In Town
West Windsor Arts Council presents art classes for students of all ages. Early bird registration ends on Monday, December 16. Register at www.westwindsorarts.org or call 609-716-1931.
“Creative Design Techniques” presented by Sejal Krishnan, a textile designer, encourages children to solve problems as they work from a concept to create an image and then transfer it to an object. Krishnan is also teaching “Creative Painting Techniques” for adults who want to explore painting.
“Brazilian Zouk for All” is presented by Marie Alonzo Snyder, a dancer and choreographer from West Windsor. The dance style class incorporates wheelchair bound dancers along side their standing peers.
“In the Style of the Masters” presented by Aparajita “Pooja” Sen, an artist from West Windsor, incorporates art history with practice. Students will analyze and discuss the works of masters and then create their own artwork using the masters’ techniques and materials.
More classes for the young include “Intro to Painting,” “Art Sampler,” and “Fabric Works,” a sewing and design class. “Capoiera,” a Brazilian art form.
Classes are at the West Windsor Arts Center at 952 Alexander Road, West Windsor.
Monday Morning Flower and Balloon Company is collecting food donations for three local food centers during the next few weeks. Bring in three or more items to donate and receive $5 of Monday Morning Money. Donations will benefit Plainsboro Food Pantry, South Brunswick Food Pantry, and Bentley Community Services. One collection location is Forrestal Village in Plainsboro. Visit www.sendingsmiles.com or call 609-520-2005.
MCCC’s 2013 Kelsey Review features 22 works of fiction, poetry, and art by 17 contributors who live, work, or study in Mercer County. Free copies are available at public libraries. Writing contributors include Ken Jaworowski of Princeton Junction and Gwen Jones and Lavinia Kumar of Plainsboro.
The deadline for submissions for the 2014 edition is Thursday, May 15. E-mail Kelsey.review@mccc.edu or visit www.mccc.edu for information.
Crisis Ministry of Mercer County seeks food and volunteers for its annual “CAN-U-Copia” event during the Thanksgiving season. The community effort helps fill the shelves of the nonprofit organization’s three food pantries and raises awareness and funds to support hunger prevention.
Yes We CAN! will conduct a food drive at West Windsor Farm Market on Saturday, November 23. Visit www.thecrisisministry.org, or call 609-396-9355 for information.
Mercer County Community College has announced the launch of American Honors, a selective two-year program that offers students seeking bachelor’s degrees an opportunity to complete their first two years at a community college at a reduced cost. The program begins in the fall of 2014. Visit AmericanHonors.org or E-mail admissions@americanhonors.org.
Good Causes
Tender Hearts is conducting its holiday drive for military families at McGuire Air Force and Fort Dix Military bases. The collection is for toys for infants to 10-year-old children as well as items for Christmas dinner. Donations, may be delivered to Tender Hearts, 320 Scully Avenue, Hamilton. Deadline is Wednesday, December 18.
Grounds For Sculpture is joining with Jersey Cares for the annual Jersey Cares Coat Drive. This year’s goal is to collect and distribute more than 60,000 winter coats to those in need in New Jersey.
Grounds For Sculpture will have a collection box in the visitors’ center and encourages guests to bring their gently used winter coats to donate. Donors will receive a free guest pass to the sculpture park to be used for a return visit. Grounds For Sculpture is located at 18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton. Visit www.groundsforsculpture.org. Deadline is Friday, February 7.
The Salvation Army seeks volunteers and donations during the holiday season. Adopt a Kettle programs, located at 55 locations in central New Jersey, needs volunteers to ring the bell from Friday, November 22, to Tuesday, December 24. Adopt an Angel for Christmas is a gift program that matches donators with a child from the community. Visit www.salvationarmynj.org or call 609-599-9373.
Trees for Troops is a program to provide Christmas trees to U.S. troops and military families in conjunction with the National Christmas Tree Association, the New Jersey Christmas Tree Grower’s Association, and FedEx. Donations may be made at www.treesfortroops.org or by purchasing trees to donate at FedEx Freight trailer drop locations across the nation during Trees for Troops Weekend, December 6 to 8. Another location is Keris Tree Farm & Christmas Shop at 848 Route 524, Allentown.
Call for Film
Princeton Public Library invites student filmmakers, ages 12 to 24, to submit entries to the Princeton Environmental Film Festival short video contest. The contest seeks videos that focus on sustainability, its related topics, and the lives of the filmmakers. Selected videos will be showcased at the PEFF and one grand prize winner will receive a GoPro Camera. The deadline is Thursday, December 5.
Videos will be judged on their creativity and originality. They should be no longer than three minutes. Submit YouTube or Vimeo link to princetonlibrary.org/PEFFshorts. Contact Susan Conlon at sconlon@princetonlibrary.org or Jessica Santos at jmsantos@princeton.edu.
For Girls Only
Princeton House Behavioral Health initiated a program recently for girls age 13 to 18 who are dealing with mood and behavioral issues. The program, Supporting Adolescent Girls Emotionally (SAGE), program provides a supportive environment for girls to explore development issues that are unique to girls as they transition into young adulthood.
SAGE is designed to help girls develop healthy communication skills and positive self-esteem and to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, and the full spectrum of traumatic disorders. The program is located at 1000 Herrontown Road, Princeton. Visit www.princetonhouse.org or call 888-437-1610 for information.
Call for Photos
D&R Greenway and Princeton Photography Club invite high school students to submit digital images expressing the seasons for “SeasonScapes,” an annual juried exhibition. The photograph, showing a season or transition between seasons, may be digitally manipulated or unaltered. Judges will be Carl Geisler, president of the Princeton Photography Club; and Diana Moore, curator of D&R Greenway’s galleries. Deadline is Friday, February 14. Visit www.drgreenway.org.
Call for Art
Monmouth County Arts Council seeks art for the annual juried art exhibition to be held at the Monmouth Museum. The competition is open to all artists world-wide age 17 and over. All artwork entered must be the artist’s original creations completed within the last five years, and must not have been exhibited in past Monmouth Museum exhibitions. Submission fee is $20 per piece entered (with a limit of four).
Artwork will be considered in all media through online submission of digital jpeg images only. Selected artwork must be wired, framed (if media applicable), and ready to hang. Painted, gallery-wrapped canvas is acceptable. Artworks must be no more than 7 feet in height and able to fit through a standard door. Pedestals must be provided by artists for all three-dimensional entries (when appropriate). Entered and accepted work cannot be substituted. All work must be available for the duration of the exhibition.
The juror is Stacy Smith, manager of publications and communications at Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Deadline is Friday, December 6. Contact Catherine Clark at 732-224-1989 or cclark@monmouthmuseum.org.
Call for Artists
Hopewell Valley Arts Council seeks artists, painters, sculptors, craftsmen, multi-media artists, and other creative people to join the “Hopewell Valley Stampede” and submit proposals for embellishing, adorning, and otherwise decorating the fiberglass oxen that will roam the Hopewell Valley in the fall of 2014.
The public art exhibit is expected to transform into an open air museum of one-of-a-kind, life-sized oxen sculptures, painted and embellished by artists of all ages, backgrounds, and interests. The decorated oxen will graze in public places throughout Hopewell Valley including streets, parks, business sites, and schools in Pennington, Hopewell,, Titusville, and more.
Artists must register by Tuesday, December 17, and design submissions are due by Friday, January 17. Selected artists will have from March to June to complete his or her oxen. Submissions are open to all artists from the acclaimed to the amateur, and designs can be created individually or as teams. Each design that is chosen will receive an honorarium of $750. Visit www.hvartscouncil.org.
Seeking Playwrights
Premiere Stages, the professional theater company in residence at Kean University, is accepting submissions for the 10th annual play festival. Seeking unproduced scripts for developmental and production opportunities to four playwrights born or living in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, or Connecticut. Deadline is Wednesday, January 15. The focus is on scripts that tackle social and political issues and challenge the audience to re-examine the world around them. No fee to enter the competition. Visit www.kean.edu/premierestages/play.asp.
Volunteer Please
Drumthwacket Foundation is looking for volunteer docents to lead weekly tours of Drumthwacket, the official residence of the Governor of New Jersey. Docents educate the public and students about the house, its rich history, and contents. Docents work on average two Wednesdays per month and occasional weekends. E-mail your letter of interest to info@drumthwacket.org.
