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This article was prepared for the March 2, 2005 issue of U.S. 1
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The Art of Overcoming Obstacles
Princeton native Beth Livingston, 39, was on top of the world when she
graduated with an art education degree in 1989 from Bank Street
College in New York after earning a BFA from Parsons. She and her new
husband moved near Bozeman, Montana, to start married life surrounded
by majestic mountains and natural splendor.
Three months later, at age 24, Livingston was driving into town with
her shepherd dog, Grover, when she veered off the road toward a deep
irrigation ditch. The car flipped over and she was trapped. Grover
escaped and blocked the center of the road, barking and howling until
someone stopped and followed him to the overturned vehicle.
The verdict? Livingston was paralyzed from the waist down. But that
hasn’t stopped Livingston from pursuing her artistic dreams. (She is
also a mother and an award-winning Paralympic cross-country skier, who
was profiled on the Oxygen television network.) Her sculpture,
“Firefly,” is among the more than 275 works by 79 artists with
disabilities in the third annual ArtFirst! exhibit at the University
Medical Center at Princeton. The exhibit, mounted throughout the
hospital’s main floor corridors, opens with a patrons’ reception, open
to the public, on Sunday, March 6, where many of the mid-Atlantic
artists will be in attendance.
“Firefly” started with a walk in the woods. On a trek along the
Yellowstone River last year, Livingston and a friend discovered a
remarkable piece of wood. “A beaver had gnawed it in three pieces,”
she says, “but it was all connected. This wood was destined for
sculpture. I never know what will evolve when I begin, so I just
started painting and working. Suddenly a wonderful bug appeared before
me. I named in Firefly.” The piece won second prize in the ArtFirst!
sculpture category. Another Livingston piece, “Fairest of Them All,” a
bejeweled mirror, captured first prize in crafts.
ArtFirst! includes watercolors, oils, acrylics, mixed media,
sculpture, photography, jewelry, mosaic, scrimshaw, handcrafted
baskets, and other fiber art. All works are for sale, and range in
price from $100 to $4,000, with the artists receiving 80 percent. The
remaining 20 percent, as well as proceeds from the patron’s preview
party, will benefit the University Medical Center at Princeton Breast
Health Center.
Other artists represented in the show include oil painter Karen
Baszewski, a resident of Robbinsville who suffers from a debilitating
muscle disease and loss of vision; Edward Farese of Whiting, an
accomplished painter who had to learn to paint with his left hand
after suffering a stroke; watercolorist Anthony J. Zaremba, also a
resident of Whiting, who rediscovered art after multiple sclerosis
forced him to retire from a career as a dental technician; and Raymond
Hu, a California artist who has been featured on public television and
who began studying Chinese brush painting on rice paper at age 14,
despite Down syndrome and problems with fine motor skills.
Livingston’s parents, Albert C. Barclay, an independent attorney with
offices in Kingston, and Marge Barclay, who has a license with Peyton
Associates and buys and renovates homes, then resells them, still
reside in Princeton. Their daughter sums up how her art has enhanced
her life because of, or perhaps in spite of, her disability, by
quoting Helen Keller: “The richness of the human experience would lose
something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome.”
Livingston, who recently opened her own art studio in downtown
Bozeman, is currently planning an adaptive outdoor program in Sun
Valley, where she will teach eight Iraqi war veterans with
disabilities how to downhill and cross-country ski.
ArtFirst!, a juried exhibition and sale of original art and fine
crafts by professional artists with physical and mental disabilities,
open free to the public, Monday, March 7, through Friday, April 15.
Patrons preview party, Sunday, March 6, 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets, for $50,
$100, $150, and $250, are available at the door, and proceeds benefit
the University Medical Center at Princeton Breast Health Center. A
fashion boutique, featuring “art to wear” by knitwear designer Sandy
D’Andrade, will take place during the party. 609-497-4211.
Dynasty Arts, 20 Nassau Street, Unit F, 609-688-9388. The recently
opened Chinese antique and art gallery features a silk-screen series,
“Last Dynasty,” oil and watercolor, and limited edition prints. Artist
and owner, Lu Zuogeng, combines Chinese brushwork with Western
watercolor. Also, Chinese antique furniture of Ming and Qing
dynasties. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to
6:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
Historical Society of Princeton, Bainbridge House, 158 Nassau Street,
609-921-6748. “Princeton Recollects” exhibition was organized to
celebrate the accomplishments of the Princeton History Project. In the
1970s and 80s, the project was dedicated to collecting and preserving
memories, and publishing “The Princeton Recollector,” a monthly
magazine. The exhibition includes original letters, documents, and
artifacts. Free. Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
University Medical Center at Princeton, 253 Witherspoon Street,
609-497-4192. Exhibit of works by cartoonist Bob Heim. On view to
March 2. Gallery is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Coryell Gallery, 8 Coryell Street, Lambertville, 609-397-0804.
Lambertville Historical Society’s 25th annual juried art exhibition,
“Lambertville and the Surrounding Area,” and selected by juror Frank
Rivera. Among the nine artists awarded cash prizes are Ed Adams, James
A. Hamilton III, Judith Sutton, Beatrice Bork, Joanne Augustine,
Barbara Watts, Vincent Ceglia, and Michael Budden. To March 20.
Gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
Gallery 125, 125 South Warren Street, Trenton, 609-393-8998. “Cabin
Fever.” On view through April 1. The gallery’s hours are Tuesday
through Friday, noon to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Gallery 14, 14 Mercer Street, Hopewell, 609-333-8511. Shared exhibits,
“Us,” by Harold Schrader, and “Faces and Folk Art of Ghana,” David
Miller. Exhibits on view through March 13.
Gold Medal Impressions, 43 Princeton Hightstown Road, West Windsor,
609-606-9001. Gallery of photographer Richard Druckman, a freelance
photographer for Associated Press. Over 250 photographs of
professional football, basketball, hockey, tennis, and Olympic events.
Photographs for sale are matted and framed and in a variety of sizes
and prices. Gallery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Grounds For Sculpture, 18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, 609-586-0616. An
outdoor sculpture exhibition featuring the ISC Outstanding Student
Achievement Awards Exhibition. “Twisted Logic” by Patrick Dougherty,”
Earthwords and Geoglyphs” by Australian artist Andrew Rogers. Show
continues to May 1. “Focus on Sculpture 2005,” a juried exhibition of
photographs by amateur photographers and the figurative sculptures of
contemporary Norwegian artist Nicolaus Widerberg, in the Domestic Arts
Building to May 1. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., November
to March; open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., April to October.
La Principessa Ristorante, Route 27, Kingston Mall, 609-921-3043. “La
Dolce Vita, ” a collection of original photographs by Ed Tseng. The
exhibition remains on permanent display. Restaurant hours are Tuesday
to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m.; and Sunday,
4:30 to 9 p.m.
Montgomery Center for the Arts, 124 Montgomery Road, Skillman,
609-921-3272. “Express Yourself: The Culture of Our Generation,” an
exhibition of work by area high school students. Through March 25.
Riverrun Gallery, 287 South Main Street, Lambertville, 609-397-3349.
Second Annual Works on Paper Show. Through March 3. Gallery open
daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.
Taste of the Town, 5 Railroad Place, Hopewell Borough, 609-466-3666.
“Reflections of Italy,” an exhibit of photographs by Michele Bartran
Mosner. Through April 14.
Windrows Forrestal Village, Plainsboro, 732-422-0700. Robert DeChico
and his photographic impression show, “Celebration of the River
Towns.” Buildings, canals, towpaths, and the river are featured. On
view through March 2.
Princeton University Art Museum, 609-258-3788. Medieval, Renaissance,
and baroque galleries are open. The museum’s galleries are open
Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Tours
are given on Saturdays at 2 p.m.
College of New Jersey Sesquicentennial, Art Gallery, Holman Hall,
Ewing, 609-771-2198. Circa 1855: International Art Exhibit featuring
French, American, British, and Japanese works from 1835 to 1875. Works
include Ames, Cotot, Daumier, Homer, Pissaro, and Whistler. Closed
from March 6 to 13 (spring break). Through March 30. Gallery hours are
Monday through Friday, noon to 3 p.m.; Thursday 7 to 9 p.m.; and
Sunday, 1 to 3 p.m.
Chapin School, 4101 Princeton Pike, 609-924-7206. “The Past Through
Tomorrow,” an exploration of medieval armors and various metal
techniques by metallurgical artists, Jeff Brunner and Dave Rylak.
Through March 11. Gallery is open by appointment during school hours.
Gallery at Mercer County College, Communications Center, 609-586-4800,
ext. 3589. “Mercer County Artists 2005,” an annual juried exhibition
open to all artists living, working, or studying in Mercer County.
Donna Gustafson, director of exhibitions at the Hunterdon Museum of
Art, is curator of show. Opening reception is Wednesday, March 9, 5 to
7:30 p.m. On view through April 1. Gallery hours Mondays, 11 a.m. to 1
p.m.; Wednesdays, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and
Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Pennington School, 112 West Delaware Avenue, Pennington,
609-737-6128. Exhibition marking the 25th anniversary of the fire that
destroyed the school’s O’Hanlon Hall. Artifacts,news clippings, and
photographs assembled by archivist Mary Alice Quigley. The building,
built in 1900, was the largest building in Pennington Borough when it
burned to the ground in a fire on January 16, 1980. Through April 15.
Exhibit hours are Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Friday, 9
a.m. to 4 p.m. in accordance with the school calendar.
Silva Gallery of Art, Pennington School, 112 West Delaware Avenue,
Pennington, 609-737-8069. “Nature and Nurture” Feminine Explorations
of Form,” an exhibit of paintings by Caroline K. Hall and Kerri M.
Williams. Through March 10. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday, noon
to 5 p.m. Special hours for this exhibit, Wednesday to Saturday, March
2 to 5, 4 to 7 p.m.
Princeton Theological Seminary, Erdman Hall Gallery, 20 Library Place,
609-497-7990. “Quatrains and Other Works on Paper” by Princeton artist
Sarah Strengle. Her drawings are assembled into structures. On view
through April 3. Open Monday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.;
Sunday 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Also see art listings at www.princetoninfo.com in the events database.
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