecuador. . Opening reception for photos by Martin Schwartz, Ken Kaplowitz, and Ed Greenblat. On view to November 10. Friday, October 11.
Pictures from Hunan. Opening reception for photos by Charlie Gross and works by Jesse Hurler. On view to December 15. Friday, November 15.
Gallery at Mercer County College
Communications Center, West Windsor, 609-586-4800, ext. 3589, www.mccc.edu.
2013 Faculty Art Exhibit. Opening reception for exhibit featuring works by faculty who teach visual arts, digital media arts, advertising design, and fashion. Mediums include photography, painting, fashion, textile, and several interactive pieces. Meet Dylan Wolfe, the new director of the gallery. On view to October 3. Thursday, September 12.
Gourgaud Gallery
23 North Main Street, Cranbury, 609-395-0900.
Rappaport Exhibit. Sunday, October 6.
Suburban Artist Guild Exhibit. Sunday, November 3.
Art in the Park. Opening reception. On view to December 30. Sunday, December 1.
Hopewell Township Library
245 Pennington-Titusville Road, Pennington, www.mcl.org/branches/hopbr.html.
Artists’ Choice Show. Opening reception for annual exhibit featuring the works of area residents who meet weekly at the Hopewell Valley Senior Center. One day sale benefits the library. Refreshments. Thursday, September 19.
Hunterdon Art Museum
7 Lower Center Street, Clinton, 908-735-8415, www.hunterdonartmuseum.org.
Exhibits. Opening reception for “Santiago Cohen: Ex-Vida Project,” “John Anderson: Large Works,” “2013 Members Exhibition,” and “Ahni Kruger: Tempered Chaos.” Wine and cheese. Most on view to January 5. Sunday, September 29.
Lawrenceville School
Gruss Center of Visual Arts, Lawrenceville, 609-620-6026, www.lawrenceville.org.
Art Exhibit. Opening reception of “Return, Afghanistan,” an exhibit of the photography of Zalmai. Born in Kabul, he left in 1980 and became a citizen of Switzerland. Focusing on photography, his works have been seen in New York Times Magazine, Time Magazine, Newsweek, and other. On view to October 21. Thursday, September 12.
Main Street Highland Park
Raritan Avenue, Highland Park, 732-838-8444, www.shophighlandpark.com.
Arts in the Park. Annual outdoor juried art show and street fair, music, and food. Sunday, September 29.
Men Mentoring Men
Printmaking Center, 440 River Road, Branchburg, 908-707-8118, www.menmentoringmen.org.
No Man is an Island: The Experience of Men and Masculinity Revealed Through Art. An exhibit featuring works by 22 artists. Panel discussion, “Men and Women: The Reflection in the Mirror is Me,” moderated by Ed Adams, will be held in conjunction with the exhibit. Thursday, September 12.
Mercer Museum
Pine and Ashland streets, Doylestown, 215-345-0210, www.mercermuseum.org.
Civil War Exhibit. First day for “Mystery of the Mayan Medallion,” an interactive exploration. Storytelling, mural painting, and craft activities. On view to January 12. $12. Saturday, September 21.
Michener Art Museum
138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, 215-340-9800, www.michenerartmuseum.org.
Harry Bertoia: Structure and Sound. Art talk by Mary Thorp on Tuesday, September 17. Celia Bertoia, daughter of the artist, speaks Friday, October 4. On view to October 13. $15. Tuesday, September 17.
Local Mill Makes Good: Celebrating 75 Years of American Theater at the Bucks County Playhouse. The exhibit tells the story of the New Hope landmark in a collection of rare photographs, footage, artwork, and memorabilia. Walk the red carpet, sit in actual playhouse seats, see footage from 1949, and more. On view to March 2. $8 for museum only. Saturday, October 26.
From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly, an American Icon Exhibit focusing on Grace Kelly’s life. Prince Albert of Monaco will attend the opening of the first American venue for the interactive exhibition. The exhibition includes letters, photographs, awards, jewelry, couture fashion, film clips, playbills, souvenirs, and personal artifacts. On view to January 26. $15. Thursday, October 31.
Monmouth Museum
765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, 732-747-2266, www.monmouthmuseum.org.
Covered in Gold. Society of Gilders’ exhibit featuring fine art and decorative objects with gold and metal leaf. Lectures by Ina and Allen Marx of West Windsor on Sunday, September 29; Suzanne Smeaton on Sunday, October 13; and Jason Crafts on Sunday, October 27. A gilding workshop will be presented on Sunday, November 10. Exhibit on view to November 10. Sunday, September 15.
Monroe Township
Monroe Library, 4 Municipal Way, Monroe, 877-77Click, www.monroetownshipculturalarts.com.
Juried Art Show. Opening reception. Register. On view to October 28. Sunday, October 20.
Morpeth Contemporary
43 West Broad Street, Hopewell, 609-333-9393, www.morpethcontemporary.com.
Art Exhibit. Opening reception for shared exhibit featuring the paintings of Deborah Barlow and sculpture of Donna Mccullough. On view to October 12. Saturday, September 21.
Morven Museum
Present Day Club, 72 Stockton Street, Princeton, 609-924-8144, www.morven.org.
Coastal Impressions Painters of the Jersey Shore, 1880-1940, on view through September 29. Conversations with Roy Pedersen on “Ida and Clara Stroud: Women Painters of the Jersey Shore” Lunch and lecture. Register. $45. Thursday, September 26.
Plainsboro Library
9 Van Doren Street, 609-275-2897, www.lmxac.org/plainsboro.
Lost and Found. Reception for exhibit by three artists giving life to trash and reused objects. Bob Justin, a former Plainsboro artist, has gathered scraps of society and transformed them into art since childhood. Art Lee of Dayton began creating sculptures of ecological art using things we usually throw away in 1988. Russ Rice of Cranbury has joined his musical talents with his mechanical skills and has created musical working instruments out of discarded junk. On view to September 25. Sunday, September 15.
Festival of the Arts. Artists demonstrate various art forms and visitors are invited to create art. Have your name written in Chinese calligraphy on a bookmark, paint a big box, learn Chinese knotting, how to mold a piece of porcelain, embroidery, or pet portraiture. Musicians present lessons in harmonica basics, handmade drum from Senegal, and singing in four part harmony with a barbershop quartet. Watch dance performances and musical performances. Free. Rain or shine. Saturday, September 21.
Princeton Jewish Center
435 Nassau Street, 609-921-0100, www.thejewishcenter.org.
Eleni Zatz Litt. Opening reception for exhibit by a West Windsor resident. Her works include colorful art about Jewish ideas, the creation of the world, and biblical stories. On view to October 30. Sunday, October 6.
Princeton University
185 Nassau Street, Princeton, 609-258-1500, www.princeton.edu/arts.
Lewis Center for the Arts. Opening reception for “Myself, I Think We Should Keep Collecting Titles,” an exhibition of sculptures, photo collages, and site-specific installations by David Dobkin, dean of the faculty at Princeton University. On view to October 4. Thursday, September 19.
Bernstein Gallery, 609-258-0157.
Woodrow Wilson School. First day for “Nonhuman Animals: Eat, Test, Love,” an exhibit of large scale paintings by Hetty Baiz, a Princeton based artist. The work was inspired by Peter Singer’s book, “Animal Liberation.” On view to October 18. Monday, September 16.
Princeton University Art Museum
Princeton campus, 609-258-3788, artmuseum.princeton.edu.
New Jersey as Non-Site. First day for exhibit reconstructing the symbiotic relationship between New Jersey and the postwar avant-garde. More than 100 works of art including photography, collage, mixed media, found objects, film, audio, books, magazines, posters, and more created between 1952 and 1976. On view to January 4. Saturday, October 5.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Untitled. First day for a piece created in 1991 at the height of the AIDS crisis. The black and white photograph of a rumpled, empty double bed with visible indentations on the pillows, is suggestive of two now absent bodies. Gonzalez-Torres lost his partner to AIDS in 1991 and died of AIDS related complications in 1996. On view to December 16. The billboard-sized work will be installed on the outdoor plaza in front of the museum as well as 11 locations throughout central New Jersey. Monday, October 21.
Raritan Valley Community College
118 Lamington Road, Branchburg, 908-725-3420, www.rvccarts.org.
Of Rice and Spice: The Asian American Experience. Panel discussion in conjunction with exhibit with a focus on the Asian American experience as seen through the photographs of Corky Lee and historical documents from the 18th century to the present. Free. On view to October 4. Tuesday, September 24.
Red Filter Gallery
74 Bridge Street, Lambertville, 347-244-9758, www.redfiltergallery.com.
The Hudson River: An Inspiration Exhibit of works of Joseph Squillante, who has been photographing he Hudson River for 35 years. On view to November 3. Thursday, September 12.
River Queen Artisans Gallery
8 Church Street, Lambertville, 609-397-2977, www.riverqueenartisans.com.
Harvest Moon. Opening reception. Live music by Ren’s SwingSet. Refreshments available. Free. Saturday, September 14.
State Theater
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, 732-246-7469, www.StateTheatreNJ.org.
Cinema: Leonardo Live. Screening of HD tour of London’s National Gallery. $12. Tuesday, October 29.
Straube Center
Route 31 and West Franklin Avenue, Buildings 100 and I-108, Pennington, 609-737-3322, www.straubecenter.com.
Mercer Arctists Collective. Opening reception for exhibit of works by artists with disabilities ranging from cognitive to physical. Works are for sale. On view to November 20. Friday, October 18.
The Quiet Life Gallery
17 South Main Street, Lambertville, 609-397-0880, www.quietlifegallery.com.
Discovered, Uncovered. Opening reception for exhibit of works by Daniel Watts, who will be there to discuss his works. On view to October 27. Friday, September 13.
Brian Keeler. First day for exhibit. On view to December 15. Friday, November 1.
West Windsor Arts Council
952 Alexander Road, West Windsor, 609-716-1931, www.westwindsorarts.org.
Under Pressure. Opening reception for exhibit of printmaking. Sunday, September 15.
Off the Wall Affordable Art Exhibit and Holiday Sale. Artisans sell their innovative handcrafted pieces of jewelry, ceramics, fiber art, and more. Through January 4. Monday, November 18.
West Windsor Senior Center
271 Clarksville Road, West Windsor, 609-799-9068.
Art Talk. “Art in Realism” presented by Mel Leipzig, recently retired as a professor of art at Mercer Community College. He studied at Cooper Union, Yale University, Pratt Institute, and Museum of Modern Art. His works are on view at the White House Collection, the Yale Art Gallery, and the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. Register. $15. Monday, September 30.
Zimmerli Art Museum
George and Hamilton streets, New Brunswick, 732-932-7237, www.zimmerlimuseum.rutgers.edu.
Stars: Contemporary Prints by Derriere L’Etoile Studio First day. On view to March 2. Saturday, October 5.
Other Art Venues
Grounds for Sculpture. 18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton. 609-586-0616, www.groundsforsculpture.org.
Morven Museum and Garden. 55 Stockton Street, Princeton. 609-924-8144, www.morven.org.
Princeton Public Library. 65 Witherspoon Street, 609-924-8822, www.princetonlibrary.org.
