Princeton NJ Events

"These Are Our Stories": Confronting Racial Stereotypes with Family Photographs

Saturday May 9, 2026
2:00 PM

The Trent House Association presents a talk by Professor Mary Shelley Trent on family photograph albums of 19th-century African American women. This talk will be held via Zoom on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at 2 pm. More information and the registration link HERE.

Family photograph albums are often overlooked in studies of national and cultural history, often deemed inconsequential. However, these objects have been important tools for asserting identity and preserving family history. ?For 19th century African American women living in an era of racial oppression and derogatory popular imagery, controlling their and their family's representation was important. In this presentation, Professor Mary Shelley Trent will show images and discuss stories from two nineteenth-century photographic albums created by African American women: Ellen Craft and Arabella Chapman. Craft, who famously escaped enslavement, and Chapman, born free, used their albums to challenge stereotypes and document their families' respectability and stability. Passed down through female descendants who added their own annotations, these albums became living documents of intergenerational memory.

Gallery Openings, Arts Council of Princeton

Saturday May 9, 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Gallery Opening: Tales from the Disenchanted Forest by Elizabeth Jordan & Terri Fraser

Sat, May 9 | 3-5pm

This two-person exhibition reveals the intricate connections between two distinct approaches to sculpture, each reflecting the multifaceted relationship between humans and the natural world. These connections oscillate between tension and reverence, embodying humanity’s apathy toward preservation at one moment, while celebrating a deep respect for all living beings the next. Learn more.
 

Gallery Opening: Sounds of Color by aida

Sat, May 9 | 3-5pm

Color is a perceived reality. It has rhythm and wavelength. It can be harmonious or discordant. It changes desire and emotion like a musical composition. aida works mindfully with saturated color boldness to reveal her journey with modern color application, while considering the question "Do no two people see or feel color the same way?". Learn more.
 

Gallery Opening: Color as Composition by Phoebe Wiley

Sat, May 9 | 3-5pm

Since childhood, the observation of color in nature has captivated the Wiley's senses, compelling her to contemplate and recreate it. This intensity of feeling has led to a long and dedicated life as a painter. For many years, she worked as an Impressionist, observing the play of light and color in still lifes and landscapes and analyzing how gestural marks of color could be used to describe objects within the picture. More recently, Wiley has learned to let go of figuration entirely, choosing instead to concentrate on color itself as the foundation for composition. Learn more.

Art Openings @Artworks Trenton

Saturday May 9, 2026
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Artworks Trenton presents two new exhibitions opening Friday, May 9 from 6–8 PM.

In Connections, Arlene Milgram explores the unifying energy behind her work, where mark-making becomes a personal signature—each gesture revealing emotion, movement, and the artist's state of mind. In Unrest, Beth Jarvie captures a world off balance, reflecting the tension and disorientation of living through uncertain times, where beauty and upheaval exist side by side.

Artworks Trenton | www.artworkstrenton.org 19 Everett Alley at Stockton Street | Trenton, NJ 08611 US

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