TDA welcomes new board members
The Trenton Downtown Association has announced the election of five new members to its board: Raoul Momo, Terra Momo Restaurant Group; Eric Poe, CURE Auto Insurance; Liad Onitiri, iPutOn Agency; Wayne Downing, Success Barbershop; and William “Butch” Osterman, owner of 113 South Warren Street. A new representative from the mayor’s office, Andres Lomi, real estate manager at the City of Trenton, was also appointed to the board.
The announcement follows another two months ago reporting that Bryan Evans was named vice chair and Anne LaBate was named treasurer. They have both served on the TDA board for several years.
According to a recent press release, TDA is also moving forward with goals that include broadening its board of directors and supporting Commercial District Services in the implementation of a new, vital downtown work plan.
CDS is the public space management company retained by the TDA board to manage the Special Improvement District implementation of new streetscape enhancements and quality-of-life improvements throughout the district.
TDA is also seeking additional board members to fill the seats of departing board members Clark Martin, Hal English, Richard Patterson, and Christien Nicole Brown.
TDA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to strengthen and support the business district of New Jersey’s state capital with programs that promote its economic growth and investment. Its staff is involved in business recruitment and retention, public relations, advocacy, marketing support, referrals, partnership development and job creation.
Individuals interested in serving on the TDA board should send an email, along with a brief bio or resume that states their interest, to info@trenton-downtown.com.
Boheme Opera returns to Trenton
Boheme Opera NJ returns to the main stage at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial for Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto” on March 18 and 20.
Boheme was co-founded 33 years ago in Trenton by Trenton native and Trenton Central High School music instructor Joseph Pucciatti and his musician wife, Sandra Milstein-Pucciatti.
It is now recognized as one of the oldest opera companies in New Jersey.
The fully staged production of Verdi’s 1851 work dealing with revenge, fate, and lust will feature costumes and digital sets evoking the 1930s setting. “We’ve set the opera in a turbulent era that heightens the story’s traditional emotional tension,” says Pucciatti.
“Rigoletto” will be performed in Italian with English supertitles, preceded by pre-curtain talks in the theater one hour before start of performances, presented by Boheme Board President Jerrold Kalstein. Performances will be on Friday, March 18, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 20, at 3 p.m. Proof of vaccination and masks will be required for entry, and socially distanced seating will be observed.
609-581-9551 or www.bohemeopera.org/rigoletto.
James Kerney Campus Gallery celebrates five years
James Kerney Campus Gallery (JKCG) is marking five years of sharing photography-based art with downtown audiences.
Located in MCCC’s Trenton Hall at 137 North Broad Street, JKCG is directed and curated by Professor Michael Chovan-Dalton, the coordinator of the college’s photography program.
Chovan-Dalton had big visions for the gallery when it opened its doors in 2017, and while many of those goals have been realized, it remains a “work in progress,” he says.
“I wanted our new gallery to become part of an already vibrant Trenton arts scene and to serve as a magnet for local and regional lens-based artists, as well as a destination for nationally recognized artists. I also wanted to give MCCC photography students experience with how shows are curated and installed and opportunities to engage with the artists,” he says in a recent press release.
JKCG has produced 28 exhibition that have examined a variety of themes, including those related to social justice, urban and natural environment, and culture.
Also participating in the development of the gallery are Ryann Casey, a regional artist and MCCC art history of photography instructor, and Trenton photographers Habiyb Shu’Aib and Heather Palecek.
The latter two photographers also curate the gallery’s monthly “Third Thursdays” artist talks and panel discussions. The live, digital, and hybrid events have attracted local, national, and international engagement.
609-586-4800 or www.mccc.edu/community_gallery_jkc.shtml.
Boheme Opera founders Joseph Pucciatti, left, and Sandra Milstein-Pucciatti.,
