Ellarslie and Trent House in Peril

Hello,

It seems a regular thing that our cultural resources are in jeopardy.  This time the Trenton City administration is planning to eliminate the professional staff at its two major institutions (Ellarslie and the Trent House) and replace those individuals with "interns."  

As may know, TAWA has a had a positive relationship with the Trenton City Museum since the early years of both organizations.  Many artists have benefited from participating in the museum's programs.   Those opportunities may not exist in the near future.  Therefore, it would be positive for people living, working, or participating in the arts of Trenton to let the city administration know it's time for them to work out a plan that engages arts and history professionals, partners with organizations that are involved with these institutions, and work out a plan for the future.

The following is a letter from the president of the Trenton Museum Society.  It speaks for itself and provides anyone with a way of speaking up.  Do what you can.

Thanks,

Dan Aubrey

Here's the information:

Dear Ellarslie Patron,

As you may have read in the news, the City of Trenton is laying off the director
of the Trenton City Museum effective Sept 16. Although the Trenton Museum Society
operates separately from the City, our contract with the City provides for this
position, which is key to the functioning of the museum.

We know that as a supporter of the museum you appreciate the exhibits of contemporary
fine art and Trenton history, the education programs for children and adults, and
the wide array of music events the Trenton City Museum offers. These programs have
made Cadwalader Park and the surrounding area a safe, pleasant environment and have
contributed to local growth as our patrons branch out from the museum to other local
venues.

Without a qualified director, the Trenton Museum Society will be forced to cancel
most of our programming. Especially disappointing would be the loss of the Four
Vases exhibit, which would have brought the museum greater regional and even national
attention.

Before we take these drastic steps, we hope to convince the City to rescind the
layoff of the current director, at least until another valid plan is in place.

Would you help us in this effort by contacting your local representative, representatives
of the City of Trenton, and/or the media?

Below is a simple template that can assist you in this effort, as well as some email
addresses, postal addresses and phone numbers.

We sincerely thank you for your past support, and we hope you will support the museum
with your calls, letters and emails - and also by your renewed or new membership
in the Trenton Museum Society.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Cunningham

President, Trenton Museum Society

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Sample letter/ email/ phone message

To whom it may concern:

I am contacting you to express my concern about the situation at the Trenton City
Museum. I'm a supporter of the museum, and I would be very upset to lose the programming
it offers in the arts, history, music, and education.

In these difficult economic times, it's important that we, and our children, have
places to go that offer low- and no-cost entertainment and educational opportunities.
By laying off the director of the museum you will be endangering many of these opportunities.

I am writing to request that you rescind the layoff of the current director until
the City of Trenton and the Trenton Museum Society have agreed on a plan that will
allow the museum to continue to operate as a legitimate cultural institution.

Sincerely,

____________________________________________________________________________

Contacts

City Administration

Tony F. Mack, Mayor

City Hall

319 E. State Street

Trenton, NJ 08608

Tel: 609-989-3030

Fax: 609-989-3939

mayorsoffice@trentonnj.org

Lauren J. Ira, Director of Policy and Communications

City Hall

319 E. State Street

Trenton, NJ 08608

Tel: 609-989-3052

Fax: 609-989-3939

lira@trentonnj.org

Eric Berry, City of Trenton Business Administrator

Eberry@trentonnj.org

John Seigle, Assistant to Eric Berry

609-989-3807

City Council

Tel: 609-989-3146

Fax: 609-989-3190

George Muschal

South Ward Councilman

gmuschal@trentonnj.org

Phyllis Holly-Ward

Councilwoman at Large

phollyward@trentonnj.org

Kathy McBride

Councilwoman at Large

kmcbride@trentonnj.org

Alex Bethea

Councilman At Large

abethea@trentonnj.org

Verlina Reynolds-Jackson

East Ward Councilwoman

vreynolds-jackson@trentonnj.org

Marge Caldwell-Wilson

North Ward Councilwoman

mcaldwell-wilson@trentonnj.org

Zachary Chester

West Ward Councilman

Tel: 609-989-3146

Fax: 609-989-3190

zchester@trentonnj.org

Press

Editor

The Times

P.O. Box 847

Trenton, NJ 08605

Fax: 609-394-2819

letters@njtimes.com

Editor

The Trentonian

600 Perry Street

Trenton, NJ 08618

609-989-7800

letters@trentonian.com 

Trenton 10x10

Artworks invites artists to submit original artwork to our first 10 X 10 Benefit Art Exhibit & Sale. Artworks to be submitted by October 31, 2011

Each artist will be given a 10”x10” Dick Blick stretched canvas (traditional profile). which you will bring to life with your choice of colors, textures, flavors, and mediums. Canvases are available at Artworks or Framesmith Gallery (addresses) until August 30, 2011.
Each finished piece will be for sale for $100. That’s one dollar/square inch!!! All work will sell for $100. The artist will receive $50 and $50 will benefit Artworks, or artists can choose to donate the full proceeds to artworks. Funds will be used for the Artworks’ 2012 year of eight exhibitions. Highlights of 2012 include a show in collaboration with the New Jersey Paper Guild, nationally acclaimed music poster art and a show featuring the professors and students of area colleges.
Artworks is a nonprofit organization that promotes artistic diversity by fostering creativity, learning, and appreciation of the arts, making art an accessible experience for all.

Contact: info@artworkstrenton.com

The Hamilton Township Library has a unique opportunity for artist

The Hamilton Township Public Library is looking for artwork to be displayed on a short or long term loan basis. Inside, two dimensional artwork, small sculptures, paintings and photos will be considered. The Library is also interested in displaying outside sculpture. This is a high-traffic area where many people will see the work. Spaces are limited and pieces for display will be selected by the Library.  Please contact Susan Sternberg Assistant Director at 609-581-4060, est. 4003 for details.

Artist's Reception Saturday 2 pm July 9th at Trenton Downtown Association's Gallery on 219 Hanover St.

'Relationships-2' By Julian Kernes

'Billboard IV' By Dora Golfetto

Dora Golfetto’s Bio: The artist incorporates a variety of textures and media in her work. Her goal is to create a piece of art that draws and intrigues the viewer’s eye in different ways upon repeated viewings. She prefers for each individual to have his or her own interpretation, and search for their own meaning and message. Dora G. Golfetto, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, moved to New York City in the 1970’s, going on to study collage in the famous SoHo district of New York. she then moved closer to her roots, the Trenton area in 1992, where she has participated in a number of art shows, while perfecting her technique. Dora has worked closely with various artists and has the opportunity to study under the renowned painter/artist from Barcelona, Spain, Porta-Misse. She held her first major showing in 1997 at the famous Tres Puentas Gallery in Barcelona. She has also participated in several Trenton Artists Workshop Association (TAWA) exhibits and Ellarslie Opens at Ellarslie, The Trenton City Museum and the Mercer College Gallery and is currently selling her collage plates at the Museum gift shop. Her artwork has also been displayed at the following shows:

Tres Puentas Gallery in Barcelona, Spain

Ellarslie, The Trenton City Museum in Trenton, NJ

Mercer County Commmunity College Gallery in West Windsor, NJ

McDade Administration Building in Trenton, NJ

Yardley Borough Hall in Yardley, PA

AM Delight in Yardley, PA

125 Gallery in Trenton, NJ

Artworks in Trenton, NJ

Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in New York, NY

She is a member of TAWA and currently resides in Fairfax, Virginia.

Julian Kernes Bio: Julian Kernes is a painter, digital artist and freelance graphics designer. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA (formerly PCA) . He has been on the Board of Trustees of the Trenton Museum Society and former President of the Trenton Artist’s Workshop Association (TAWA).

Much of his fine arts work consists of acrylic paintings with surrealistic imagery, linear abstract paintings, impressionism style landscapes, and prints of digitally altered images often combining paintings, photos, sketches and design work together on his computer. In both his fine art computer work and surreal style painting, the realistic imagery he chooses are in a natural looking landscape often arranged similar to a collage, playfully blending the use of some familiar icons of social issue with personal imagery suggesting multiple levels of meanings. The source of the abstract work is derived from sketches of forms, patterns and textures found in nature and architectural settings. More recent dimensional look came about in Shade Garden comes with parts of the painting echoing the floral carving in the frame he found for the painting. The recent constructions, “PhotoSynthesis”, ‘Shoe String Budget”, “Gas Guzzler” and “Surveillence Game” based on stream of conscience word associations bring a dimensional variation to the abstract work. Having been compared to traditional mystic icons, each nature abstraction and architecture abstract becomes transformed into window portals of a new environment. His work has been described in art reviews as “a painterly sense of the fantastic, an imaginative element that fired the early Surrealists.” He also works extensively with the tools of the computer creating illustration and graphic designs as well as self-published digital color prints and note cards of my work. Selections of my note cards, magnet art and t-shirts are featured in the New Jersey State Museum Gift Shop and the gift shop at Ellarslie, the Trenton City Museum.

Julian's work has been exhibited at the New Jersey State Museum, Ellarslie, Artworks, Mercer County Community College Gallery, Princeton ETS Gallery and the New Jersey Network and Gallery 125. Paintings and prints have been on display at local establishments in Mercer and Bucks Counties.

Please join us as we honor these two long term members of TAWA and wish them well as they move away from the Trenton area.

TAWA President Robert Girandola at New York State Museum

For Immediate Release

June 22, 2011

New York State Museum in Albany, New York received into their permanent collection “Remnants of a Memorial” by 9/11 sculptor Robert Girandola of Yardley, Pennsylvania.

On Thursday June 9, 2011 Craig Williams, Curator of History, at the New York State Museum met acclaimed sculptor and painter Robert Girandola at Engine 6 in New York City to take receipt of his work “Remnants of a Memorial.” This 60” x 60” mixed media masterpiece started as the “under-drawing” for Girandola’s bronze memorial, currently installed in New York City on Beekman Street. Both works honor four firefighters from Engine 6 who lost their lives rescuing others on 9/11. Williams and his team collected over three hours of raw footage interviewing firefighters from Engine 6, one of the widows and Girandola, detailing the eight-month journey from concept to delivery of the bronze memorial. “It was a very moving day,” Girandola describes. “From the moment in early May when Mark Schaming (Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs) and Craig Williams saw the work “Remnants of a Memorial” they knew they wanted it to be part of their 9/11 exhibit up in Albany.” The piece is intended to reside near The State Museum’s significant collection of material from the World Trade Center and objects from the international response to the events of September 11, 2001, which tells the story of that day and its aftermath. The World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, Response details the history of the World Trade Center, the September 11 attacks, the rescue efforts, the evidence recovery operation at the Fresh Kills facility, and the public response to the September 11th events. The exhibition includes many objects, images, videos, and interactive stations documenting this tragic chapter in New York and America's history. “For me,” Girandola continues “Remnants of a Memorial” is a counterpoint to the bronze that now hangs in New York City. Whereas the bronze symbolizes the strength of the firefighter’s courage, “Remnants” speaks to their soul, to what we lost that day and to the devastation of the living. I am honored that this will be on permanent display to help contribute to their (NY State Museum) amazing collection”

New York State Museum plans to edit the raw footage of all the interviews to present the video as part of an interactive display alongside the mixed media masterpiece “Remnants of a Memorial.” For further information please contact Mark Schaming, Director Of Exhibitions & Public Programs at 3023 Cultural Education Center, Albany, New York, 12230 e-mail: mschamin@mail.nysed.gov or Craig Williams, Curator of History, e-mail: cwillia4@mail.nysed.gov . Go here for more information on the New York State Museum permanent exhibit The World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, Response: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibits/longterm/wtc/

Robert Girandola is a painter and sculptor with an MFA from Columbia University. He has exhibited and has been collected both nationally and internationally including twice being accepted into the prestigious “Art of the Northeast” in New Canaan, Connecticut. He is currently the sculptor for the Lower Makefield Veteran’s Monument in Lower Makefield, PA. He can be contacted by e-mail: info@robertgirandola.com. More work by the artist can be seen at http://www.robertgirandola.com .

MERCER COUNTY PUBLIC ART TOURS

The Trenton Artists Workshop Association presents “Mercer Public Art Tours for Teens and Adults” set for Saturdays, May 14 and 21, 2011.

The tours are designed to bring awareness to the large collection of public art that exists in the Mercer County and introduce art and artists to a new audience.
On May 14 two public art tours of Princeton are scheduled: a 10 AM tour for teens, and a 1 PM tour for the general public.

Highlights of the one hour Princeton tour include the MacMonnies Battle Monument; the Norman Rockwell mural; statues by Henry Moore, Richard Serra, Louise Nevelson, and others; and architecture by Frank Gehry and Michael Graves.
The Princeton tours will meet in front of the Garden Theater at the corner of Nassau and Vendeventer streets.

On May 21 a tour is set to highlight public artwork in downtown Trenton, with a 10 AM a tour for teens and general public tour.

Highlights of this one hour tour include art works by Alexander Calder, George Segal, Toshiko Takaezu, and Thomas Eakins; architecture by John Notman and Cass Gilbert; and a visit to the river view plaza that features a fountain designed by New Jersey artist Clyde Lynds.

The Trenton tour will meet in front of the New Jersey State Museum auditorium on West State Street.

Tours have been coordinated through the Trenton Artist Workshop Association (TAWA). Leading the tours will be Byron and Daniel Aubrey. Byron Aubrey is a teen member of TAWA and a student at Steinert High School. Daniel Aubrey has worked with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and New Jersey State Museum, and has coordinated numerous cultural projects in Trenton.

All tours will be given rain or shine, and a pay-what-you-will donation will be accepted.

TAWA, founded in 1979 to promote the arts in the greater Trenton Area, is funded by the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission through a State/County Block Grant Partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment of the Arts.

For more information call 609-213-2918.

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