Fall Family Arts Festival at New Jersey State Museum
(TRENTON, NJ) – For those in the know, the New Jersey State Museum’s biannual Family Arts Festivals are quickly becoming one of the capital region’s most treasured outings. This year’s fall edition kicks off at 11:00 am on Saturday, October 18, with a thrilling performance by Soul Street Dance Company, Takin’ It to the Street, (and again at 2:00 pm), followed by Gwendolyn Briley-Strand as Harriet Tubman, the Chosen One, at 12:30 and 3:30 pm.
Adding to the excitement will be the six-hours of art-making activities that build upon themes in the Museum’s current exhibition, Culture in Context: A Tapestry of Expression, and which run concurrently with the stage action. The day’s events are a wonderful way for children and the adults in their lives — parents, grandparents, relatives, and friends — to share an inspiring creative and educational adventure. Guests are welcome anytime between 11:00 am – 5:00 pm; festival admission and parking in nearby state-owned facilities are free.
If you’re a late riser on weekends, the hyper-kinetic Soul Street dancers may be the life-changing experience you’ve secretly yearned for. Their breathtaking program uses street dance, rhythm poetry and drama to teach the history and culture of hip-hop and other urban dance forms.
Gwendolyn Briley-Strand’s one-woman show takes us back to an earlier time when freedom required an arduous and perilous journey along the Underground Railroad. This dramatic portrait of a remarkable American — a former slave who led more than 300 other slaves to emancipation — offers a fresh perspective on the distance this nation has traveled in just under 200 years.
All performances take place in the Museum auditorium at 205 West State Street, Trenton.
The Museum Galleries next door at 225 West State Street house the festival’s hands-on art projects, where children and their families will be able to make Japanese fish kites, African Adinkra cloth designs, Mexican tin art, and wire sculptures. Plus, there will be a community art project where all festival-goers can participate in Native American totem pole building— all designed to evoke and celebrate your inner Picasso. Professional artists will be on hand to provide guidance and all supplies.
The Family Arts Festival is a program of the Friends of the New Jersey State Museum in partnership with Young Audiences New Jersey (YANJ). For further information, please call YANJ at (609) 243-9000, ext. 210. More information can be found by visiting the New Jersey State Museum online at www.newjerseystatemuseum.org or by calling (609) 292-6310.
Continuing through January 11, 2009, in the Museum’s newly refurbished galleries is the reopening exhibition, Culture in Context: A Tapestry of Expression, exploring arts and craft traditions from around the world that have taken root in the Garden State. The dazzling diversity includes: African-American Gospel singing; storytelling and doll making; Cambodian Court dance; Irish pipes; Native American and South Jersey basket making; Abenaki weaving; West African drumming and dance; Puerto Rican music and dance; Irish set dancing; Chinese knot work; Ukrainian textile arts; Asian Indian traditional arts; Lenape traditional arts; Barnegat Bay decoy carving; traditional rug hooking and more.
Complementing the exhibition are regularly scheduled performances and demonstrations showcasing and teaching about each art form.
The New Jersey State Museum/Department of State has received generous support for its exhibitions and programs from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/NJ Department of State; New Jersey Network Public Television and Radio; The Bunbury Company; The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; the Friends of the New Jersey State Museum; Merrill G. & Emerita E. Hastings Foundation; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; the New Jersey Historical Commission; New Jersey Council for the Humanities; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Hyde & Watson Foundation; PSEG, PSE&G; Atlantic City Electric; AT&T; Bank of America; and the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism.
The New Jersey State Museum is located at 205 West State Street, Trenton, NJ. The main building and auditorium are open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 am – 4:45 pm, and Sunday, noon to 5:00 pm. The Museum is closed Mondays and all state holidays. Exhibitions are also presented in the Museum’s satellite gallery next door in the Department of State building at 225 West State Street. Exhibit hours at this location are Monday through Saturday, 9:00 am – 4:45 pm; closed Sundays and all state holidays. On weekends, free parking is available in lots adjacent to and behind the Museum.
For more museum information, please call (609) 292-6464 or visit its website at www.newjerseystatemuseum.org. The New Jersey State Museum is a division of the NJ Department of State. Please visit www.trentonparking.com for a number of options for parking in downtown Trenton.
The New Jersey State Museum offers an exciting range of family-friendly programs and events throughout the 2008/2009 school year. In conjunction with Young Audiences New Jersey, the Museum offers family performances on the second Saturday of each moth, art festivals in October and May, and school-day performances throughout the year. In addition, the Museum also offers science-based school-day performances, gallery tours on the first Friday of each month, weekly film screenings at 1:00 pm on Wednesdays, and exhibition-specific demonstrations and classes. Program information, exhibition schedules and more can be found at www.newjerseystatemuseum.org.
The Friends of the New Jersey State Museum was founded in 1968 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) to support the Museum’s collections, exhibitions and programs through fundraising, volunteerism and advocacy. Friends members comprise the core docent group for the Museum. The Friends also operate a gift shop selling merchandise related to the Museum’s exhibitions and New Jersey history and culture. Proceeds support the Museum’s publications. This year marks the Friends’ 40th anniversary and four decades of a highly successful, rewarding partnership with the Museum.
Founded in 1973, Young Audiences New Jersey is the premier arts-in-education resource in the state, providing high-quality performances and artist-in-residence programs to 420,000 children pre-kindergarten through 12th grade annually. Each year, thousands of teachers and hundreds of artists enliven their performances and enrich their curriculums through YANJ's professional development. YANJ’s extensive professional artist roster represents all art forms — from dance and theater to music, language, and visual arts. Its programs are accessible to all socio-economic, ethnic, cultural, and geographic communities, and are designed to strengthen the arts in schools, meet local and state curriculum standards, involve families in arts activities, and enrich cultural life in New Jersey communities. YANJ is the first arts education organization designated as a major service organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and, as part of the national network of Yo ung Audiences, Inc. was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton. Projects like this and the 4,000 programs provided annually by YANJ are made possible in part through a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State and funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit www.yanj.org. |
