Princeton & Slavery Project Launches Website

Lawrence Charles B. Samuel Stanhope Smith 1750–1819, Class of 1769, President 1795–1812.

By Doug Wallack

On Monday, November 6, the Princeton & Slavery Project—an initiative of Princeton University—launched its website as a means of publicizing its ongoing research into the University’s relationship with the institution of slavery. Visitors to the site can find over 80 articles that, for instance, tease out the links between the fortunes of the University’s early benefactors and slavery, or examine the slave holdings of University presidents, trustees, and other affiliates. Also included online are hundreds of primary documents, data visualizations and maps that track the proportional enrollment of southern students at Princeton, and video documentaries in which students and alumni reflect on their own families’ relationships to slavery.  more

The Gilded Age, Preserved: The Mansions of Somerset Hills

Blairsden, Women’s Association of Morristown Medical Center—Mansion in May Designer Showhouse 2014. Photography courtesy of Turpin Real Estate, Inc

By Ilene Dube

In the decades following the Civil War, the United States experienced a period of tremendous economic growth. The railroad industry, mining, and finance gave new wealth to those who built them. Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Mellon, J.P Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry Flagler, and others—the robber barons—built the core of the American industrial economy, as well as the nonprofit sector through their generous philanthropy, on the backs of the working class. more

The 5 Browns to Perform at Drew University

FIFTY FINGERS: The 5 Browns, the acclaimed piano quintet of Julliard-trained siblings, comes to Drew University on November 18. (Photo by Giuseppe1925, CC BY-SA 3.0)

By Doug Wallack

On Saturday, November 18, The 5 Browns will take to the stage at the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts at Drew University. The piano quintet, composed of Julliard-trained siblings Ryan, Melody, Gregory, Deondra, and Desirae Brown, first came to prominence in 2002, and in the ensuing decade and a half they’ve enjoyed generous critical and popular acclaim. more

Reality vs Reputation – Setting the Record Straight on Modigliani

Amedeo Modigliani, Lunia Czechowska, 1919. Oil on canvas. Museu de Arte de São Paulo. Photograph by João Musa.

By Ellen Gilbert

“The exquisite-looking artist was often overshadowed by his Bohemian legend,” observed Jewish Museum Senior Curator Mason Klein at a recent press preview of the new Modigliani exhibit, “Modigliani Unmasked,” at the Jewish Museum in New York City through February 4, 2018. Images of Amedeo Modigliani’s movie star quality looks and accounts of his tempestuous and brief (1884-1920) life have indeed tended to overshadow his accomplishments, though sales of his later paintings in recent years do not seem troubled by these considerations: his Nu Couché fetched a whopping $170.4 million (with fees) at a Christie’s auction in 2015. more

Incredibly Exciting, Beyond Fascinating – The Promise of “Living Drugs”

By Ellen Gilbert 

Recent strides in the field of genetic engineering are generating tremendous excitement. Long in the works at university and company laboratories, the implications of this treatment are far-reaching.

The rapidly emerging immunotherapy approach is called adoptive cell transfer (ACT); it collects and uses patients’ own immune cells to treat their cancer. There are several types of ACT, but the star of the show right now is CAR T-cell therapy, which made medical history this last August when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first genetic therapy for widespread use. Called Kymriah, it is being marketed by Novartis, a global healthcare company based in Switzerland. more

Soaring Beauty

The NJ Audubon Montclair Hawk Watch 

By Laurie Pellichero 

It’s an incredible sight to see each fall, flocks of birds making their way down south for the winter. One of the best places to witness the yearly pilgrimage of a variety of hawks and other birds of prey is the NJ Audubon Montclair Hawk Watch Lookout, a crushed stone-filled platform that sits on a basalt ledge high on a ridge known as First Watchung Mountain in Montclair, New Jersey. more

Genetic Testing For Breast Cancer Advances Bring New Challenges

By Anne Levin

With a mother and two paternal aunts who died of breast cancer, the two sisters knew it was important to get tested to see if they carried the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. Should the test come back positive, their risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer would be higher than average. And preventive measures—most likely mastectomy and/or hysterectomy—could be in order. more

Homes That Make Statements

By Stuart Mitchner

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous line, “The very rich are different from you and me,” in his story “The Rich Boy,” inspired Ernest Hemingway’s sarcastic retort in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro, “Yes, they have more money.”

In The Language of Houses: How Buildings Speak to Us (Delphinium $25.95), novelist Alison Lurie begins by stating “A building is an inanimate object, but it is not an inarticulate one. Even the simplest house always makes a statement, one expressed in brick and stone and plaster, in wood and metal and glass, rather than in words—but no less loud and obvious.” more

All Hallow’s Eve

Winter Is Coming…

A Well-Designed Life: Part II

Q&A with Dr. Vanessa Parisi of Hackensack Meridian Health Mountainside Medical Group

By Taylor Smith

Describe your background and current specialty.

I am a graduate of the obstetrics and gynecology residency program at Saint Barnabas Medical Center (SBMC) in Livingston, New Jersey. While at SBMC, I served as administrative co-chief resident and am the incoming District III junior fellow chair of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, participating in community service, advocacy, and education of young physicians. more

A Well-Designed Life: Part I

Q&A with Dr. Michelle O’Shea of Hackensack Meridian Health Mountainside Medical Center

By Taylor Smith 

Describe your background and current specialty.

I am a board-certified general surgeon specializing in evidenced-based breast care. I was born and raised in Sussex County, N.J. I graduated from UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School in Newark, and completed my residency in general surgery at Saint Barnabas in 2001. After residency I joined Dr. Jan Huston at Summit Breast Care, which joined Mountainside Medical Group in 2016. more

Off-Broadway Docu-Musical Launches, Part of Effort to Save and Repurpose Oscar Hammerstein II Home

Off-Broadway debuting star Doreen Taylor (Photo by Michael Pearson)

By Doug Wallack

On Friday, October 27, recording artist and off-Broadway debuting star Doreen Taylor launches her “docu-musical” show An Enchanted Evening with Oscar Hammerstein II at Highland Farm in Doylestown, Pa. The show, the proceeds from which will go to the Hammerstein Center, is part of a larger effort to save the former home of Oscar Hammerstein II at Highland Farm, and to repurpose it as a museum and theater education center.

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Newark Museum Commissions Ceramic Artist Molly Hatch

Photos courtesy of Newark Museum | www.newarkmuseum.org

REPERTOIRE
by Molly Hatch
Opens Saturday, November 4, 2017 at Newark Museum

Ceramic Artist Molly Hatch has been commissioned to produce a monumental three-part installation in the niches in the Engelhard Court. Hatch is known for her murals made up of underglaze-painted porcelain plates, including two major installations at the High Museum in Atlanta. Repertoire will be her largest commission to date, honoring the Newark Museum’s 107-year-tradition of collecting contemporary ceramic art, and commemorating the retirement of Curator of Decorative Arts Ulysses Dietz after 37  years. more

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Workshop at Stevens Institute

Photo Credit: Green over Grey Living Walls and Design | www.greenovergrey.com

The Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering is co-hosting a one-day workshop with Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey on Monday, October 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.  more

Urban Insider: A Store by Princeton Magazine

Support New Jersey-area businesses and makers by shopping these fun new items at A Store by Princeton Magazine. 

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“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” in Concert at NJPAC

Saturday, October 28 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at NJPAC in Newark

This unforgettable concert will feature the full-length film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™, projected in high-definition on a giant screen, with composer John Williams’ thrilling score performed live by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Performances will take place at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 28 at NJPAC in Newark. more

Pine Barrens Film Screening at Hopewell Theater Saturday

Image Courtesy of David Scott Kessler

By Doug Wallack 

On Saturday, October 21, at the newly renovated Hopewell Theater, filmmaker David Scott Kessler will be screening his experimental documentary The Pine Barrens with a score performed live by The Ruins of Friendship Orchestra. The film, not unlike John McPhee’s 1968 book of the same name, explores New Jersey’s Pinelands, delving deep into the culture, ecology, and lore of the region, which — despite occupying twenty percent of the state’s land area — is so often overlooked, even by Garden State residents. more

Drew University Lowers Tuition by 20%

Drew University, a Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts university, includes the College of Liberal Arts, the Drew Theological School and the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies. Drew is located on a beautiful, wooded, 186-acre campus in Madison, New Jersey, a thriving small town close to New York City.

Written by Drew University's Office of Communications

Drew University (www.drew.edu) recently announced it will lower its tuition by 20%–from $48,336 this year to $38,668 next year–rolling it back to 2010 and narrowing the gap between its “sticker price” and the amount many families pay after financial aid. This move makes Drew’s true tuition and true value more clear to more families, and makes a Drew education more accessible. more

Urban Insider: Cyclist

 

Photo Credit: Trek Bikes

Plan your next biking adventure!

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This Weekend in Union County: September 29-October 1

Photo Credit: Wightman Farms in Morristown, NJ (www.wightmanfarms.com)

Friday, September 29

Pick-your-own apples at Hillview Farms in Gilette, producing 53-acres of locally grown goodness for almost 150 years. Also featuring locally-grown natural raw honey in the Farm Store.

Transport yourself to the Pacific Northwest by visiting the “Sea Lion Sound Exhibit” at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange. The exhibit has views from underwater in a lower level area, at water level under a “sea-side” dock structure and above water at the beach area (ongoing). more

Design Thinking Playground Project Comes to Completion at Saddle River Day School

Written by Saddle River Day School 

Saddle River Day School (SRDS) hosted a community build to finally complete the Lower School playground designed by last year's seventh grade.The school integrates a concept called “design thinking” throughout many facets of its curriculum.  Unlike analytical thinking, design thinking encourages students to build up ideas, with few limits on breadth through a brainstorming process. This process encourages input and participation from a wide variety of sources in the ideation phases as students ‘think outside the box’ to come up with real solutions in problem solving through seven stages: define, research, ideate, prototype, choose, implement, and learn.  Within these seven steps, problems can be framed, the right questions can be asked, more ideas can be created, and the best answers can be chosen. more

In the Spirit

Photo Credit: Asbury Park Distilling Co.

Craft Distilleries are Booming in New Jersey 

By Laurie Pellichero

From Jersey City to Cape May, craft distilleries have been quickly popping up and producing local spirits throughout the state. While craft beers and breweries have grown quite ubiquitous in New Jersey, it’s been in just the past few years that these small batch distilleries, which now number 16 and counting, have been able to produce and promote their wares.

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Fall 2017 Magazine Photo Contest

Urban Agenda Magazine is currently accepting submissions for the Fall 2017 Photo Contest entitled, “WEATHER PATTERNS.”

There’s been a lot of crazy weather lately and we want to see if any New Jersey-based photographers have captured these dramatic moments! The image could be of the 2017 Eclipse, hail, hurricanes, rain, giant surf, cloud patterns or a colorful sunset. Each photographer may submit up to 5 images via email to taylor.smith@witherspoonmediagroup.com. Please include photo titles, descriptions, and contact information. Images do not have to be taken in New Jersey.

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Elements Truffles: Where Cacao Meets Yoga

By Taylor Smith 

Photography courtesy of Elements Truffles

Founder Alak Vasa was working on Wall Street, putting in long hours and filling her days sitting in a desk chair when she stumbled across a French patisserie close to her office. Going to the patisserie soon became a daily ritual. The beautiful desserts coupled with the elegant atmosphere made Vasa feel like she could “munch away her worries.”  more

Engineering New York

The eastbound main span will soon connect to the Westchester approach. (Kevin P. Coughlin/Office of the Governor)

By Ilene Dube

The Brooklyn Bridge, an engineering marvel of its era, is considered a work of art, one that has inspired other artists from Georgia O’Keeffe to Red Grooms. As the replacement for New York’s Tappan Zee Bridge nears completion,
observers can see that it, too, is soaring with beauty and grace. more

Fall Festivals

All About Downtown Street Fair, Jersey City

The leaves will soon be falling, the air is crisp…it’s time for fall festivals!

By Laurie Pellichero

Mark your calendar for these upcoming New Jersey events:

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Athleta Westfield Friends and Family Weekend Events, September 14 – 18

Photo Credit: @athleta

Join Athleta for a Fun Friends and Family Weekend at 224 E. Broad St. in downtown Westfield, NJ!

Thursday, September 14

12–9pm Celebrate Bestfield Day with Chief Spirit Officer Meaghan Murphy! Athleta will be giving away prizes every hour donated by local businesses, the day will wrap up with a Ladies Night Out from 7–9pm featuring special guest Laurie Gelman who will be signing copies of her new book Class Mom, Mocktails provided by NosVino, Snacks provided by The Salad House of Westfield, and cookies provided by PeaPods Cookies! Books available now for purchase at the Town Book Store (270 E. Broad St., 908.233.3535). more