Summer Happenings Hot With Hope and Spirit

The summer 2022 arts and culture season is stepping out — despite current pandemic concerns — with a winning blend of concerts, stage shows, art openings, and festivals that provide hope and spirit.

For example, take the return of the Princeton Festival. In addition to this major regional multi-arts event surviving the pandemic-induced hiatus that had upset other such events around the state and nation, it actually used the opportunity to deepen its community and artistic roots by merging with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra.

The result is the continuation of an annual series of high quality classical concerts and opera — with the latter being a longtime regional tradition that started with Opera Festival of New Jersey in the 1980s.

While the PSO and Princeton Festival merger and overview are the subjects of music writer Ross Amico’s article on page 12, it is worth noting that PF opens with a presentation of Kurt Weill’s “The Seven Deadly Sins.” It will be performed by Storm Large, a musician, actor, and writer who has performed vocally with national orchestras, funk singer George Clinton, and pop musicians k.d. lang and Rufus Wainwright. The presentation occurs on Friday, June 10.

Also on the festival calendar are the pairing of two short operas, contemporary American composer Derrick Wang’s “Scalia/Ginsburg,” inspired by two opera-loving, ideologically opposed Supreme Court justices, and Mozart’s comic “The Impresario,” with the title character dealing with the demands of two divas, Saturdays, June 11 and 18, and Sunday, June 12; a “Stephen Sondheim Tribute,” Wednesday, June 15; and a full production of 20th century British composer Benjamin Britten’s comic opera “Albert Herring,” Friday and Sunday, June 17 and 19. Other musical offerings presented at Morven Museum and Trinity Church in Princeton include concerts featuring jazz, Broadway hits, and choral music.

609-258-2787 or www.princetonfestival.org.

More Summer Sounds

The Princeton University Summer Chamber Concerts returns with a four-part series of free events at Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium. The lineup starting in mid-June is as follows:

Argus Quartet, based in New York City, presents String Quartet in D Major, Op. 1, No. 6 by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George; String Quartet No. 1, “Array,” Donald Crockett; and “Of Being,” Jessica Meyer, Thursday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m.

Diderot String Quartet (with musicians based in New York and Chicago) presents a “Legacy of the Fugue” program featuring the “Art of the Fugue” by Bach and Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13, by Felix Mendelssohn, Sunday, June 26, at 2 p.m.

Manhattan Chamber Players present the Piano Quartet in E flat major, K.493 by Mozart; Serenade in C Major for string trio, Op. 10, by Ernst von Dohnányi; and the Piano Quartet in E flat Major, Op. 47, by Robert Schuman, Friday, July 8, at 7:30 p.m.

Zodiac Trio (an internationally known group founded by students at the Manhattan School of Music) performs music by Astor Piazzolla, Igor Stravinsky, George Gershwin, Béla Bartók, and others, Thursday, July 21, at 7:30 p.m. www.princetonsummerchamberconcerts.org

The Edward T. Cone Composition Institute, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Princeton University program dedicated to the creation of new music through a week-long collaboration involving composers and orchestra, returns to the Princeton University campus on July 17 and culminates in a public performance at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton on Saturday, July 23, at 8 p.m. www.njsymphony.org/institute

Celebrating more than 25 years of community recitals, the Princeton University Carillon at the Graduate School on College Road West will again host a season of Sunday summer concerts for the surrounding community, 1 p.m., July through Labor Day.

This year’s series, “When Music Meets the Sky,” is as follows: July 3, Geert D’hollander, Lake Wales, Florida; July 10, Paul Stelban, Philadelphia; July 17, Wade Fitzgerald, Philadelphia; July 24, Hunter Chase, Washington DC; July 31, Anna Kasprzycka, Gdansk, Poland; August 7, Claire Janezic (New Colleague Recitalist), Rochester, New York; August 14, The Treblemakers — Lisa Lonie & Janet Tebbel, Philadelphia; August 21, Cast in Bronze — the Tower Show; August 28, Princeton Carillon Studio Members; September 4, Robin Austin, Philadelphia.

Community members are invited to bring blankets or lawn chairs to the Cleveland Tower and listen to the free presentations, held rain or shine. www.princeton.edu/gradschool/studentlife/residential/gradcollege/directions.

Westminster Choir College’s annual CoOPERAtive returns for its three-week intensive program for opera performers and free programs for the public. The program starts on Sunday, July 3, and concludes with a final concert on Friday, July 22. A work in progress at press time, the schedule, venue site, and ticket information will soon appear at www.rider.edu/events.

And Something Special and Timely

The LOTUS Project and Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey present “O Vos Omnes,” a work whose text uses the Christian Passion Week Tenebrae vigil service — marking the darkest time of the year in Christian spirituality. Additional selections include Ukrainian art and folksongs and a variety of smaller pieces for string instruments and voices.

The centerpiece of the concert by the two Trenton groups is the “Requiem for the Homeless” by active contemporary composer Frank La Rocca, a California resident whose Ukrainian immigrant grandparents settled in Trenton in the early 20th century. Suggested donation is $35 per ticket, with all funds directly given to Ukrainian relief efforts. The event is at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, 335 Adeline Street, Trenton, on Saturday, June 11, at 6 p.m. thelotusprojectnj.org.

Jazzing It Up

The region’s largest arts center and a small Trenton jazz spot are reaching high notes with the following offerings:

McCarter Theatre’s “Jazz in June Festival” gets back in the groove after a two-year pandemic-related hiatus and is offering three weekends of concerts by top-notch musicians.

Joshua Redman — an award winning saxophonist with a jazz pedigree (noted Bay area saxophonist father and dancer mother), more than 20 albums, and a score of Grammy nominations — arrives with his trio on Friday, June 10, at 8 p.m.

Christian Sands Quartet is led by an up-and-coming jazz artist who has been appearing at the Kennedy Center, Newport Jazz Festival, Village Vanguard, Blue Note, and other jazz centers around the world. Saturday, June 11, 8 p.m.

Helen Sung Quartet, led by an award winning pianist and composer, has also been hitting the international jazz scene and performed at Carnegie Hall, London Jazz Festival, Blue Note Bejing, and the Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival. Friday, June 17, 8 p.m.

Jazzmeia Horn arrives to demonstrate why the New York Times called her “among the most exciting young vocalists in jazz, with a proud traditionalism that keeps her tightly linked to the sound of classic figures like Nancy Wilson and Betty Carter, but a vivacity of spirit and conviction that places her firmly in the present.” Saturday, June 18, 8 p.m.

Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap bring together two legendary performers — Grammy and Tony Award-winning vocalist and the Grammy-winning pianist — for a night of solid jazz and artistry. Friday, June 24, 8 p.m.

The Tyshawn Sorey Sextet is led by a Newark-born musician and composer who the New Yorker magazine called “an extraordinary talent who can see across the entire musical landscape.” Saturday, June 25, 8 p.m.

McCarter Theater, 91 University Place, Princeton. 609-258-2787 or www.mccarter.org.

Candlelight Lounge, the unassuming Trenton bar/restaurant, one of the last “real deal” jazz joints in the region, isn’t missing a beat with its summer line up of top notch musicians living in New York, Philadelphia, and the Garden State: saxophonist Carl Bartlett Jr; June 4; pianist Farid Baron, June 11; organist Akiko June 18; saxophonist Joe Ford June 25; trumpeter Duane Eubanks July 2; saxophonist Abraham Burton July 9; pianist Aaron Graves, July 16; saxophonist Victor North, July 23; the Landham Brothers, July 30; percussionist Randy Sutin, August 6; drummer Chris Beck August 13; pianist Glenn Williams August 20; and Freddie and Sean, August 27.

Candlelight Lounge, 24 Passaic Street, Trenton. $20 cover and $10 minimum drink order, free buffet, 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. www.candlelighteventsjazz.com.

Rock, Roll, and Soul

The following area venues are offering cool evenings of hot sounds that hop with pop:

West Windsor Arts Council. Chivalrous Crickets Concert, the East Coast-based American group formed in 2018 that specializes in performing traditional Irish, English, Appalachian, popular, and early classical music on historical and orchestral instruments makes a stop in West Windsor, Saturday, July 9, at 7 p.m. $30 to $35. www.westwindsorarts.org

Mercer County Parks Summer Concerts. The county’s festival grounds in West Windsor turn into an entertainment center starting in early July and continuing through August with the following lineup — all set from 6 to 9:30 p.m.

R&B Night: Earth Wind & Fire Tribute, Friday, July 8; Dance Night: Epic Soul, Friday, July 15; Morris Day, Friday, July 22; Rock Night: Frontiers — The Ultimate Journey Tribute Band Friday, July 29; Soul Night: The Sensational Soul Cruisers, Friday August 5; Latin Night: Funk Salsa Urban, Friday, August 12; R&B Night: Grace Little, Friday, August 19; and Rock Night: Best of the Eagles, Friday, August 26.

There is also the Latin Night: Kombo Latino, set for Sunday, July 17, 2 to 6 p.m.

Mercer County Park, West Windsor. $5 to $10. www.mercercountyparks.org or mercercountyparks.org/#!/festival-grounds-events/

The Bristol Riverside Theater is continuing its series of lively outdoor events with the following named groups: The Commodores, veterans of pop and Motown music, Saturday, July 15, 8 p.m. Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics, ’70s soul group, Sunday, July 16, 7 p.m. And the Indigo Girls, the internationally known folk duo, Thursday, August 25, at 8 p.m. Ticket range from $45 to $85.

Bristol Township Amphitheater, 2501 Bath Road, Bristol, Pennsylvania. 215-785-0100 or www.brtstage.org.

Warming Up

The Levitt AMP Trenton Music Series in Trenton’s Mill Hill Park and the Blue Curtain Summer Series at Pettoranello Gardens Amphitheater in Princeton are in the process of finalizing their calendars of free summer shows.

But at press time, here’s what organizers know: The Levitt’s presentations of regional and national artists will be up and running by July and continue into September (find more info at concerts.levittamp.org/trenton). And Blue Curtain gets into business on Sundays, July 16 and 30, 7 p.m.

Summer Stages

Summer theater is becoming a big thing in the region, thanks to the following presenters and groups:

Bucks County Playhouse. The historic New Hope, Pennsylvania, venue continues its summer professional theater offerings through September with the following productions:

“American Jade,” Emmy Award-winning actor and playwright Jodi Long’s stage work chronicles the high, lows, and the personal persistence of her Asian nightclub entertaining parents performing on stages and television in the 1940s and ’50s, May 20 to June 11.

“Kinky Boots,” singer and composer Cyndi Lauper and actor/writer Harvey Fierstein’s Tony Award-winning musical that mixes a shoe factory, a performer in need of stilettos, and hope. June 24 to July 30.

“Dames at Sea,” a tap-happy 1960s stage romp inspired by the extravagantly diverting 1930s-era film musicals takes the stage from August 12 to September 1.

“Evita,” Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical treatment of the life of actress, politician, and first lady of Argentina, Eva Peron, September 23 to October 30.

Bucks County Playhouse, 70 South Main Street, New Hope, Pennsylvania. $65 to $70. 215-862-2121 or www.bcptheater.org.

Bristol Riverside Theater. The professional theater resumes its annual Summer Music Fest series presented by Keith Baker and the BRT Concert Band.

“Golden Oldies, Hits from the 50s & 60s,” featuring radio hits such as Mack the Knife,” “My Guy,” “Hit the Road Jack,” and more, June 16 to 26.

“Iconic Ladies of Song,” featuring the songs popularized by Patsy Cline, Rosemary Clooney & Tina Turner, July 21 to 31.

“Classic Broadway,” subtitled “The Broadway Songs You Know & Love,” features songs by George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim, and others, August 18 to 28.

Bristol Riverside Theater, 120 Radcliffe Street, Bristol, Pennsylvania. www.brtstage.org

Music Mountain Theater. The Lambertville community theater company is presenting a summer series of the following Broadway favorites: “Godspell,” May 27 to June 12, “La Cage Aux Folles,” June 17 to July 3; and “In The Heights,” July 8 to 24. Performances set for Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m.

Music Mountain Theater, 1483 Route 179, Lambertville. $23 to $25. www.musicmountaintheatre.org.

Kelsey Theater. The longstanding theater venue at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor continues its partnerships with area theater groups to provide the following offerings: Shakespeare 70’s production of “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” June 10 through 19, and The Yardley Players’ rendition of the Broadway musical “Oliver!,” July 7 through 17. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. $18 to $20.

Kelsey Theater, Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. $14 to $20. 609-570-3333 or www.kelseyatmccc.org.

American Repertory Ballet. The region’s professional ballet company is actually concluding its current season with “Movin’ + Groovin’,” an evening of world premieres by three contemporary choreographers.

The program includes ARB and American Ballet Theater dancer Claire Davison’s work inspired by music by Fleetwood Mac; Madison Ballet’s artistic director Ja’ Malik’s “Moving to Bach”; and New York choreographer and Juilliard School creative associate Caili Quan’s piece inspired by how the body is affected during sleep.

New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, Friday, June 3, 7 p.m., Saturday, June 4, 8 p.m., and Sunday, June 5, 2 p.m. $25 to $45. www.nbpac.org/movinandgroovin.

Princeton Summer Theater will return to the Hamilton-Murray Theater at Princeton University with a schedule of three full-length shows. First up is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” adapted by Simon Levy, June 24 through 26 and June 30 through July 3. Following is Ken Ludwig’s “The Fox on the Fairway,” July 8 through 10 and 14 through 17. And the season concludes with Dominique Morisseau’s “Detroit ’67,” July 22 through 24 and 28 through 31.

For more information: www.princetonsummertheater.org.

Out and About

Those looking to get as much outside events as possible over the summer should get out their calendars and make plans with the following:

Mercer County Cultural Festival. The 10th annual cultural festival will be held at the Mercer County Park Festival Grounds and feature musical performances, art demonstrations, international food trucks, a biergarten, traditional dances and demonstrations, and more on Saturday, June 11. www.mercercounty.org/departments/culture-and-heritage/cultural-festival.

Jersey Fresh Jam is New Jersey’s premiere Hip Hop festival, developed in a partnership with Trenton street artist Leon Rainbow and graffiti-loving Trenton company TerraCycle founder Tom Szaky. Today the free event that takes its name from the state’s Jersey Fresh produce campaign attracts regional, East Coast, and even national and international graffiti artists and musicians. Saturday, August 27, noon to 7 p.m.

TerraCycle Complex, 121 New York Avenue, Trenton. Free. www.jerseyfreshjam.com.

Taste Trenton, the capital city’s self-guided restaurant crawl, returns with more than 30 restaurants participating and offering the opportunity to sample foods from Costa Rica, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Poland, and Guatemala as well as African American and BBQ classics. Pick up wristbands and maps at Artworks Trenton, 19 Everett Alley, and head out, Friday through Sunday, June 10 through 12.

Dance, Princeton, Dance. This Outdoor PRIDE Dance Party is the Arts Council of Princeton’s first dance party since 2019. This year, ACP is heading outdoors and — with the help of the Princeton Record Exchange — transforming its parking lot into a dance club to celebrate Princeton’s LGBTQ+ community. $5 donation requested. Friday, June 3, 8 to 10 p.m.

Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. Free. www.artscouncilofprinceton.org or 609-924-8777.

Downtown Happenings

Princeton and Trenton organizers are building community and getting people together with the following arts and cultural monthly happenings:

Princeton Café Art Openings. Small World Coffee in Princeton continues to support community visual artists by hosting monthly shows at its two locations. The summer schedule at the café’s 14 Witherspoon Street location is: June 8 through July 5, works by the Franklin Park based Kyoko Bartley, a self-described “crafts person” artist; and July 6 through August 2, area designer and artist Brian McLendon.

At 254 Nassau Street: June 8 through July 5, Indian-born Kendall Park artist Neelam Padte; July 6 through August 2,Lawrenceville artist and “psychiatric survivor” Karen Jerveet; and August 3 through September 6, Nazeen Art, created by self -taught North Brunswick artist Amira Ahmad. www.smallworldcoffee.com/art-shows.

Trenton First Fridays. Art openings and a street music held on the first Fridays throughout the summer are at the following Trenton restaurants, cafes, and cultural organizations: 1911 Smokehouse BBQ Restaurant in cooperation with the African American Cultural Collaborative of Mercer County, 11 West Front Street, Trenton. 609-695-1911 or www.1911bbq.com; Trenton Social Restaurant 449 South Broad Street, Trenton. 609-989-7777 or www.facebook.com/trentonsocial; Mill Hill Saloon 300 South Broad Street, Trenton. 609-989-1600 or www.facebook.com/millhillsaloon; Mill Hill Playhouse, 205 East Front Street, www.passagetheatre.org; Artworks Trenton, 19 Everett Alley, artworkstrenton.org; and the Trenton Free Public Library, 120 Academy Street, www.trentonlib.org. Festivities start at 6 p.m. with each venue having its own closing time.

Secret Gardens

And don’t forget about your tickets to visit hidden summer gardens with the following:

The New Hope Garden Tour. The tour in its 27th year offers garden visits and presentations. The event is organized by the New Hope Historical Society and headquartered at the organization’s 18th-century Parry Mansion, home of one of the town’s founders. In addition to viewing the more-than-garden-variety gardens, there will be lectures on herbs and pollinators and music. Starts at 45 South Main Street, New Hope, PA. $35. Saturday, June 4, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 215-258-8590 or newhopehistory.org.

Mill Hill Garden Tour. Now in its 31st year, the Mill Hill Garden Tour will showcase more than a dozen gardens and private sanctuaries in this historic Trenton neighborhood with roots to founding of the city. Tickets are $20. Saturday, June 11, noon to 5 p.m. www.trentonmillhill.org/events.

Hidden Gardens of Lambertville. The annual event celebrating its 24th year is organized by the town-based Kalmia Club, a women-led civic organization that takes its name from a flower. Attendees have up to the night before to register and then pick up their official walking-tour map at the clubhouse at 39 York Street. $21. Saturday, June 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.kalmiaclub.org.

Roebling Garden Tour. Set in the town created by the famed bridge-building company, the self-guided tour of this historic town originally populated by numerous immigrant workers starts at the Roebling Museum, 100 2nd Avenue, on Saturday, June 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.eventbrite.com/e/roebling-museum-garden-tour-tickets-153549102499

Bordentown Garden Tour. The Bordentown Historical Society’s annual event, featuring more than 21 gardens in the historic Colonial small city, is set for Saturday, June 25, 11 to 5 p.m. $20 ($18 for members). www.bordentownhistory.org.

Summer Galleries

The region’s museums and cultural organizations are also providing opportunities to get out with friends and families — or maybe even to head out alone to take a new look on life.

Morven Museum & Garden in Princeton. “Ma Bell: The Mother of Invention in New Jersey” features original historical artifacts pertinent to the many discoveries, products, and fields of work that comprised the Bell System in New Jersey from the 1920s to around 1984, when the Bell System monopoly divestiture created the seven “Baby Bells” known as the Regional Bell Operating Companies.

55 Stockton Street, Princeton. Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $8 to $10. 609-924-8144 or www.morven.org.

The New Jersey State Museum. Jaw Dropping World of Sharks uses specimens and artifacts from the museum collection to examine focus on the 400-million-year history of our seaside neighbor. Also on view are “Written in the Rocks: Fossil Tales of New Jersey,” a showcase of fossils and New Jersey dinosaurs, and “American Perspectives: The Fine Art Collection,” featuring the work of important American and New Jersey artists.

205 West State Street, Trenton. Tuesdays through Sundays, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Free; donations requested. 609-292-5420 or www.statemuseumnj.gov.

The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers. The museum on the Rutgers University campus is continuing several free exhibitions: “Angela Davis — Seize the Time,” a look at the political activist, professor, author, feminist proponent of civil rights, and a member of the Communist Party and Black Panther Party, closes June 16.

On view through July 31 are “Oleg Kudryashov: A Master of Printmaking,” featuring work by one of Russia’s most prominent contemporary artists; “The Claude and Nina Gruen Collection of Contemporary Russian Art: New Arrivals”; “Meeting Tonight: Two South Carolina African American Camp Meetings,” a collaborative developed by Massachusetts photographer Holly Lynton, Rutgers professor and clergyman Maurice Wallace, and the Gospel Materialities Working Group in the Center for Cultural Analysis at Rutgers; and “Behold: Works from Rutgers Print Collaborative,” founded in 2012 by Professor Barbara Madsen at Mason Gross School of the Arts.

71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m., first Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Free. 848-932-7237 or www.zimmerli.rutgers.edu.

The Trenton City Museum. The museum presents its annual “Ellarslie Open,” a project developed in the early 1980s that has grown into a summer juried art event that attracts thousands of submissions from artists working in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. This year’s juror is Walter Wickiser of the Walter Wickiser Gallery in New York City. The show opens on Saturday, June 25, with VIP Reception and Awards ceremony from 1 to 5 p.m., followed by a Sunday, June 26, public reception and gallery talk with the Juror from 1 to 4 p.m.

Cadwalader Park, Trenton. Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m., Sunday 1 to 4 p.m. Free. 609-989-3632 or www.ellarslie.org.

Grounds For Sculpture. “Roberto Lugo: The Village Potter” highlights work by the Philadelphia ceramicist, performance artist, and educator. Lugo references traditional European and Asian decorative art, historically displayed as luxury items in wealthy homes. His surface treatment is a mixture of traditional design, graffiti, and portraiture, often including the faces of those that history leaves out, focusing his representation on icons from BIPOC contemporary culture and history, as well as more personal works that point to his and his family’s personal experiences. On view through January 8, 2023.

80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Timed entry required, $20. www.groundsforsculpture.org.

Princeton University Art Museum. The PUAM is operating two Princeton galleries while the main campus museum building is closed for construction.

The Art on Hulfish space’s current exhibition is “Screen Time: Photography and Video Art in the Internet Age.” The exhibition of work by a global and intergenerational group of contemporary artists who explore the evolving role of video and photography in an era of digital communication and social media is on view through August 7.

Art@Bainbridge, on Nassau Street, presents “Body Matters / Martha Friedman,” a presentation of two new series of sculptures by the Princeton University faculty member and multi-media artist that were inspired by classic Egyptian, Greek, and Roman works and practices, and 20th century drawings of brain structures and nerves, through July 10.

Art@Bainbridge, 158 Nassau Street, Princeton. Open Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free.

Art on Hulfish, 11 Hulfish Street, Princeton. Open Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Free. 609-258-3788 or artmuseum.princeton.edu.

Artworks Trenton. “The Souls Shot Portrait Project,” developed with Moms Demand Action, uses art to as a means to bring an end to gun violence. The project works with families of victims to create portraits to honor the souls shot and bring an awareness of the individuals lost through gun violence.

Also on view is “The Potential Project: 21 Stories of Trenton.” It was developed by Trenton-based multimedia artist and activist Bentrice Jusu in order to employ storytelling, visual art, photography, and digital media to start to honor the stories and lives of those lost to violence, and to imagine our community healing. In addition to 20 of Jusu’s portraits of people lost to violence, the exhibition also includes original poetry, soundscapes, dance, documentary film, and an original song and music video by Trenton rapper Big Ooh! Street.

The opening event includes area artist Ras painting a live-painting a portrait of Se’Quoya Bacon-Jones, a nine-year-old girl whose recent death shook the Trenton community. Both free exhibitions open on Saturday, June 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. and are on view through July 16.

19 Everett Alley, Trenton. 609-394-9436 or www.artworkstrenton.org.

Arts Council of Princeton. “Interwoven Stories: The Final Chapter” continues the community-based narrative stitching project created in March, 2016, by that year’s artist-in-resident Diana Weymar. The artist engaged community participants in stitching a fabric notebook and using needle and thread to share stories and memories. After several other “chapters” of work, more than 300 pages of stories will be on view. Free. June 4 through July 2.

102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. www.artscouncilofprinceton.org or 609-924-8777.

West Windsor Arts Council. “By the Light of Day” is an exhibition featuring work by plein air artists working only in daylight. Still in development at press time, the show opens with a free reception on Friday, July 15 (time to be announced), and is on view through August 27.

952 Alexander Road, West Windsor. www.westwindsorarts.org.

Historical Society of Princeton’s Updike Farmstead Museum. The farmstead building and grounds have reopened after an extended shutdown. Exhibitions include a look at Albert Einstein’s years in Princeton and furniture from his home. Also on view are “Princeton’s Portrait,” showcasing vintage photographs of Princeton’s farming history; works by late Princeton painter and educator Rex Goreleigh; works by the A-Team Artists of Trenton and the Princeton Photography Club; and the outdoor exhibition, “Farmstead History Trail,” which tells the stories of the Native Americans, Quakers, and family farmers who inhabited the area, and the “Garden State History Garden,” a multimedia interpretation of New Jersey’s agricultural past. Thursdays through Sundays, noon to 4 p.m., $4.

354 Quaker Road, Princeton. www.princetonhistory.org.

Summer Screens

And let’s not forget the indoor and outdoor film offerings that range from the classic to the cutting edge:

Princeton Garden Theater. The area’s nonprofit theater center is augmenting its usual strong offerings of first run and classic films and lively arts series with summer Hollywood Summer Night series. Designed to show vintage films in the manner they were meant to be viewed — on the large screen in a theater — it’s an eclectic offering that includes the original 1962 James Bond outing “Dr. No,” June 2; 1972’s “The Godfather,” June 16; the 1938 Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney crime film “Angels with Dirty Faces,” June 29; 1971 blaxploitation classic “Shaft,” July 27; and others. www.princetongardentheatre.org.

ACME Screening Room. The Lambertville nonprofit is resuming its Carpool Series for the summer as well as introducing “The Midnight Society,” described as a late-night horror event hosted by local horror creators for local horror creators. Screenings include cult classic and experimental films by local filmmakers. The inaugural event is the June 3 screening of “‘Maximum Overdrive,” a VHS showing of “Lillith” (2019), and coffee and caramel corn. www.acmescreeningroom.org

2022 New Jersey International Film Festival. The 27th annual festival takes place on select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between June 3 and 12. The hybrid event presents screenings online as well as in person at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

A juried showcase of films from around the world, the festival also highlights work by New Jersey artists, with this summer’s offerings including Howell, New Jersey, director Will Rittweger’s “Love Forbids You,” a short film noir-like dream search for a missing girl, June 4; Denville’s Tom McCabe and Kirk Rudell’s “Voice of the Game,” a 60-minute film on little known yet influential German-American soccer coach, Manfred Schellscheidt, June 5; and Lodi director Anthony Scalia’s short “Bendix: Sight Unseen,” a portrait of John Diaskakis, the blind, single father owner of the Bendix Diner in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, June 11.

Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick. Show starts vary so check for dates. $15 per screening event. Festival All Access Pass, $100. 2022newjerseyinternationalfilmfestival.eventive.org.

As all of the above indicate, it’s a hot cultural summer — have fun and keep safe by staying up to date with the pandemic news and each venue’s health protocols.