West Windsor Arts Council spotlights talent
By Christian Kirkpatrick Special Writer
West Windsor put its talents on display Saturday night during the second annual West Windsor Arts Council’s Cabin Fever Cabaret.
The event, which showcases the works of area artists, was held at the Johnson Educational Center at the D&R Greenway Land Trust in Princeton. With its wooden walls, soaring ceilings and exposed beams, the facility provided a simple yet beautiful setting for more than 80 artworks. Along with various goods and services, they were all on the block in a silent auction that raised money for the council’s future home.
“There are some fabulous pieces,” declared gala co-chair and trustee vice- president Lisa Weil. “The gala committee has been debating who will outbid whom for some of them.” There were paintings, prints, photographs, collages and sculptures, as well as pottery, jewelry and works in fiber and in wood. More than 40 artists, primarily from West Windsor, were represented.
About 150 guests bid on these items while sipping drinks and eating delicious hors d’oeuvres provided by Bon Appétit. West Windsor- resident Michel Lemmerling, assisted by Adriano DiDonato, gave a presentation on fine cheeses and offered samples of about a dozen cheeses from Bon Appétit.
Entertainment was provided by The StraightJazz Quintet, which is led by West Windsor resident John Henry Goldman on trumpet. The group played three sets of classic American jazz and provided a written program that gave some interesting background on each piece they played.
The event also premiered “This Old Firehouse,” a film that will run on public access channels in West Windsor and Plainsboro. It is about West Windsor’s former firehouse, which will be the council’s home, once it raises the funds to renovate it.
“The firehouse was a gathering place for the community for nearly 75 years,” noted Ruth Kusner Potts, who is also president of the council’s board of trustees. In 1935, a New Year’s eve cabaret-style ball was held at the firehouse; in subsequent years it hosted roast beef dinners, carnivals, events for teens and even a 1970s disco.
When it was replaced by a new firehouse a few years ago, West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh encouraged community members to develop a plan to turn it into an arts center. Thus the West Windsor Arts Council was born, along with the dream of turning the lovely old firehouse into a venue for community art shows, classes, and performances of music, dance and poetry.
To raise the $300,000 needed to transform the firehouse, the council launched the “Home Is Where the Art Is” capital campaign, explained gala co-chair Ilene Dube. Significant contributions to it have included $20,000 from Princeton University and approximately $45,000 from Mayor Shing- Fu Hsueh’s Community Foundation. Last year’s Cabin Fever Cabaret added about $30,000, said the West Windsor resident.
This year’s event also looked promising, despite the difficult economy. It drew corporate sponsorship from PNC Bank, West Windsor, and ACT Engineers Inc.
Because the council does not yet have a home, it has operated, for the past six years, as an organization without walls, noted Ms. Dube. Its events occur at venues across the township. For example, its film series is shown at the West Windsor Library. Its annual Autumn Arts Afternoon, a day of family art projects, is hosted by the Nassau Park Pavilion, as is its summer music series.
Plainsboro resident Dave Haneman is acting production manager for the music series. He says that this year it will feature six groups that play a variety of American music ranging from folk to funk. The series will run every other Saturday from late June through August.
Eleven times each summer, the council also sponsors arts events at the West Windsor Community Farmers’ Market at the Princeton Junction train station. These events are opportunities for the public to engage in interactive or hands-on projects, such as making mobiles à la Alexander Calder or constructing Alberto Giacometti-style sculptures out of aluminum foil.
“Kids have to have a good outlet for practicing the arts,” commented West Windsor resident and gala honorary chair J. Robert Hillier. The council has become such an outlet, sponsoring many events like these for youngsters and families.
“West Windsor needs a home for the arts, where people of all ages can create, enjoy each other’s creativity and foster a sense of community,” declared advisory board member Ina Brosseau Marx. So many diverse cultures are represented here, added the West Windsor- resident. “It can only be a joy to find out what others can and will do.”
On the Web: www.westwindsorarts.org.

