The Historical Society of Princeton will host its seventh annual Concert Under the Stars fundraiser on Saturday, June 9, 2018, from 6:30 – 10:00 PM at the Updike Farmstead. This year’s event will feature live performances by two Nashville-based artists: Chas Collins will perform on the mainstage and Sheridan Gates, who grew up in the Princeton area, will provide porch-side opening entertainment.

Chas Collins, with his signature vocals and high energy stage presence, debuted on CMT’s Top 10 Artists List. Chas and his band have shared the stage with several other national acts including Luke Bryan, Collin Raye, Bucky Covington, Daryl Singletary, David Ball, and Hotel California. Chas plays hard-hitting originals and current county hits along with a touch of rock and crowd favorites. Performing in 43 states and over 2,300 shows, Chas has taken the country music world by storm.

Originally from Pennington, NJ, Sheridan Gates made the move to Nashville in 2016 to pursue her passion of music. She was a local finalist in the Nash Next competition her first year in Nashville and will be embarking on a House Concert tour this spring and summer. Sheridan is country pop artist influenced by the rock ‘n’ roll storytelling of Carrie Underwood, the soulfulness of Sara Bareilles, and the bold attitude of Shania Twain to create an entirely new, relatable, and reflective sound.

“This year’s artists add a Nashville flair to the always-fresh Concert Under the Stars.” said Jud Henderson, a long-standing member of the Concert Committee. “They’ll keep guests entertained all evening!”

Baxter Construction, Charles Schwab, PNC Wealth Management, Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International Realty, H1912, Mrs. G’s, McCaffrey’s Markets, MacLean Agency, Princeton Online, and Bank of Princeton are all major event sponsors. Jammin’ Crepes will serve a delectable dinner menu, prepared with local ingredients. Local craft beers and a selection of wines with be available as refreshments.

“This year’s Concert will, as always, be a fantastic night with delicious local food and drink, fabulous upbeat music, and an unparalleled historic setting – a true celebration of this remarkable town,” said HSP Executive Director, Izzy Kasdin.

Concert Committee members Tracy Sipprelle and Debora Haines describe the event as “the kick-off-to-summer party, with a casual blue jeans and boots vibe.”

Net proceeds from A Concert Under the Stars support the Society’s mission to serve as a hub for experiential education and stewardship of collections and places. HSP shares its remarkable collections and signature programs in history education with diverse audiences, enhancing community vitality and building historical literacy, cornerstones of healthy civic culture.

Tickets to this unique benefit event are available online here, or by phone: (609) 921-6748 x106.

COMMUNITY-WIDE COLLABORATION ON THE THEME OF MIGRATIONS WILL FEATURE EXHIBITIONS, PERFORMANCES, LECTURES AND MORE

Over thirty organizations in and around Princeton will offer programs from
February through May 2018

PRINCETON, NJ—Over thirty regional nonprofit organizations, as well as several Princeton University departments and programs, will investigate the far-reaching theme of migrations from February through May 2018. A truly varied group of participating organizations, from the Princeton University Art Museum, The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, and McCarter Theatre to the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society, Womanspace, and the Princeton Public Library, will explore the theme, each in relation to its individual mission and programmatic focus.

A media event about the Princeton Migrations community-wide collaboration will be held on Monday, January 22, at 11 a.m. in the News Room at the Princeton Public Library. The event will feature brief remarks by Brett Bonfield, Executive Director of the Princeton Public Library, and James Steward, Nancy A. Nasher–David J. Haemisegger, Class of 1976, Director of the Princeton University Art Museum, followed by an opportunity to interview representatives from over 15 of the participating organizations. Please RSVP for the event by emailing Erin Firestone at efirestone@princeton.edu.

“We shaped the theme of migrations in order to invite as many nonprofit organizations as possible to participate,” notes Princeton University Art Museum director James Steward, who initiated the idea. “Immigration and its real-world consequences are so much in our minds that we wanted to open a conversation that includes the migrations of animals and even of ideas, and in doing so to increase the resonance across ideas and organizations.”

Migrations may include seasonal migrations of workers in the increasingly global economy of labor; the historical movements of peoples in response to famine, war or economic crisis and change, such as the Great Migration of African Americans from south to north in the mid-20th century; the seasonal migrations of various species, such as the shad that have been blocked from migrating up New Jersey’s rivers since the eighteenth century; or the movement of ideas along the Silk Road of the ancient east.

“Migrations are part of the fabric of this place,” said Izzy Kasdin, Executive Director of the Historical Society of Princeton. “Whether it’s the origins of Princeton as a carriage outpost for people moving between major colonial metropolises, as a refuge for persecuted scholars or as a juncture of natural and manmade waterways, in so many ways migration and change is integral to Princeton’s heritage and identity.”

The many programs and exhibitions related to the Migrations community initiative may be found here: https://princetonmigrations.org/.

The Historical Society of Princeton is pleased to host its 17^th annual House Tour from 10 AM to 4 PM on Saturday, November 3, 2018

Check back soon for more information.

 

The Historical Society of Princeton’s Updike Farmstead will be illuminated with projected images relating to physicist Albert Einstein on Tuesday, October 10. This event is a part of world-renowned Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter’s Light Art Grand Tour USA, which will feature light projections on 50 landmarks in 50 states.

The three-year tour began on September 16 at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Pennsylvania. The team will visit one site in each state, making Updike Farmstead the only New Jersey site on the tour. The first year of the tour focuses on the original 13 colonies, followed in the second and third years by the remaining states, from East to West, along the route. This fall, Hofstetter will also display projections at Mount Vernon and Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library. The display organized for each monument or landmark will explore U.S. history and the connection between America and Switzerland.

Einstein lived in Bern, Switzerland for seven years between 1902 and 1909; during that time, he published more than 30 articles, six of which are still considered part of the canon of modern physics. This includes his theory of special relativity and discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect, which won him the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics. Einstein moved to Princeton in 1933, where he spent the last 22 years of his life.

The Historical Society of Princeton is home to the Einstein Furniture Collection, 65 pieces of furniture owned and used by Albert Einstein in his Berlin and Princeton homes. In addition, HSP’s Gillett Griffin Collection contains Einstein’s personal belongings, including his pipe, compass, puzzle games, and the only-known self-portrait of Einstein. Highlight pieces from the collection, along with photographs, documents, and other interpretive material, are permanently on view in the farmhouse museum at Updike Farmstead.

Hofstetter and his team of experts will use a series of projectors to display multiple images, which will be photographed and filmed for an exhibition, a documentary and a book. The project will be unveiled in Switzerland in 2020, after which the exhibition will travel to museums and other landmarks throughout the U.S.

“We’re thrilled to host Gerry and his team at the Updike Farmstead,” said HSP Executive Director Izzy Kasdin. “Not only are our white historic farm buildings a perfect canvas for this kind of documentary artwork, but also HSP houses one of the most significant Einstein collections in the country. We’re so pleased to feature Einstein in this creative way.”

Attendance at the light show October 10 will be available to a limited number of members and guests on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are $10 per person; HSP Members and children under 12 are free. Guests are invited to picnic on the property starting at 5:30 PM, and the performance starts at sunset. Light snacks will be provided. Registration is available online at www.princetonhistory.org.

For more on Hofstetter’s work and the Light Art Grand Tour USA, visit
www.hofstetter-marketing.com.