NEIGHBORHOOD PORTRAIT: Documenting the Witherspoon-Jackson Community
The Arts Council of Princeton’s Paul Robeson Center is located within the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood, an African-American community rich in historical significance vital to the fabric of the town. Neighborhood Portrait is a permanent exhibition that tells a story of important leaders and residents, like Paul Robeson, and key institutions that have made this neighborhood a vibrant part of Princeton’s cultural life. Utilizing materials drawn from the collection of Historical Society of Princeton, the exhibition includes documents and photographs that illustrate the history of the building site where the Paul Robeson Center is situated. These formal and informal snapshots help narrate the history of racial segregation and the eventual social integration of Princeton’s residents, and even more so, the cultural strivings of Princeton’s African-American residents to create and build a deep and full community. The centerpiece of the exhibition is an original, hand-crafted quilt created through the transfer of over ninety photographs that together illustrate the history of the neighborhood.
102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton
Open Monday – Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm
