Call for Photographers
Photographers who live, work, or study in Mercer County, New Jersey, are invited to enter up to two photographs for consideration in the juried Mercer County Photography 2024 exhibition. The juror for 2024 is Gary D. Saretzky. Entry day is in person Saturday, October 5, from 9:30 am to noon at Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, located in Trenton’s Cadwalader Park. The exhibition prospectus, which includes entry forms, is available to download from www.ellarslie.org/mercer-county-photography-2024. Entry fee is $10 per item, payable by cash or check.
Mercer County Photography 2024 opens with a reception and awards ceremony Saturday, October 12, from 2 to 5 p.m. and awards ceremony at 3:45 p.m. On view through November 24, the exhibition is a collaboration with the Mercer County Division of Culture and Heritage, through a grant from the NJ State Council on the Arts.
Juror Gary D. Saretzky, archivist, educator, and photographer, taught photography and the history of photography at Mercer County Community College from 1977 to 2012. He also served as Monmouth County Archivist (1994-2019) and coordinator of the Public History Internship Program, Rutgers University History Department (1994-2016). His past photography exhibits include “Dreams of Italy” at Ellarslie in 1998 and a retrospective at the Rider University Art Gallery in 2007. Substantial collections of his photographs of blues musicians are at the Blues Archives at the University of Mississippi and the Trenton Free Public Library. Saretzky has self-published two books of his photographs of blues musicians and as a photographer is a member of the Blues Hall of Fame. He co-curated the Margaret Bourke-White: In Print exhibit at Rutgers in 2006 and the 2024 Grant Castner photo exhibit at the New Jersey State Museum. Saretzky lectures regularly on the history of photography, has published more than 100 journal articles and reviews, and continues to photograph.
Call for Volunteers
Womanspace, Inc. is seeking community members to train as volunteers for the Response Teams of Mercer County. These teams consist of highly trained and dedicated volunteers who meet with victim-survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence during their moments of crisis. The commitment and expertise of these advocates are essential in providing victim-survivors with the support and resources they need.
Volunteer Response Team advocates provide compassionate support and tangible resources to victim-survivors at difficult times. In cases of domestic violence, advocates meet victims at the police department, while in cases of sexual assault, advocates meet victims at the hospital. Advocates serve as unconditional champions of victim-survivors and offer information on resources for future self-advocacy.
In 2023, Womanspace received 6,777 calls to hotlines, and 364 victims received crisis assistance from a trained advocate. These numbers underscore the critical need for dedicated volunteers who can offer support in times of crisis. Nationally, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience intimate partner physical violence, according to the CDC.
Domestic and sexual violence remain significant issues in Mercer County, as they are nationwide. Statistics show that sexual assault affects 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men during their lifetimes.
Applications are now being accepted, with the deadline to apply on Friday, August 30. Training begins Tuesday, September 24.
For more information, email responseteamstraining@womanspace.org or call Varonda Kendrick at 609-394-0136 ext 210. Visit www.womanspace.org to apply.
