Open Stage Returns To The RiffRaff

After closing for a short while for some upgrades and renovations, The Room Upstairs, part of The RiffRaff Arts Collective is back and hosting some of the best open stage nights that Princeton has ever seen. Talented people of Princeton and the surrounding areas all came out to enjoy a spectacular evening of arts and entertainment. There was an amazing turnout for open stage’s first night back, and the talent there was exceptional. With performances by Albert Perrone, Soul Shuttle, Option 22, The Captain Lazerblast Band, and many others. In general, the entire night was a huge success.

by James Agee

The Parade

If you have not heard by now about the Elephant and its cohorts who splashed across Mercer Street on April 3rd, you are probably a hermit, or else a deprived individual starved of glitter, masks, and the rapture of sidewalk chalk.

 

The Alltogether Arts Parade was the multicolored cherry that topped Alltogether Arts Week, a celebration of the local arts community that had lovers of fun hopping from poetry readings to drum circles to soda shops, among other events. (If you still don’t know what we’re talking about, Mr. Hermit, don’t worry – this happens annually!).

The Week began with a kickoff event at The Turnaround, the newest little addition to the family of artistic venues on Mercer Street. March 26th saw it packed with artisans sharing ideas and support, and community members peering in for a moment of enrichment.

They were greeted by the tomb of an ancient Egyptian Pharoh at the door, watched by the large innocent eyes of a candy-mouthed warthog, and lured through the balcony by a lounging mermaid, among an equally exotic assortment of faces and deccorations constructed by the artistic community.

 

 

The parade’s star was, of course, its Elephant, constructed by John Trail and Chris Clark, whose epic elephantine journy has been documented every step of the way and can be found through links on the Alltogether Arts Facebook page (here are two links in particular)

http://westvirginiaville.com/2011/04/an-elephant-walks-in-west-virginia-part-1/

http://westvirginiaville.com/2011/04/elephant-on-the-loose-in-westvirginia-part-2/

And for the aspiring Hermit who wants a glimpse of the excitement, or for those of you who participated and need a trip down memory lane, check out this video:

Finally, of course, there is no substitute for good old-fashioned pictures (as you can see I’ve had to restrain myself from including every picture I could find), and each one of these is worth its weight in glitter. This album also does not stand alone – searching the Alltogether Arts Facebook page, or the pages of anyone you know who attended, will yield some amazing snapshots. (photos used above courtesy of Richard Hypes and Jaana Hitzig)

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150160083084818&id=705624817&notif_t=like#!/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150155078404312.301485.678994311

On a side note – I was asked by a reporter “what sort of people come to this event?”

Well, the sort of people who love art, and the sort who don’t, the sort that love fun. They are  the sort of people who like community building, fresh air, interaction, hoop dancing, inspiration, bubbles, children. The sort of  people who come from anywhere, the sort of people who do anything, the sort of people who have never been, the sort of people who will always be there. People like you. If you weren’t there, here’s your invitation for next spring. After all, art can’t hurt you.

- by Ashleigh Gill

Book Exchange Revived

There is, in the literary universe, a creature known as the Romance Novel.

While relatively harmless in nature, once introduced into any bookstore, the Romance Novel breeds and overtakes local populations to such an extensive degree that it can choke out all competitors.

Few powers in the universe are capable of combating the unified forces of Romance Novels in full overflow mode. If left unchecked they can drive other endangered genres out of house and home.

Luckily for the universe, there’s The Brainy Boston Book Exchange.

What was only weeks ago a book exchange infested with suffocating populations of outdated, scattered literature has become a brilliant new environment for both reader and read-ee.

Stephanie and Nolen Dempsey, who grew up in Princeton, recently stepped into ownership of the Exchange, and say they intend it to be “not just a bookstore but somewhere comfortable to hang out.” Animal imagery bedecks the walls, new books wander the shelves, new paint and new faces adorn the desk area. Herds of Romance Novels, by the pound and ton, are being organized and culled out  to give  their newer relatives some elbow room.

The Dempseys say that in addition to giving the Exchange a new look, they want the store to join into the close-knit arts community of Mercer street, being themselves lovers of art, literature, and music. With the close community ties they already have, they want to see Mercer Street change, and they believe it is  “starting to emerge as a better place.”  The store is already doing its part to drive that goal. The bussle around it, the reformation and creativity, sigh of inspiration and imagination, which any street in any town could do with a little more of. The Exchange is another force of light emerging ex nihlo, in more than one way.

Stephanie, who taught English, was diagnosed with a complex form of bone cancer, and says that opening and running the store, pouring her creative energy into it, is a personal healing device. “It’s bringing me out of a dark place, out of isolation without an outlet,” she says. Rather than focusing on the next doctor’s visit, she is focusing on books. Lots of books. Storerooms and boxes and jungles of books. What better to focus on?

Now, here’s your part in this, dear reader.

They need books. New books. Interesting books. Particularly children’s books.

Donate some books. Take somehome! And if you like, you can also purchase the items in their window display.

Whatever you do, don’t let the Romance Novels win.

*no Romance Novels were harmed in the making of this blog.

- by Ashleigh Gill

State of the Renaissance Address

It would seem that the enemy of the artistic community is not any force of oppression or destruction but rather the simple presence of snow and of cold. Winter has slowed the buzz around downtown Princeton, shutting in travelers,temporarily freezing out the warmth of Heritage Cafe, and canceling open mic events.

Mercer Street, Winter 2010

The cold, however, is a unifying force. The huddled shapes on the street turning up their collars against blasts of wind, the shivering hands reaching together toward the warmth of a fire, are held together by the common and singular desire for comfort, warmth. They become a community instantly, despite the snow and ice.

And in that community of shivering people, art and light continue to imbue their own unique warmth into the world around them. Heritage, warm once more, continues to fill the plates and cups of passers-by with warm food and coffee. Performers battle the biting wind to share their art on stage. And just next door, the new space known as ‘The Turnaround’ is quickly taking shape, soon to be a creative new haunt for those who can’t bear to let something as simple as a season keep them from experiencing the company of other artists.

The TurnAround Concert & Gathering Hall under construction

The Renaissance lives. It looks forward to spring, to the arrival of Alltogether Arts Week, the new vibrance of people pouring down from their towers with the melting snow. But even waiting, it thrives, as its people thrive, together.

- by Ashleigh Gill

A Walk to the Oasis

There is a corner of Mercer Street adorned in a gateway of Christmas lights, bustling with creative forces – a concentrated mass of energy fueling Princeton’s artistic rebirth. If anything speaks of inventive unity, this does. Stand on that corner a minute.

Say, in front of the RiffRaff Arts Collective.

Say, while drinking a cup of coffee from Heritage Cafe.

Say, while listening to the drumbeats  from inside Stages Music School, and reading a book from the new library.

Then, basking in the glow of all that, turn and start walking down to the other end of the street.

Why? Because that’s where you’re going to stumble across  Sugar Shak.

Cole Thomas of Sugar Shak describes it as “an everyday oasis,” an opportunity to escape the normal and experience the artistic. It is a restaurant, catering service, and open mic venue. It is artists sitting at dinner, playing drums, singing to each other. It is feathery white palm trees sprouting from the tables. It is irresistible  mounds of chocolate and cake and candy waiting calmly at the back of the room for you to wander over and introduce yourself.

Sugar Shak is hardly new. It’s existed for five years and is as much a part of the artistic community as any of the other businesses on Mercer Street. And, like those other businesses, the Sugar Shak team has a vision for Downtown Princeton. “To see the rebirth of streets bustling, without people being afraid,” says Cole. It is more, though, than a vision of prosperity. It is a vision of unity. Cole describes a world in which every business, every restaurant, every facet of the renaissance, works together in mutual promotion, – a world of solidarity. The more businesses and creative forces, the better. “The more of a team we are, the better chance we have to succeed,” says Cole – a sentiment that embodies the artistic community.

 

For its part, Sugar Shak reaches out to anyone who will take its hand. They often cater for events at the Chuck Mathena Center and for Princeton High School, among others. Their open mics – every Wednesday – join with the Monday open mics at the RiffRaff to provide eight different chances per month for the public to experience and express artistic talent. That’s also another set of opportunities for young artists, like the students at Stages, to showcase their skills. And in the larger picture, it is another pulse in the heartbeat of Princeton’s self-expression, another strong link in the circle of friends seeking to uphold each other.

The Sugar Shak gang, like any and all of the other creative groups in the area, seek simply, all-importantly, to sustain those aspects of life every human being requires – expression, communication, togetherness.

“People,” says Cole, “don’t necessarily wake up in the morning thinking ‘I’m going to buy art.’ They wake up thinking of food. Giving people food, and tying it to art, gives people what they need to be at ease. It may be only for an hour, but if they’re looking at art, music, and good food, it takes them away from their lives, and they don’t have to worry.”

And if you’re still just standing there on that one corner outside the RiffRaff, you really should take a minute and experience that ease for yourself.

by Ashleigh Gill

Opportunity

Think of art.
Think of any kind of art. your favorite kind.
Think of all the kinds of art springing up in downtown Princeton. There are paintings, sculptures, photography, textile and cooking and writing and music – there is just about everything, and a home for it.
Except… has anyone seen a place for a theater?
Yes, you? raise your hand – speak up please. A theater? Where’s that?

Two doors down from the Riffraff there just so happens to be an unused theater – a blank canvas for anyone with a vision. Think about that. A theater on Mercer Street- a theater as the new kid on the block, a theater springing up in the midst of the downtown renaissance! Just what the movement’s been needing, wouldn’t you say? *nudge nudge.

Not convinced? Some facts, you say? Well…
It is listed at 125,000. A four hundred seat theater with apartments and store front space.
That’s 400 people, straight from the inspired streets of Princeton, sitting in a theater they didn’t have before. That’s 400 artists, musicians, writers, thinkers, 400 local individuals thus far deprived of an opportunity, 400 people experiencing another outlet of creative force. But wait, there’s more – there’s also an apartment building for sale right next to it! Check out the link to Country Roads Real Estate to see more!

http://www.usamls.net/countryroadsonline/default.asp?content=expanded&search_content=results&this_format=3&mls_number=35183&page=1&query_id=102790427&sortby=2

The sales pitch is not, of course the point here.
the point is that there is an enormous creative opportunity sitting, untouched, in the midst of the greatest artistic forces Mercer Street has ever seen. The arrival of each new facet of artistry is a burst of energy to the progress of the movement. The arrival of Heritage Cafe alone has served as a unifying force to the area – imagine, you artists and builders and thinkers all, imagine what opening a theater could do.
Just think about it.

 

by Ashleigh Gill

Heritage Cafe – Feeding the Renaissance

Last spring saw a little corner of the world called Mercer Street erupt in creative force and unity with the celebration of All Together Arts Week. And when the street quieted in the absence of musicians, side walk chalk, and fairy wings, it might have become easy to suppose that this surge of artistic force would be left alone to build up until next year. Might have been. But a revolution is not just the show of force, it is everything behind it, and everything it creates. And as in any good revolution, Mercer Street is not holding its tongue. From the blank corners of the old post office, a beautiful library has crawled up and turned everything inside out. (If you have not gotten to wander its halls, make time to). Down the street from it, the newly painted Stages Music School is a beehive of creative expression. You can glance over at any moment and see the constant flow of students hurrying in and dreamers filtering out. As always, the Riffraff uplifts the creative circle that has sprung up around it. And linking arms with the Riffraff comes the newest piece to the puzzle, Heritage Cafe. The Cafe has wandered to Mercer Street from Bluefield. Owned by Jody and Vicky Queen, with partner Donna Whitehead (primary collaborators of Gary Bowling’s House of Art, which is now located in the Bluefield Area Arts Center), it is a combination restaurant, art gallery, and relaxed meeting place for artists of the Princeton Renaissance. Its opening has grabbed the attention of the local press (such as here

http://bdtonline.com/princeton/x921680130/Caf-s-add-taste-to-Mercer-St-business-boom
)
and its unique displays of local art work (for sale!!) can’t help but grab the attention of the local passer-by. But beyond being an interesting little business popping up on a street, Heritage Cafe is something more. This place is easily a symbol of the artistic movement. It is new, it is a  bright and colorful expression of talent, it is a provider of sustenance to the hungry – Just as any work of art, or any community movement, is. Just as Mercer Street is. Just as everyone involved in the progression is, or  can be. – by Ashleigh Gill