2009 PRESS RELEASES
December
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September
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April
The Historical Society of Princeton’s Rex Goreleigh: Revisited in Princeton Exhibition to End on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Princeton, New Jersey, December 22, 2009–On Monday, January 18, 2010, the Historical Society of Princeton’s Rex Goreleigh: Revisited in Princeton exhibition will officially close to the public. The exhibition showcases the life and works of the African-American artist Rex Goreleigh (1902-1986), who dedicated his career to the Princeton artistic community for nearly 40 years by making and teaching art.
The exhibition is a comprehensive display of Goreleigh’s works and examination of Goreleigh’s place within the art historical canon today. The landmark exhibition explores Goreleigh’s potentially politically-charged subject matter, its effects on Princeton in the 1960s and 70s as well as the social themes present in Goreleigh’s works that remain relevant today throughout New Jersey and the nation.
Photo Credit: Rex Goreleigh, untitled landscape, c. 1950, oil on canvas, Hilton Collection, Trenton, N.J.
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Family Holiday Fun with Home for the Holidays at the Historical Society of Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey–The Historical Society of Princeton (HSP) will host a week of activities for children and families with the Home for the Holidays series.
HSP’s Home for the Holidays events will begin with Happy Birthday Woodrow Wilson! On Monday, December 28, 2009, join HSP for a celebration of Wilson’s life that will include games, art, and (peanut-free) birthday cake. HSP will host two sessions at 10:00-11:00 am or 1:00-2:00 pm. The birthday party is limited to 15 children for children ages 8-12; the cost is $5 per child or $4 for members. Pre-registration is recommended as space is limited.
Visit Bainbridge House for HSP’s Holiday Craft Days. Bring the kids to HSP for our drop-in December crafts days on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm with Greeting Cards Galore and Thursday, December 31, 10:00 am - 3:00 pmwith Make Your Own 2010 Calendar. Children will be invited to create holiday thank you cards as well as Kwanzaa or New Year’s cards. Both events are free and open to the public, children of all ages are welcome, and reservations are not required.
On Sunday, January 3, 2010 from 1:00-2:30 pm, HSP will commemorate January 3, 1777, General Washington, and his troops with the event, the Battle of Princeton: How History Happened Right Here. The tour will explore this pivotal event by studying war artifacts and visiting historical hot spots (Nassau Hall and the Battle of Princeton monument). The tour will end at Bainbridge House with hot cider and treats. The event is limited to 15 children for children ages 6 and up. The cost is $5 per child or $4 for members, adults and children under 5 are free, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is recommended as space is limited.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Historical Society of Princeton
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U.S. Representative Rush Holt and the Historical Society of Princeton Celebrate the Rehabilitation of the Updike Farmstead
Princeton, New Jersey–On Monday, November 30, 2009, the Historical Society of Princeton (HSP) welcomed one hundred guests, including a fourth grade school group from Community Park Elementary School, to celebrate the commencement of construction at the Updike Farmstead with a Ceremonial Groundbreaking Event. The Society is preserving and restoring the historic Quaker Road property bordering the Battlefield Preservation District and the Institute for Advanced Study.
HSP’s President of the Board of Trustees, John H. Dumont and Executive Director Erin L. Dougherty began the event by welcoming and thanking all community members from throughout Princeton who have assisted with rehabilitation efforts to date. U.S. Representative Rush Holt delivered the keynote address to an audience that included Princeton Township and Borough Mayors, Bernard Miller and Mildred Trotman as well as Lawrence Township Mayor Pam Mount. In his address, Congressman Holt underscored the importance historic preservation and open space to create multi-disciplinary learning environments for the generations to come. The ceremony concluded with tours of the Updike Farm.
To learn more about the Updike Farmstead, call HSP at 609-921-6748 ext. 100 or visit www.princetonhistory.org.
Photo Credit: From left: Mr. David McAlpin, HSP Member of the Board of Trustees; Ms. Erin Dougherty, HSP Executive Director; U.S. Representative Rush Holt, and fourth graders from the Community Park Elementary School.
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The Historical Society of Princeton’s 2010 Calendar Now Available
Princeton, New Jersey– Now available, exclusively through the Historical Society of Princeton (HSP), is a 2010 Calendar providing a glimpse into a wide variety of people, places, and topics in Princeton’s history from its streets to its educational institutions to residential buildings. The calendar features twelve historic photographs depicting Princeton’s rich history that have been selected from HSP’s vast archival collections. HSP’s new 2010 calendar was made possible through the support of a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.
HSP’s 2010 calendar is available for purchase in the museum gift shop at the cost of $20.00. The calendars will available for $15.00 on December 3, 2009 from 5:00 to 7:00pm at HSP’s Holiday Shopping Party.
For more information about purchasing a calendar or attending the Holiday Shopping Party please contact us at 609-921-6748 ext. 100.
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House Tour 2009 Presented by the Historical Society of Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey– The Historical Society of Princeton’s eighth annual House Tour will be held on Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 10am to 4pm.
The Tour will feature eight unique homes and will allow participants to learn about the area’s rich history. Highlighted this year are five of the six Drumthwacket Estate outbuildings including 6, 19 and 20 Greenhouse Drive; 176 Parkside Drive; and 87 Lovers Lane. Also included are 984 Cherry Valley Road; 974 Mercer Road; and 132 Birch Avenue. According to Merlene Tucker, House Tour Committee Chair, “For the past eight years the Historical Society of Princeton’s Historic House Tour has offered the community the opportunity to view a selection of distinctive homes around Princeton. This year’s House Tour will continue the tradition with five of the six Drumthwacket outbuildings on view, along with three additional exceptional properties. Thanks to the generosity of our participating homeowners, this year’s House Tour will be an event not to be missed!” N.T. Callaway Real Estate is the lead sponsor for the House Tour 2009. Tickets for the House Tour are $35 for HSP members and $40 for non-members. For tickets and more information call HSP at 609-921-6748 ext. 100 or visit www.princetonhistory.org.
In conjunction with the HSP’s Tour, the Drumthwacket Foundation will host an open house and lunch at the official Governor’s residence located on 354 Stockton Street. Separate, advance reservations required. For lunch reservations call 609-683-0057 ext. 4 or visit www.drumthwacket.com.
Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy of N.T. Callaway Real Estate: “At Last Farm" on 984 Cherry Valley Road
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Historical Society of Princeton to Host Veteran’s Day Lecture, “Fruits of Victory: Rediscovering the New Jersey Woman’s Land Army of World War I”, by Author Elaine F. Weiss
Princeton, New Jersey –On November 11, 2009, Historical Society of Princeton (HSP) and the History Department at Princeton University will co-sponsor a lecture by Elaine F. Weiss entitled “Fruits of Victory: Rediscovering the New Jersey Woman’s Land Army of WWI.”
Ms. Weiss, author of Fruits of Victory: The Woman’s Land Army of America in the Great War, will discuss the history of the Women’s Land Army (WLA) or “farmerettes,” women who were called to agricultural duty when American men were summoned to military service during World War I. The talk will focus especially on the formation of New Jersey’s WLA.
Ms. Weiss is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and on National Public Radio. She is a frequent correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
The lecture will take place at Princeton University’s Friend Center, Room 006. A pre-reception begins at 6:30 pm with a 7:00 pm lecture and book-signing to follow. Suggested donation: $5.00. Please call 609.921.6748 ext. 100 for reservations. For additional information on the Historical Society of Princeton and all upcoming events, please visit www.princetonhistory.org.
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The Historical Society of Princeton Presents the Albert E. Hinds Memorial Walking Tour: African American Life in Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey– On November 21, 2009 at 10:00am the Historical Society of Princeton and local historian Shirley Satterfield will explore Princeton's deeply historic African American community and neighborhood. The tour will cover historically significant sites from slavery days through segregation and into the present. Sites will include: the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church, the former Witherspoon School for Colored Children, and Paul Robeson's birthplace.
The cost is $7 per adult; $4 for children ages 6-12. Reservations are required. To register please call 609.921.6748 ext 100. The tour will begin at Bainbridge House.
Photo credit: Historical Society of Princeton
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Digital Database Now Available on Historical Society of Princeton Web site
Princeton, New Jersey –The Historical Society of Princeton (HSP) is pleased to announce the completion of the first phase of its new digital database on its Web site: http://www.princetonhistory.org/library.cfm. Nearly 4,000 photographs from HSP’s collection are now available for the public to browse. Visitors to the Web site will find images and information about a wide variety of places, people, and topics in Princeton’s history, from its streets to its educational institutions to residential buildings. Many of these photographs can be ordered as reproductions to give as gifts to family and friends or to decorate a home or business. HSP’s Curator of Collections, Eileen Morales, remarked, “The digital database is a great way for anyone interested in Princeton history – from a family historian to a professional researcher – to access HSP’s collection. We look forward to adding even more images to the database as this digitization project continues in the future.”
Twelve historic photographs selected from the database will be featured in the HSP’s new 2010 Calendar: Photo Treasures from the Collections of the Historical Society of Princeton. Available exclusively in HSP’s Museum Shop, the calendar includes photographs of Drumthwacket, the Princeton Battle Monument, and Beatty House, among other great images of Princeton. HSP’s Museum Shop is open Tuesday to Sunday, 12noon to 4pm and for a special Holiday Shopping Party on Thursday, December 3 from 5 to 7pm. HSP’s online database was made possible through the support of a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.
For more information about purchasing a calendar or accessing the database, please contact us at 609-921-6748 ext. 100.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Historical Society of Princeton: Family of Jared Wolfe on the Porch of Beatty House, 19 Vandeventer Avenue, 1897
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Farewell Mills Gatsch Architects to Sponsor Historical Society of Princeton’s 5th Annual Fall Antiques and Fine Arts Show
Princeton, New Jersey – The Historical Society of Princeton (HSP) is pleased to announce the architecture firm, Farewell Mills Gatsch Architects, LLC as a new sponsor of the Princeton Fall Antiques and Fine Arts Show.
The Antiques Show, now in its 5th year, is the major fundraiser of the year for HSP and will once again take place at the Princeton Airport, Rt. 206, Princeton, NJ, from September 25-27, 2009. Special events will include a Saturday afternoon talk at 2:30pm with Deborah Davis, the New York Times bestselling author of Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X. Signed copies of Ms. Davis’ book will be available. On Sunday at afternoon at 1:30pm there will be an antiques appraisal clinic with experts from Rago Auction Center. All proceeds from the three-day event help fund the HSP’s core mission activities including rotating exhibitions, educational programs for school children and families and collections care. For more information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact HSP at 609-921-6748 ext. 105.
Photo Credit: From left: Michael Farewell, FAIA; Michael J. Mills, FAIA; Erin Dougherty, HSP Executive Director; and John H. Dumont, HSP President of the Board of Trustees
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Rex Goreleigh: Revisited in Princeton at the Historical Society of Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey – In the 1945 exhibition catalog for The Negro Artist Comes of Age: A National Survey of Contemporary American Artists (Albany Institute of History and Art), the philosopher Alain Locke described the work of Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, and Rex Goreleigh, among others, as a “notable contribution both in content and style” to American art. The Historical Society of Princeton’s exhibition, Rex Goreleigh: Revisited in Princeton examines Goreleigh’s nearly forty-year career in New Jersey. Although Goreleigh’s status in the art world did not reach the heights of his contemporaries, the topics he explored in his paintings continue to have relevance for viewers today.
Rex Goreleigh (1902-1986) was born in a small town outside Philadelphia. His childhood and teenage years brought him to Washington, D.C. and New York City, where he completed high school. Although he began his college experience at the University of Chicago in 1940, the awarding of his Bachelor’s Degree would wait until 1976 when he received it from Livingston College at Rutgers University. Initially, Goreleigh gravitated to the performing arts. While in New York, he performed in small theater companies and appeared in a production of Harlem at the Apollo Theatre and the Eltinge Theatre on Broadway in 1929. He turned his attention to the visual arts and began studying painting privately with the artist Xavier J. Barile in New York from 1929 to 1931; sculpture with Leo Z. Moll in New York and Berlin from 1934 to 1935, and painting and composition with André Lhote in Paris during the summer of 1935.
Early on in his artistic career, Goreleigh gained experience in arts education and administration through the Federal Art Project (FAP). He taught painting to children at the Utopia Neighborhood House on West 130th Street and to teenagers in the Harlem Branch of the Y.M.C.A. from 1936 to ‘37. The FAP then sent him to be co-director of an art program for children and adults in Greensboro, North Carolina, and an art instructor at Palmer Memorial Institute in Sedalia, North Carolina.
These experiences through the Federal Art Project prepared Goreleigh for his long career in Princeton. After traveling in Europe in the late 1930s and after his short tenure as director of the South Side Community Art Center in Chicago, Goreleigh was called to Princeton to direct the newly founded organization, Princeton Group Arts. The goals and mission of Princeton Group Arts emphasized inclusivity in all its activities and artistic fields including theater, music, dance, painting, sculpture, writing and allied arts and crafts.
By 1952, the Princeton Group Arts had high enrollment numbers and many successful fundraisers including performances at McCarter Theater by the Philadelphia Piano Ensemble in 1947, by the celebrated contralto Marian Anderson in 1952, and by soprano Dorothy Maynor. Despite these efforts the Princeton Group Arts never quite had enough financial support from the community and as a result, in 1954, discontinued its exhibitions and workshops and released Rex Goreleigh from his director’s position.
Despite the demise of Princeton Group Arts, Goreleigh remained in Princeton. He conducted his own workshops for students of all ages at his “Studio-on-the-Canal,” located on Canal Road off Alexander Street. In this studio, he continued to paint, create ceramics, and silk screen his own work into book illustrations and covers, posters and Christmas cards. Goreleigh hired a number of instructors throughout the years to assist with his workshops. These included the painter Hughie Lee-Smith, printmaker Stefan Martin, sculptor Glenn Cullen, and illustrator James Edwards.
Goreleigh’s own work focused on representational subjects. He took portrait assignments on commission, including those of brother and sister, Bill Agress and Lynne Agress (collection of Morris and Dorothy Agress), and long-time Princeton resident, Cornelius A. Moore, Sr. (collection of Joseph Moore). He painted landscapes and streetscapes, including a watercolor view, Mary Watts’ Store (Historical Society of Princeton collection) and genre scenes such as the watercolor, Trenton Farmers (collection of Marvin and Ingrid Reed), depicting the activity at a Trenton Farmers Market.
By the 1960s and into the 1970s, however, much of his output focused on the experience of migrant workers in the central New Jersey region. A 1972 Princeton Packet article recounts how Goreleigh began “The Migrant Series” when he discovered that the “children of migrant workers were being systematically segregated from other children, and none of them was taking part in the summer arts and crafts program” that Goreleigh was giving in Roosevelt, New Jersey. Goreleigh’s paintings and prints in “The Migrant Series” depict a variety of activities by African-American migrant workers on central New Jersey farms located in Cranbury, Hightstown, and Roosevelt. Field Workers (Tomato Pickers), owned by the Witherspoon Street Prebysterian Church, depicts an active scene of field workers harvesting a tomato crop on a hot summer day. Wash Day (collection of Gloria Hopkins Buck) illustrates the hard labor of washing clothes by hand outside the field worker’s home. By 1971, Goreleigh was recognized by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts with a mini-grant to support his continuation of his project.
Goreleigh closed the Studio-on-the-Canal in 1978. During the course of his career, Goreleigh participated in many exhibitions throughout the tri-state area, including major group and solo shows at the New Jersey State Museum, Princeton University Art Museum, and the New Jersey Historical Society. After his death in 1986, however, Goreleigh did not achieve the same critical analysis and auction prices attained by his contemporaries such as Jacob Lawrence and Hughie Lee-Smith. Conversations with friends and patrons have indicated that this situation could be the result of Goreleigh’s representation of himself, rather than with a dealer and his own focus on teaching others, rather than his own work. Indeed, in 1972, Goreleigh noted “I’ve lost a great deal of what I might have focused on. I don’t feel I’ve grown in the way of producing as I should have – I’ve been too involved with administering and teaching.”
Rex Goreleigh: Revisited in Princeton opens to the public on September 2, 2009 at the Historical Society of Princeton, 158 Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey. The exhibition will examine the life and work of this important artist and how his career compared with other African-American artists at that time. Looking at Goreleigh’s place within the art historical canon today, the exhibition also explores how Goreleigh’s potentially politically-charged subject matter was received in the 1960s and 70s. These social themes in Goreleigh’s work continue to resonate as important issues today throughout New Jersey and the nation. Rex Goreleigh: Revisited in Princeton runs through Monday, January 18, 2010.
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Photo Credit: Field Workers (Tomato Pickers) oil on canvas by Rex Goreleigh, courtesy of the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church; and Spraying serigraph on paper by Rex Goreleigh courtesy of Shirley A. Satterfield.
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Hunger Pains: Feeding People in Central New Jersey Exhibition Opens at the Historical Society of Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey– On July 23, 2009, the Historical Society of Princeton (HSP) celebrated the opening of Hunger Pains: Feeding People in Central New Jersey. This compelling interactive exhibition, on view through August 16th, is a dynamic collaboration with three non-profit organizations: Mercer Street Friends Food Bank (MSFFB), Crisis Ministry (CM), and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK).
The exhibition examines the nature of hunger in New Jersey and the efforts of those who work to solve it. Curator of Collections and the exhibition Eileen Morales noted, “We are hopeful that visitors will have a greater understanding of the problem of hunger in central New Jersey after they’ve seen this exhibition. The emergency food providers do a remarkable job of helping to alleviate this great need.” A highlight of the show is a collection of multi-media artwork created by the A-Team, a group of artists-in-residence at TASK. Princeton Township Mayor Bernard P. Miller, representatives for HSP’s partnering organizations, featured artists as well as HSP members and Trustees gathered to view the exhibition and attend a lecture given by Meg Fisher, MD, Chair of Pediatrics at the Monmouth Medical Center titled, Childhood Obesity, Epidemic of the New Millennium.
Partnering organizations, MSFFB, CM, and TASK are represented through photographs, artwork, and video about their clients and volunteers. In addition to taking an in-depth look at the work of these organizations, the exhibition also highlights the Community Gardens program of the organization Isles, Inc., the volunteer farming efforts of America’s Grow-A-Row, and the Princeton School Garden Cooperative.
HSP is running a food drive to benefit all three agencies from July 7 – August 16. The following items will be accepted: canned proteins (tuna, salmon, chicken, chili), shelf-stable milk (like Parmalat), peanut butter (no glass containers, please), canned potatoes, and Cans of fruit, low-fructose. During the course of the exhibition HSP will provide time for representatives from participating organizations to share their mission with museum visitors through Volunteer Cultivation Days.
Photo Credit: (from left) Ron Carter, A-Team Artist; Shorty (Herman) Rose, A-Team Artist; Eileen Morales, HSP’s Curator of Collections; Frankie Mack, A-Team Artist; Ethel Mack, A-Team Artist; and Patrick Bowen, A-Team Artist.
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The Historical Society of Princeton Honors Shirley Chisholm’s Legacy
Princeton, New Jersey- On June 17, 2009 HSP and 100 guests celebrated the historic presidential candidacy of the late New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm with a screening of a rarely-seen 1972 documentary, Chisholm: Pursuing the Dream, created by local resident Bob Denby and television producer Tom Werner (The Cosby Show, Roseanne).
A capstone event for HSP’s exhibition Stand Up, Speak Out! Princeton’s Citizens Find Their Voice, the evening began with a reception featuring Professor Joshua B. Guild, Assistant Professor of History and the Center for African American Studies at Princeton University. Professor Guild discussed Chisholm’s life and political career, noting that her 1972 campaign paved the way for women and African American presidential candidates including Jesse Jackson, Hilary Clinton, and Barack Obama. The Garden Theatre screened the film and hosted a discussion afterward with Mr. Denby and Professor Guild.
HSP’s Stand Up, Speak Out: Princeton’s Citizens Find Their Voice examines the timely issues of political participation and voting rights, particularly through the experiences of women, African Americans, and university students in Princeton. The exhibition will remain on view through July 5, 2009.
Photo:
Standing from left: Bob Denby, Film Documentarian; Dr. Jennifer L. Jang, HSP Curator of Education; and Professor Joshua B. Guild, Assistant Professor of History and the Center for African American Studies at Princeton University.
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Woodrow Wilson Lecture and Book Signing
Dr. W. Barksdale Maynard will discuss and sign his newest book, Woodrow Wilson: Princeton to the Presidency, on Sunday, April 19, at 2:00 p.m. at Drumthwacket, 354 Stockton Street, Princeton. The lecture, which is co-sponsored by the Historical Society of Princeton and Drumthwacket Foundation, is free to HSP and Foundation members, $10.00 for non-members. Registration is required. Please RSVP to the Foundation: (609) 683-0057, x4.
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