There is a plethora of porches and pianos for Princeton this April as the Arts Council of Princeton, with support from Princeton University, launches a month-long series of festivities honoring local artists. Through initiatives like the “Princeton Piano Project” and the first-ever “Princeton Porchfest” musical event, the ACP is unveiling “April ARTS” just in time for the spring season.
April ARTS is a spiritual successor to ACP’s former arts festival, Communiversity, which was canceled in 2020 due to COVID before reaching its 50th year in operation. Prior to being known as Communiversity, the gathering was referred to as “The Art People’s Party,” which later inspired the current concept of a month’s observance of events.
Adam Welch, the executive director ofthe Arts Council of Princeton, estimated that over 40,000 guests had made Communiverity an annual success. But as the pandemic showed no signs of stopping, Welch and his team needed to explore new options.
The sheer size of such an event would have been dangerous because of the virus, so after speaking with the mayor, council and university staff, April ARTS was born. With a decentralized event system, ACP hopes to not only recognize the talents throughout Princeton, but highlight them in a socially distanced, outside environment.
For additional information, and to see what else the ACP has in store for the month of April, the April ARTS community calendar on their website, artscouncilofprinceton.org/aprilarts, will be updated frequently.
Princeton Porchfest is on Saturday, April 23 from noon to 6 p.m. Princeton residents “donate” their front porches or stoops for the occasion, giving musicians a stage for free, family-friendly live performances. The inaugural concert will adhere to all ongoing COVID-19 precautions and will carry on rain or shine.
Attendees can walk or bike across the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood, as well as Nassau Street by the central business district, to appreciate the rotating sets of bands.
“All the performers will play in their respective locations simultaneously,” Welch said. “Essentially, there will be 55 musicians, easily found by the printed and online map letting you know where they’re playing and when.”
While the concepts of both Porchfest and Piano Project originated in New York, Asbury Park has been regularly hosting the Asbury Park Porchfest for several years. Following in the footsteps of Asbury Park, the ACP asked the bands performing first to lend sound equipment to subsequent performers, creating a friendly, collaborative atmosphere and eliminating the time between acts.
“What we’ve decided to do is [choose] sites that are within walking distance, but not within earshot, so that you’ll be able to easily walk in between set breaks to different locations,” Welch continued, one of their concerns being to eliminate sound pollution.
Taking in the architecture and talents of Princeton, Welch said, is a welcome experience they want to facilitate, with chatty neighbors and music abounding as the front yards transform into community spaces. ACP suggests that attendees indulge in Princeton’s culinary experiences as well, citing the countless lunch and dinner options mere steps away from the porchfront stages.
Another key part of April ARTS is the Princeton Piano Project. Using pianos donated from Princeton residents, ACP commissioned local creatives to paint the seven instruments, which will be placed around Princeton and remain available for anyone to play.
“What we’re going to be doing is creating a public art piece and a performance space,” Welch said. Specific performances will be coordinated, likely on weekends, during the month.
The piano artists include Leon Rainbow, Ronah Harris, Albelardo Montano, Susan DeConcini and Lisa Walsh, Marlon 7oveChild Davila and Stephanie and Naomi Nazario.
Leon Rainbow is a Trenton-based artist whose work, most notably his colorful murals, are inspired by graffiti and street art. The theme for his piano, the “Touch of a Master’s Hand,” is brought to life with a mixed-media approach of spray paint, acrylics and paint markers.
As of press time, Rainbow had almost completed his piano, its design showing a spray can on one side, while the other portrays a gifted hand playing the piano.
“Music or art is the touch of a master’s hand, it’s not really the instrument or the supplies. It’s just the creativity, and the amount of work that it takes to get to a certain point with it, that really makes a difference from great art or music from mediocre,” he said.
“It’s the first time I painted a piano, so it was an interesting surface to work with,” Rainbow continued. “I feel like it’s gonna have a different life once it’s out in the community.”
He does not know where his piano will go just yet, but he is looking forward to “somebody playing it and giving it a new life,” rather than seeing it go unused. “Now, they’re getting a new life, and hopefully people will be able to enjoy it.”
Marlon Davila, also known as “7ove Child,” is a lifelong Princeton resident embracing both nature and his “inner child” through symbolic artwork. His name comes from being a self-described “love child” himself, aiming to lessen the stigma by signing his paintings as such.
Davila became involved with the Piano Project via a connection from his previous residency with ACP in 2019, where a mural, titled “Journey,” was created at John Street and Leigh Avenue.
Inspired by the ornate designs and intricate woodwork of his piano, Davila said that he “let the art flow in” for the project. A spring scene blossomed up on the instrument’s surface, the artist painting his piano with flowers and femininity as his muse. Davila grew up around women, calling the “enchanted piano” a way to honor figures like Frida Kahlo and his mother.
Davila expressed hope, as an active artist in the Princeton community, that April ARTS and the Piano Project would continue in the future.
“I would love for this whole thing to keep going, because art is healing,” he said. “The whole goal is for people to be able to see that art is really limitless, and anyone can partake by just sitting there, playing the piano and feeling that energy.”
Other programs on the schedule for April ARTS are the Cabernet Cabaret 10th Anniversary Extravaganza, artist Joe Kossow’s “Still Lives from a (Mostly) Stilled Life” opening reception, a spoken word celebration in honor of Paul Robeson’s 124th birthday and “Story & Verse: A Storytelling and Poetic Open Mic.”
To commence the “thirty days of creativity,” April ARTS begins with a Kick-Off Happy Hour on April 1 at 5:30 p.m. Held at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, guests are encouraged to toast with Prosecco or cider as a way of welcoming the month’s engagements. Also featured will be musical performances on the painted piano in front of the ACP building.
Welch expressed gratitude to everyone who helped make April ARTS possible, thanking Princeton University, the municipal officials, Mayor Mark Freda, council members, community sponsors and more.
“What we’re hoping, and what we’re anticipating, is that people will be able to see, other than the pianos and Porchfest…just how full our town is, our community is, with arts and cultural activities,” Welch said.
April ARTS, Arts Council of Princeton and Princeton University, April 1 to 30. Princeton Porchfest, April 23, noon to 6 p.m. Free. More information and a full calendar of events are available at ACP’s website, artscouncilofprinceton.org.
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