By Christian Kirkpatrick Special Writer
It was quite a reunion at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts. Hundreds of supporters of the Arts Council of Princeton filled the lobby, galleries, theater and studios of this sleek yet welcoming building Saturday night (Oct. 18) to enjoy the first course of the council’s annual benefit dinner called “Dining by Design.” This year’s event was aptly titled “Dining by Design Returns Home.”
Home, of course, is the council’s new center on Witherspoon Street, where the event began with music, cocktails and a silent auction dubbed “Buy Design.” It featured items and services for the home, including furniture, wine and food, and interior design consultations.
After the cocktail party, guests dispersed to 20 private homes for dinner and an artistic experience. At some of these parties, artists demonstrated or spoke about their work. At others, the food was the art, and the homeowners and their fellow cooks talked about how and why it was cooked and the traditions that surround it.
Leslie Campbell of Princeton said that her meal took three days to prepare. She and her husband, Mark Zaininger, along with co- hosts Francine Besselaar, Peter Abrams, and Jane and Ed Hynes, served an Ottoman Empire dinner. Overseen by Turkish food expert, Canan Akyuz, the meal consisted of 19 dishes and was eaten in the Turkish fashion — at a low table, by guests sitting on pillows.
Sam and Casey Lambert of Princeton hosted a literary dinner — the inspiration for nearly everything served came from a book. Ms. Lambert said her favorite dish was an empty jar of jam, which referred to a quotation by Lewis Carroll’s White Queen, “jam to-morrow and jam yesterday — but never jam to-day.” Further entertainment at the Lambert home was provided by pianists Matthew Kiple and Jim Goldworthy.
Stacey Drummond and Jeffrey Keyton’s guest artists were husband-and-wife Tracy Boychuck and James Hughes. He is a writer and publisher, and she is the creative director of “Stop Smiling,”a magazine devoted to arts and culture. After their presentation and the dinner that followed, Ms. Drummond took her guests on a tour of Egg Culture, her gallery of mid-century furnishings that is open by appointment.
Pulitzer-prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon is frequently a guest artist at “Dining by Design” benefits. He explained his loyal support by noting that, where he grew up in Northern Ireland, community arts councils are important cultural forces and that some of the first cultural events he attended were sponsored by his local council.
“I see the Arts Council of Princeton as performing a similar role in our community,” Mr. Muldoon he said. “It’s a role that as an artist and as an administrator I see as being critical to the health of the community.”
The Arts Council brings disparate groups in the Princeton area together. It joins town and gown by sponsoring Communiversity Day. Its classes and events provide an opportunity for residents from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to get to know one another. And the exhibits and performances its sponsors link artists and appreciative audiences.
The Arts Council promotes not just the visual arts (through classes on and exhibitions of photography, digital arts, prints, ceramics, drawing, painting and textiles), but the literary and performing arts, such as poetry, theater, film and dance.
“I’ve been interested in the arts since I was a kid,” said Jerry Reilly, the owner of Halo Farms. In his youth, the Princeton resident was an accomplished dancer who performed in a film that played at the Museum of Modern Art. Today, he enthusiastically supports the Arts Council’s dance program.
A sold-out event, “Dining by Design Returns Home” drew more than 440 guests.
“That shows how much the community supports the Arts Council,” declared Princeton resident Wendy Mager, who noted that this “Dining by Design,” in the organization’s new home, was her last as president of the board of trustees. “It’s the realization of a dream,” she said, smiling.
Corporate sponsors of “Dining by Design Returns Home” included Bloomberg, BlackRock, and PNC Wealth Management.

