PRINCETON NJ Announcement

D&R Greenway Land Trust Hosts Garden State Watercolor Society Juried Exhibition: This Land is Your Land

D&R Greenway Land Trust will host the Garden State Watercolor Society (GSWS) for its 55th Annual Open Juried Exhibition, This Land is Your Land. Eighty-three GSWS artists explored and illustrated their personal interpretations of the theme from the iconic folk song. Written by Woody Guthrie in 1940, it reflects both the beauty and hardships of America's local landscape and people. Whether figurative or abstract, realistic or fanciful, their art will inspire and cause the viewers to pause and reflect on America's land, water, its diverse inhabitants and ecosystems.

Congratulations to all the artists! The 69 paintings accepted were from a larger pool of 114 paintings submitted. Juror for acceptance and awards was Mark Oliver. Discover more about his artistic vision ­at https://markoliverart.com.

This exhibition is GSWS' largest exhibition of the year. It is on display October 1 through January 4, 2026, as well as online at www.gswcs.org. Held at D&R Greenway Land Trust's Johnson Education Center, it is located at One Preservation Place, Princeton New Jersey. The public is invited to visit the art galleries, weekdays 10 am – 4 pm. Closed holidays and weekends.  Visit www.drgeenway.org or call 609-924-4646 for more info. The Juried Exhibition's Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held October 3, 5 -7 pm at the Johnson Education.  This event is open to the public and light refreshments will be served.  RSVP's are required at www.drgreenway.org.  Please carpool with friends; parking will be limited due to a sporting event in Greenway Meadows. (The field's overflow parking will be unavailable during the reception.)

A unique display upon entering the Johnson Education Center lobby will be GSWS' 7th Annual Art Installation.  While the main exhibition in the upstairs galleries celebrates the American landscape, this year's wall installation honors the people who live here. Taking inspiration from the first words of the U.S. Constitution, "We the People... Portraits of Us," the art installation can be viewed as a collective self-portrait of our nation. A powerful mosaic built from 52 individual portraits, each is a testament to the diverse backgrounds and shared experiences that define us. Created by 40 artists, the installation reminds us that the nation is shaped by its people. Our care for it is a reflection of our care for one another.

GSWS and D&R Greenway will sponsor Fantastic Ekphrastic Poetry workshops for 2025, led by renowned local poets Lois Harrad, Maxine Susman, and Jeff Hoagland, in partnership with D&R Greenway. The workshops will culminate in a poetry reading. But what is Ekphrastic poetry? It is a literary device where a poem describes and responds to a work of visual art. In this case, the paintings are from the GSWS exhibit. By engaging with art through words, it will explore the exhibit in symbolism and the poet's own emotional response to the artwork. Participants will learn about poetry writing and create their own ekphrastic poetry. The opportunity to register for these 3 workshops is to be announced on a future date. Registration will be limited and required.

• Workshop 1: Lois Harrod, poet; October 9, 2025,  6 -7:30pm

• Workshop 2: Maxine Susman, poet; October, 23, 2025, 2 -3:30pm

• Workshop 3 (haiku): Jeff Hoagland, poet; November, 2, 2025, 2 -3:30pm

Several poems will be selected from the workshops to be read at a public Poetry Reading scheduled December 7, 2-3:30 pm. No registration will be required for this event.

GSWS will also host a future Zoom Artist Talk event with D&R Greenway Land Trust. It will require preregistration; date is to be announced. Award-winning artists in the exhibition will discuss their work. It will include a discussion about native plants by the NJ Natural Lands Trust. A popular figure drawing event is also planned exclusively for GSWS members.

BACKGROUND:

Garden State Watercolor Society has led a community of artists and inspired generations of art enthusiasts. The society's founding goal is to encourage painting in watermedia and provide educational and exhibition opportunities for artists and residents of NJ, PA, NY or DE. GSWS holds 3-4 exhibitions a year including our largest endeavor, the Annual Open Juried Exhibition; an online Members Exhibition; Small but Mighty Exhibition, and a live Art Sale via pop up gallery. In 2023, they donated a permanent exhibit of botanical-style watercolors of items grown onsite. The exhibit is inside the Discovery Center at the former estate of Joseph Bonaparte at Point Breeze, Bordentown, NJ.

Over its existence, GSWS has been a beacon for award-winning artists to inspire generations. The nonprofit organization's goal is to encourage painting in water media, provide educational and exhibition opportunities for adult artists of NJ, PA, NY and DE. Please visit www.gswcs.org.