Trenton Makes, the Art World Takes

Writer and arts facilitator Daniel Aubrey is orchestrating a festival of new plays, poetry readings, a gallery tour and workshops.

By: Susan Van Dongen

Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski

   Although its native talents may not be as noticeable as New York and Philadelphia’s literary lions, Trenton, has its share of fine fiction writers, poets and playwrights.
   Educator and writer Daniel Aubrey would like to see the creative community flourish. That’s why he’s been nurturing the idea for Spring Forward, a two-day festival celebrating fresh work by poets, playwrights and visual artists based in and around the state capital. The inaugural event will take place March 27 to 28 at the State Museum of New Jersey and the RF Gallery in Trenton.
   "There’s a definite writing presence in Trenton — Ntozake Shange, Yusef Kumunyakaa and Bill Mastrosimone have all lived and worked here," Mr. Aubrey says. "But I would describe it as an ‘orchestrated’ or ‘paced’ scene here. Artists may not be ready for regular monthly gatherings, simply because they’re trying to work. But if, for example, the writers know an event will occur six months or a year from now, it will stimulate them to get into the creative process."
   Designed to spotlight cultural growth in the capital city, Spring Forward features two days of new plays by professional actors, current poetry performed by state and regional poets, as well as professional workshops to benefit artists in all genres. The events are free and open to the public.
   Mr. Aubrey envisioned Spring Forward as a place to highlight fresh work, provide an opportunity for artists to create art and draw potential audiences. The event also helps to continue collaborative efforts to strengthen the presence of the creative arts in Trenton.
   He says the idea began percolating last spring. A facilitator in Trenton’s creative community, Mr. Aubrey had been a part of Trenton Artists Workshop Association, as well as the Eyes on Trenton program, and saw local opportunities for visual artists to get together, show and discuss their work. However, opportunities for writers were lacking.
   "There wasn’t too much cross-over for writers," he says. "No one was bringing the writers together. Over the summer, I started talking with Helen Shannon (executive director of the State Museum) about my plans for the event. We had no funding and only a short window of time but we felt we should go ahead and try it anyway, just to start a precedent.
   "So we started moving on this project, and by mid-December a lot of things fell into place," Mr. Aubrey continues. "People have embraced the project and are even talking about what will happen in the future. Apparently this was something that was needed here, something that fits into the cultural landscape."
   Developed by Trenton-based artists and arts coordinators in cooperation with the New Jersey State Museum and the nonprofit production organization Co/Works, the guiding forces behind Spring Forward come from a mixture of state and regional organizations prominent in the arts, including the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission and Trenton Arts Connection.
   "This is a trial opportunity — we’ve never done this," Mr. Aubrey says. "We’ll evaluate things afterward, but the general impulse is to do this annually or every two years. This year we’ve concentrated on the visual and literary arts. In the future, with support from various entities in the city, we’ll expand the scope and invite musicians as well."
   David Keller and Peter White, educators and poets from Lawrence, will lead workshops in creative writing. There also will be a poetry reading featuring regional poets Doc Long, Luray Gross (poetry coordinator for the event), Peter Wood, Damon Williams, Narubi Selah and Eloise Bruce.
   In addition, both afternoons will dedicate a large chunk of time to new playwriting, with works by David White from the Passage Theatre Company in Trenton, and Oh How Can I Keep Singing? Voices of Pioneer Women by Mr. Aubrey. Trenton resident Maureen Heffernan will act in and direct the workshops. Ms. Heffernan is executive director of the New Jersey Institute for the Arts and Humanities, and is former artistic director of George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick.
   One of the Saturday-morning sessions is devoted to giving struggling artists answers on how to launch, then manage their careers. Led by Don Ehman, artists service coordinator for the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the workshop will cover the finer points of applying for grants and discuss ways to find other financial resources from state, county and municipal governments. After lunch, Trenton resident and veteran artist Mel Leipzig will lead a discussion on the creative process.
   Both afternoons will conclude with a reception at the RF Gallery on West Lafayette Street.
   An instructor at Mercer County Community College, Mr. Aubrey gathered support for Spring Forward from his friends and colleagues.
   "Many of the people putting this together are from the (New Jersey State Council on the Arts)," he says. "They live in the area and they’re interested in seeing things happen in Trenton, to bring it into the spotlight. There are a lot of nice things here in the city. For example, the State Museum is a great place but a lot of people don’t know about it. I’m very appreciative that they’ve jumped on this project."
   Mr. Aubrey has served as producing director for the nonprofit professional Foundation Theatre and was director of communications for the New Jersey State Museum. In addition, Mr. Aubrey was assistant Arts-in-Education coordinator for the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, as well as public relations director for the New Jersey State Teen Arts Program. He is a member of the Dramatist Guild of America and a recipient of a New Jersey Governors Award for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education in Theatre.
   The poetry workshop Sunday afternoon is intended to be fertile ground for fresh voices. Mr. Aubrey describes the session as having an underground feeling, similar to the do-it-yourself aesthetic the Beat poets were trying to create 50 years ago.
   "We’re looking for people to come and do what they feel is in themselves — the idea is ‘bring it and share it,’" he says. "There are vital writers in the area but the process of writing is so solitary. We’re opening things up, encouraging people to come and listen, communicate with one another and eventually grow together."
Spring Forward takes place at the New Jersey State Museum, 205 W. State St., Trenton, March 27, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; March 28, 1-4 p.m. Scheduled events March 27: 10 a.m., Opportunities for Artists, with Don Ehman; 11 a.m., Arts Inclusion Update and Gallery Tour, with Tom Moran; 1 p.m., discussion of the creative process with Mel Leipzig; 2:30 p.m., new play readings; March 28: 1 p.m., new play reading; 2:30 p.m., poetry reading; reception both days at 4 p.m. at the RF Gallery, 46 W. Lafayette St., Trenton. For information, call (609) 599-1215.