Perhaps it is a story being told by the docent as you make your way through the halls; videos strategically placed throughout that bring different displays to life; or maybe it’s the pieces alone that connect with you. Everyone engages with museums differently, but all have the ability to take you back, pull you in and open your mind.
In the September issue of Princeton Perspectives, Special Collections: Art, History and Culture in our Midst, we share some of the unique offerings on display around our area. They extend from traditional to esoteric, including historic homes and artistic enclaves. While some consider themselves “museum people,” others need an extra attraction to draw them in. Around here, there seems to be something for everyone.
What has been your most meaningful museum experience? We asked people in downtown Princeton to share their stories, and they are quite intriguing. Watch this month’s Pulse of Princeton to get inspired for your next museum trip.
If, as described above, you are not a traditional museumgoer, it is time to head across the river. The article A Unique Opportunity to Go Back in Time at Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle takes you inside the mind, home and museum of Hugh Chapman Mercer. Unique and quirky, he was an artistic and historic genius who enabled people to learn for generations. He also built what is now home to the Bucks County Historical Society, with a research library spanning back for centuries.
To ensure its history is saved, and soon back on display for all to see, The Hopewell Museum is rebuilding. Reimagining The Hopewell Museum provides a glimpse at some of the treasures it has salvaged, how it has done so, and the ways it hopes to share them for years to come.
Speaking of rebuilding…it shared beautiful and renowned works of arts for more than a century, and now, after years of construction, another museum hopes to offer even more. A New Princeton University Art Museum is Opening for Visitors is an article about what sets this new museum apart, and how you can indulge in it all.
In some instances it is the structure itself that is the most historically significant. You may have driven by it many times and not realized the history that lives on here, so the article Rockingham and its Historic Visit by Washington informs about what happened before, during and since George Washington’s stay at this special home.
Speaking of homes, you must have electricity or gas to keep yours cool in the summer and warm in the winter month, turn the lights on and more. This month’s Perspectives Revisited provides insight on recent bill increases that have many concerned. We also share how you can get the most out of Hispanic Heritage Month, going on right now.
Your homework, if you’ll take it, is to pick one local museum you have never visited and make a plan to do so. Whether outside to enjoy the elongated summer weather, or an indoor one for a cooler day. The greater Princeton area offers something for everyone. Take your pick!
Lisa Jacknow spent years working in national and local news in and around New York City before moving to Princeton. Working as both a TV producer and news reporter, Lisa came to this area to focus on the local news of Mercer County at WZBN-TV. In recent years, she got immersed in the Princeton community by serving leadership roles at local schools in addition to volunteering for other local non-profits. In her free time, Lisa loves to spend time with her family, play tennis, sing and play the piano. A graduate of the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, Lisa was raised just north of Boston, Massachusetts but has lived in the tri-state area since college. She is excited to be Editor and head writer for Princeton Perspectives!