Planet Princeton Weekend Picks, April 28-30
Friday, April 28
Wondrous on Witherspoon Pop Up Art Gallery – Wondrous on Witherspoon Pop Up Art Gallery, 14 1/2 Witherspoon St., Princeton, NJ. “WoW, Spring into Art!” Artist Invitational featuring works and demonstrations by over 40 accomplished and emerging artists. Opening day is today. Hours 12 – 6 p.m. Percentage of proceeds benefit HomeFront’s ArtSpace. 14 1/2 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. Free More information
Reading by author Kevin Barry, presented by the Fund for Irish Studies – Irish writer Kevin Barry reads from his 2015 novel Beatlebone, a searing, surreal novel that blends fantasy and reality—and Beatles fandom. 4:30 pm, James M. Stewart ’32 Theater at 185 Nassau St., Princeton. Free More information
Preserves Through the Seasons Art Opening @ D&R Greenway Land Trust – Art Reception. The D&R Greenway Land Trust presents Eternal Beauty, Perpetual Green: Preserves through the Seasons at the Johnson Education Center. Light refreshments will be served.5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m,, D&R Greenway Land Trust, One Preservation Place off Rosedale Road Princeton. Free More information
Institute for Advanced Study Public Lecture: How to Handle a Mummy: A Burial Ritual from Greco-Roman Egypt – The so-called Artemis Liturgical Papyrus preserves the instructions and incantations for the burial of a woman named Artemis. Artemis was buried in Egypt in the late Hellenistic or early Roman period. Despite her Greek name, she was buried in Egyptian style, mummified and all. 5:30 p.m., Institute for Advanced Study, Wolfensohn Hall, 1 Einstein Drive Princeton. Free More information
Reading by Saeed Jones and seniors from the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Creating Writing – Poet Saeed Jones and five seniors in the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Creative Writing at Princeton University read from their work. The C.K. Williams Reading Series showcases senior thesis students of the Program in Creative Writing with established writers as special guests. 6 p.m., Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street, Princeton. Free More information
Beer and Ballet – Come get a taste of the local art while sampling some local craft beer at Roxey Ballet’s Open Barre. Enjoy beer, wine, water, and snacks on select Friday nights throughout the season. At this event, Roxey Ballet’s dancers will welcome you into their rehearsal home and share a relaxing evening of dance experimentation and discussion. 7 p.m., Roxey Ballet, 243 N Union St, Lambertville. More information
An Immersive Performance Experience by Alex Quetell, presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Programs in Dance and Visual Arts – A multimedia immersive performance experience conceived by senior visual arts and dance student Alex Quetell exploring the deconstruction of a party, and nature/ecology vs. technology. Additional performance 10 p.m. on April 29. Friday performance at 8 p.m., Patricia and Ward Hagan ’48 Dance Studio, 185 Nassau Street, Princeton. Free More information
Spring, On Fire, a new play by Princeton senior Edwin Rosales, presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Theater – A new play written by Princeton senior Edwin Rosales follows a Maya family living in the highlands of Guatemala, the soldiers who occupy their village, and the spirits that guide and haunt them all during the most violent moment from the civil war. Directed by faculty member Suzanne Agins. 8 p.m., Marie and Edward Matthews ’53 Acting Studio at 185 Nassau St., Princeton. Free More information
Saturday, April 29
Spring Rummage Sale at Trinity Princeton – A Princeton tradition, Trinity’s 47th Spring Rummage Sale. Preview available Friday, April 28 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. $5 first come, first served tickets available starting 12 p.m. Friday at Trinity. Sale on Saturday, April 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.. Free first come, first served tickets for Saturday are available beginning at 7 a.m. on the Mercer Street steps.Trinity Church Princeton, 33 Mercer Street, Princeton. More information
Walk for Our World’s Green Future – Come join a local walk to support the environment and proactive efforts to fight climate change. April 29 is also the day of the People’s Climate March in Washington, D.C. The two-mile, family-friendly walk will begin at D & R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center, One Preservation Place (off Rosedale Road) and culminate with a ceremony on Hinds Plaza. 9:30 a.m., D&R Greenway Land Trust, One Preservation Place off Rosedale Road, Princeton. Free More information
Rutgers Day – Zimmerli Activities – A Zimmerli tradition continues as the museum welcomes visitors to participate in the university’s annual Rutgers Day. This free celebration includes family-friendly activities throughout the day inside (and outside) the museum. Rutgers Day offers free parking and admission, as well as on-campus shuttles among the College Avenue, Cook/Douglass, and Busch Campuses. 10 a.m., Zimmelri Art Museum at Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick. Free More information
BGC College Career Fair – The Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County is proud to present many colleges, trade schools, local companies and area professionals. Network and get information about potential career paths. Open to all Mercer County teens. 10 a.m, Spruce Street Community Center, 1040 Spruce Street, Lawrence. Free More information
Shabbat Katan – Shabbat Katan is a monthly service designed for preschool/kindergarten-aged children and their families. Warm and spirited, this interactive Shabbat experience is led by parents and will include stories, prayers, songs, and a brief Torah reading. Stay for Shabbat Katan lunch and get to meet other families with little ones. Bring your friends, everyone is welcome. 11 a.m., The Jewish Center of Princeton, 435 Nassau St., Princeton. Free More information
Sunday, April 30
Communiversity ArtsFest – The Arts Council of Princeton, in collaboration with the students of Princeton University and the town of Princeton, presents the 47th annual Communiversity ArtsFest from 1 to 6 p.m. The ArtsFest is a combination of local performers, artists, crafters, merchants, community groups, and volunteers that make up the community of Princeton and beyond. Communiversity ArtsFest will feature six stages of non-stop live performances. Performance highlights for this year’s event include music by returning artists Lauren Marsh, The Blue Meanies, Sarah Donner, Eco Del Sur, Fresh Fire and Princeton School of Rock. Newcomers include Sarah Copley, Just 6 Hours and Helen O’Shea & the Shanakee Project. Communiversity is known for unique performers, such as the Princeton University Marching Band, Nacha Nation and flash mobs. Also scheduled to perform on stage are a variety of dance groups including newcomer The Pennington Studio and returning groups Fiesta Flamenco, Circus Place and the YWCA Dance Department.
More than 200 booths line the streets of Nassau and Witherspoon, Palmer Square and the University campus near Nassau Hall. Popular art attraction and Arts Council-sponsored activity, “Nana’s-Make-A-Mess,” is a highlight for children at Communiversity with this year’s activity being tie dye flags. Art activities at this annual station encourage kids to express their creativity with an assortment of messy materials to make their own original artwork. Other Arts Council activities include tissue paper flowers, experimenting with acrylic paint, animal portraiture, character design and more.
Communiversity ArtsFest takes place in the heart of Downtown Princeton with many street parking options including parking garages – the Chambers and Hulfish Garages can both be accessed via Chambers Street and the Spring Street garage can be accessed via Wiggins Street. Additional parking can be found in Princeton University’s parking lots, free and open to the public for Communiversity. A free shuttle bus will be available for attendees who park at the Princeton Shopping Center, 301 Harrison Street. The shuttle will run continuously throughout the event.
Vinyl: A Magical History Tour – From Sousa through Springsteen, take a visual tour of notable vinyl records and their accompanying album covers through the decades. “Vinyl, A Magical History Tour” is the latest exhibit at the Cranbury Museum. On display are over 200 records from the collection of Mr. George Wright, an avid record collector for over 25 years. 1 p.m., Cranbury Museum, 4 Park Place, East Cranbury. More information
PUC125: Pekka Kuusisto, violin and Nico Muhly, piano – The Finnish virtuoso with “the most personal sound of any classical violinist now alive” (The Telegraph) joins the youngest composer ever commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera for a hallmark program combining the music of J.S. Bach with contemporary fare. There will be two performances, 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., each an hour long. Richardson Auditorium at Alexander Hall, 68 Nassau Street, Princeton. $10 – $25 More information
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.