The Trenton Free Public Library and Trenton Artists Workshop Association announce an exhibition spotlighting The Original Trenton Coffeehouse, a downtown Trenton cultural project that help launch several important Trenton cultural organizations and activities.
The exhibition opens Saturday, March 22, and continues through June 21. It includes original posters, photos, newspaper articles, and artwork created about and for the coffeehouse.
A public program involving original organizers is set for Saturday, March 22, at 2 p.m.
The Original Trenton Coffeehouse started in 1979 when Trenton area organizers Don Massara, Dan Aubrey (former editor of the Trenton Downtowner), and Liz Roszel began exploring ways to bring artists and audiences together in a generally abandoned downtown Trenton.
With the support of the First United Methodist Church on South Borad Street, the OTC opened in the church basement in the winter of 1980 and continued for six years.
Using an early version of the “Do It Yourself” spirit, the project had no operating budget, funds, or board.
Nevertheless, during its lifetime, the OTC presented a once-a-week series of events that featured writers, artists, speakers, and groups of regional and international notoriety, including poets Daniel Berrigan, Imari Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Mel Leipzig, Don Evans, Pablo Medina, and dozens of area musicians.
OTC coordinators also used their talents and the OTC space to help other initiatives, including the establishment of the Trenton Artist Workshop Association and its Eyes on Trenton Festival, the establishment of Artworks Trenton, the first music series at Joe’s Mill Hill Saloon, the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, and Passage Theater Company.
The OTC — which created its name around that of the former Original Trenton Cracker Company — ended its series when organizers saw new staffed organizations and funded activities continuing what they had set out to create.
TAWA is a Greater Trenton nonprofit organization and has a 40-year history organizing exhibits in such venues as the New Jersey State Museum, Trenton City Museum, Artworks Trenton, Prince Street Gallery in New York City, and more.
The Trenton Free Public Library is located at 120 Academy Street and is located in the Creek2Canal Trenton Arts District. Hours are Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the library, call 609-392-7188.
More information on the Trenton Artists Workshop Association can be found on the organization’s Facebook page.
An archival poster showcases a poetry festival organized by the Original Trenton Coffeehouse in 1982. ,
