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
