This letter is in response to Mr. Sam Greco’s letter from the June 12th edition of the WWP News, yet not only is this letter directed to him but to the West Windsor community at large.
As a member of the board of trustees and president of the West Windsor Arts Council, I am pleased to share with Mr. Greco and our community that the arts are “alive” and “growing” in the West Windsor Community.
The West Windsor Arts Council when compared to other area arts organizations is a relatively new seedling — only six years old. What started as one event in 2002 has now grown to over 20 events in 2008.
In fact this year alone, our organization has been very busy; we have hosted two film events at the West Windsor Public Library, participated in an afternoon of percussion in partnership with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s BRAVO program, and joined in the Communiversity celebration by teaching origami to the crowds in downtown Princeton. Additionally, we kicked off our terrific partnership with the West Windsor Community Farmers Market in mid May by once again hosting our hands on arts activities — the first of 11 activities at the market.
On June 13 our summer music series, Celebrating Americana, began with an evening of R&B and jazz at Nassau Park Pavilion; we hope each and everyone of you join us for our event celebrating big band music on Saturday June 27, Monday Blues, a group of Princeton area big band musicians will swing the night away!
And this is just the start. Our organization has spent the past several years working with the township to develop plans to bring the empty Princeton Junction Firehouse building up to code and convert it into a community arts center. The memorandum of understanding with the Township from 2003 identifies our organization as the arts organization that will manage the center once the building is brought up to code. Wonderfully, a new round of drawings is prepared and will be sent out to bid very soon in an effort to get the process started.
The Arts Council has not been sitting back while the Township has been “doing all the work.” Our organization officially kicked off the “silent” portion of its Capital Campaign, Home is Where the Art Is, last November. Our goal of $300,000 may seem modest, but in these economic times we feel that number is realistic. As of May 16, our organization achieved 47 percent of that goal by receiving a gift of $25,000 from Tyco International. Additional contributors to our capital campaign include Mack Cali, the Dreher Group, Boston Properties, the Boyle Family Foundation, NRG Energy, Whole Foods, InterCap Holdings, Princeton University, and the West Windsor Township Community Foundation as well as our two successful fundraisers, Cabin Fever Cabaret 2008 and 2009.
Funding for the capital campaign is only one arm of the tree; planning and preparation are components needed to open up the West Windsor Arts Center in the former Princeton Junction Firehouse. Late last fall, our organization created four task forces to plan marketing, operations, programming, and the opening events for the Arts Center. These groups have been meeting since that time and are planning the future for the community arts center.
And the sky is the limit! The success of our organization comes from the dedication of its wonderful volunteers. What one sees today and will see tomorrow are the efforts and the hard work that these folks — community members like you and I — offer to their fellow community members.
Please stop by one of our upcoming events and join in the fun! We would love to see you and we would love to have you lend us a hand in creating a home for the Arts in West Windsor.
Ruth Potts
11 Penn Lyle Road
