Jeremy Jordan as Jay Gatsby in “The Great Gatsby.” (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

From its Roots at Princeton University to Broadway Musical

By Donald H. Sanborn III

First published by Charles Scribner’s Sons on April 10, 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age classic The Great Gatsby turns 100 this spring. In advance of the centennial, Fitzgerald and the novel have received renewed attention, having been the subjects, respectively, of a new volume of biographies and at least two musicals — one of which is enjoying a successful run on Broadway.

The Great Gatsby centers on narrator Nick Carraway’s encounters with the mysterious, slightly crooked nouveau riche millionaire Jay Gatsby. Nick finds himself involved in Gatsby’s plans to win back his lost love, Daisy, a debutante who is Nick’s cousin. Daisy rejected Gatsby when they were younger, because of the latter’s poverty at that time. Instead, Daisy chose the imperious, conservative socialite Tom Buchannan. more

The Music Director of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra Marks His 15th Year on the Podium and His 60th Birthday

By Anne Levin | Photos courtesy of Princeton Symphony Orchestra Staff

Eighteen years ago, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra ‘s (PSO) longtime Music Director Mark Laycock announced he was departing following a dispute over his contract. A search committee was quickly put together, and the hunt for a new music director began.

On the committee were I would like to touch it PSO’s then-Executive Director Melanie Clarke, former Westminster Choir College Dean Robert Annis, four musicians, and several members of the PSO Board of Trustees. They gave themselves a year to try out guest conductors who were invited to lead the orchestra on different programs. more

Artist 7ove Child (Marlon Davila) with one of his murals.

A Haven for Creativity and Community

By Laurie Pellichero | Art and photos courtesy of Princeton Makes

Creativity abounds at Princeton Makes artist cooperative, located in the heart of the Princeton Shopping Center at 301 North Harrison Street. Opened nearly four years ago with 25 members, it now has 40 member artists who work across a wide range of artistic genres including painting, drawing, stained glass, sculpture, lamps, window hangings, textiles, handmade greeting cards, jewelry, and much more. All the artists are local and must live within a two-town radius of Princeton.

The 5,000-square-foot space features plate glass windows facing the center’s courtyard, 24 open artist studios, and additional display and working areas. There is also a retail store where the artists all work a minimum of four hours a week as part of their membership. All art is for sale, and whenever the store is open, at least one artist is working in a studio and customers can interact directly with them to observe and learn about their process and technique. Couches and conversation areas can be found throughout. more

Fay and David Sciarra Preserved a 1791 Stone Cottage with a Contemporary Twist

By Ilene Dube | Photos by Jeffrey E. Tryon and Halkin/Mason Photography

For nearly 30 years, Fay and David Sciarra would drive to Stockton, with its rolling vistas and farmland, to spend time with their friend David Holman. Holman, once a sought-after New York City interior designer, retreated to the countryside when his passions veered toward restoring old homes and estates. In the 18th-century stone farmhouse he lived in, it was more about preserving it as it was. “He wanted to keep its integrity and charm,” recounts Fay.

Holman lavished his attention on the garden, and when the Sciarras came to visit he would take them on tours of his perennials. It was from Holman, Fay says, that she learned everything she knows about gardening. more

Princeton Artist Linda Zacks Celebrates Nature with Visual Journal

By Laurie Pellichero | Art by Linda Zacks

“The world is a treasure hunt, and a box of 64 crayons is like a 24-carat diamond.”

—Linda Zacks

The moment you enter the Princeton home of Linda Zacks, you are surrounded by brightly colored art, eclectic treasures, and creative energy. more

The Matheny Arts Access Program,based in Peapack, empowers artists with disabilities to create art without limits. Regardless of their disabilities, artists are provided with the tools and materials needed to produce masterful works of art that are distinctly their own.

These works will be on view  on Saturday, November 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. at an opening reception for an art exhibition and performance in the Solley lobby at the Arts Council of Princeton. The event is free. Guests will have the opportunity to view and purchase paintings that are as diverse as the artists themselves — from gestural abstractions and rigid, geometric forms to meditative color studies. The variation in styles and themes is representative of the individuality of each artist, and proves that there is no limit to what an artist can create. more

The Renovated Center of Theological Inquiry Lets in the Light

By Anne Levin | Photography by Jeffrey E. Tryon

Just across Stockton Street from Morven Museum and Garden, an unpretentious red brick building has sat on land owned by Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS) for the past 40 years. Some passersby have assumed it is part of the Seminary. Others haven’t noticed it at all.

Modeled after the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) as an independent nonprofit, the Center of Theological Inquiry (CTI) has never been an attention-getter. Year after year, the interdisciplinary program has quietly hosted scholars and scientists from different parts of the world, in Princeton for a year to investigate the nature of religious beliefs and how they relate to global issues.  more

Barbara Piasecka Johnson, widow of J. Seward Johnson Sr., celebrates her “victory” in front of her mansion gate in Princeton, N.J., June 4, 1986. (AP Photo/Jack Kanthal)

A Look Back at the Story Behind the Famed Property

By Anne Levin

Last fall, the luxury golf club Jasna Polana was listed for sale. Set on 222 park-like acres bordered by Route 206 and Province Line Road, the property boasts an 18-hole Tournament Players Course designed by golf great Gary Player, and a palatial, 46,000-square-foot clubhouse.

Jasna, pronounced “yasna,” has earned a reputation for its meticulously manicured fairways, lush setting, challenging greens, and pricey entrance fee. But the expansive, gated property is best known — or notorious — for the chapter of its history that preceded the creation of the golf club in 1998.  more

At the Digital Forefront of Creative and Technological Design

By Taylor Smith | Lead photo from shutterstock.com

As a medium, 3D printing’s roots stretch back to the 1980s, but it has since grown into a technology that provides artistic experimentation and manufacturing-grade industrial products. 3D printers also find applications in architecture and design, building models that provide mathematically accurate prototype design concepts. A wide range of people are using 3D printers these days — there are 3D printers for home use that are geared towards young teenagers and adults, and those for multimillion-dollar businesses and universities that conduct regular work on them. more

Join artist Jacqui Alexander for an afternoon of chemistry and creativity for anyone ages 10 and up at the Arts Council of Princeton’s “ART OF” series’ ART OF Cyanotype on Sunday, June 9 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Cyanotype is a basic photographic process that uses the sun’s UV rays to create shadowy silhouettes against a vibrant blue background. Learn all about the technique — which dates back to the 1840s — and then create cyanotype printed cloth napkins using found and gathered objects. Bring your own pressed flowers or leaves, feathers, shells, jewelry or trinkets, lace, small toys, cut paper stencils — anything that can lay flat to create a silhouette on your surface. more

Renowned furniture designer Mira Nakashima, head designer at George Nakashima Woodworkers in New Hope, Pa., was commissioned by the U.S. State Department to create a special piece of furniture for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the first Japanese leader to visit the U.S. as a state guest in nine years.

As she contemplated the design, Nakashima reflected on when she and her family were forcibly relocated to Camp Minidoka, an American internment camp for people of Japanese ancestry in Hunt, Idaho, from 1942-1943. Today, Mira, 82, a trained architect, has worked in the family business since 1970, producing her father George’s iconic designs as well as her own custom-designed, hand-crafted furniture. She also heads the Nakashima Foundation for Peace. more