1-23 TD

Katherine Hackl talks Trenton and tile work, page 4; New art rings in the new year, 6.

By Dan auBrey

George Washington came to town on Christmas in 1776 and has returned over the past few decades during the annual Patriots Week to help celebrate his important victory over the British during the American Revolution.

But after the musket fire smoke fades, the battle and Washington’s presence in Trenton and elsewhere seems to get lost in the daily shuffle — despite his ubiquitous but taken-for-granted presence in area art work and memorials

Meanwhile, as local officials elsewhere are drumming up visitors by capitalizing on Washington’s connection to the area, those leading the City of Trenton as well as the entire Greater Trenton area keep missing the boat on telling the world that Washington did more than sleep here — his winning gamble to take the town gave new breath to a gasping revolution.

Now, if Thomas Edison University State University in downtown Tren-

ton has its way, there will be even less George — in a big way.

TESU is set on selling one of the city’s longstanding cultural treasures: N.C. Wyeth’s painting “Reception to Washington on April 21, 1789, at Trenton On His Way To New York to Assume the Duties of the Presidency Of the United States.”

The 17-foot-tall by 12-foot-wide oil-oncanvas mural was commissioned by First Mechanics National Bank in 1930 and continued being part of the downtown landscape until the last bank that owned the building, Wells Fargo, left for the suburbs and donated the painting to TESU.

The idea was that the painting would stay where it was designed to be: West State Street in downtown Trenton. But TESU seems to be on a treasure hunt and sees big gold in the big painting.

However, others wish the college officials would see the bigger picture and see the people of Trenton on a losing side.

“The Trenton Historical Society stands committed behind their stance of asking Thomas Edison State University not to sell one of Trenton’s great treasures, N.C. Wyeth’s monumental painting of

Left , N.C. Wyeth’s painting of George Washington that is the center of an ongoing controversy at Thomas Edison State University. Above, M. Dickenson Ayer’s statue of Washington in Mill Hill.

George Washington’s reception at Trenton on his inaugural journey in 1789,” says THS vice president Karl Flesch, who helped provide the public notice that led TESU to buy George some time by adopting a resolution to drop its sale date of January 21, 2023.

Flesch, who is also the president of the Trenton City Museum, adds, “While Wells Fargo’s gift agreement stipulated that TESU could not sell N.C. Wyeth’s masterwork for a period of three years, TESU has been waiting with bated breath

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Ceramicist Katherine Hackl makes her mark on the capital city

By Dan auBrey

Follow a trail of ceramic work around the capital city and you’ll find Lambertville-based artist Katherine Hackl.

Simply put, Hackl is a link to Trenton’s pottery tradition, especially to Trenton’s glory days when it was an internationally known center for ceramics. And her works are part of the capital city’s artistic landscape.

Seen at the Trenton Transit Center, the River Line stations, New Jersey State House Annex, Thomas Edison State University, Trenton War Memorial, and the Anne Klein Forensic Center, her work continues the nearly forgotten Trenton tradition of beautifying the city with clay — like the elegant tiles on West State Street’s Kelsey Building by tile master Herman Carl Mueller (1854-19410).

On a recent autumn afternoon with bright sunlight pouring through hazy windows and illuminating the two-storied 19th-century storehouse-turned-workshop, Hackl provides a tour of a studio glowing with tiles, pottery, small statues, and rows of glazes that are like a trip into the past.

As she reaches a chair to be interviewed, she quietly shares a surprising history about her first Trenton project: providing tiles for the New Jersey State House Annex.

It — as well as her resume listing a series of public art jobs — was unplanned.

She says she had just finished college and was completing an apprenticeship at Moravian Pottery & Tile Works in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, a center known for its embrace of the American Arts and Crafts aesthetic — one that promoted a return to handmade works by artists/designers in a world becoming more industrial.

“I was just at the point where I was asking what was going on my life,” she says.

At the same time, unbeknownst to her, about 30 miles to the east, someone else was asking questions when, as Hackl says, “something fell though” with engaging an artisan to address the deteriorating tile work at the New Jersey State House Annex.

New Jersey State Council on the Arts Public Arts Coordinator Tom Moran (with whom I had worked during my time at the NJSCA) found an answer to his problem when he contacted Moravian administrators and asked if they knew of any New Jersey artist who could provide tile work in the Arts and Craft tile style.

“I got a call, and he asked for a proposal,” says Hackl.

The only problem, she adds, “I was an unknown and didn’t have a portfolio. But (Moran) said bring some work by and

we’ll talk about it. I filled my backpack with tile and he met me. He looked at (the work) and said, ‘Okay.’” He advised her on how to write a proposal. She submitted it to the state review committee and become a candidate.

Selected to participate in the State House restoration project that took place between 1996 and 1999, Hackl says she worked first on restoring some of the Mueller tiles in the area that had once been the home of the New Jersey State Museum and Library.

Then she was asked to replace some of the tile works in what had been an area for young visitors with designs of her own.

Since the existing images were stylized animals — something that was also incorporated in her training at Moravian — Hackl felt confident in making the decision to create new images based on the animals found in the popular “Just So Stories” by British writer Rudyard Kipling

(1865-1937).

“I said let’s keep the same cast of characters (meaning the animals existing on the Mueller tiles) and connect them to stories visitors read in their childhood. It is fun when people see tiles and remember stories.”

Fun and familiarity are part of the spirit of Hackl’s artistic approach. “Keep it light,” she says, “It engages people. Taking everything seriously is dreary.”

It is also evident in her most public Trenton work, the tiled interior walls of the Trenton Transit Center, part of the renovation project completed in 2009.

Left to her own design, Hackl decided to explore something that was present yet overlooked in Trenton.

“I proposed nature and the urban environment, to show that it was all around us and that there was a great, rich outdoors around Trenton,” she says, mentioning the Delaware River, green areas,

canals, parks, Duck Island, and the Abbott Marshlands.

She says she wanted to highlight “this amazing relationship between wilderness and industry” and let Trentonians know “that we’re living with this natural world.”

Once the theme was established, she immersed herself into Trenton ceramics history and wildlife.

The former included delving into the ceramic and pottery collections held by the Trenton City and New Jersey State museums.

The latter involved walking around the city, taking notes of seeing newspaper boxes sharing spaces with frogs and pigeons, and reading books and discovering facts that became part of her work — such as the tile that shows a Delaware River project that traced sturgeons by putting radio transmitters on their backs.

She also kept her ears open to hear what others had to say or what was going on.

For example, she says one of the tile images came about when she learned during a chat with renovation workers that a hawk flew over the building every day. Another came from the buzz running through the community in 2006 that a beluga whale had ventured into Trenton waters and lingered in town for several days.

To Hackl, the hawk, whale, foxes near a power plant, and the State House gardens are as much a part of Trenton’s city life as the bustling people.

“Working with nature is a theme throughout my work,” she says, as she elaborates on creating a tiled mural of trees for the forensic hospital job.

In addition to her Trenton projects, Hackl boasts a series of public art commissions for New Jersey transit stations in Edison, Somerville, and Bayonne; New York City MTA stops; and Roosevelt Borough Hall, to name a few.

She has also created tiles for Princeton Public Library, where she included an image of the Martian invasion conjured up in the imagination by the notorious 1938 radio play broadcast of “The War of the Worlds.” The program’s realistic reporting that Martians were landing outside Princeton in Grovers Mill frightened those just tuning in and caused panic in and beyond the region.

While Hackl is connected to the Trenton region and its history, her own story started 20 miles north along the Delaware.

“I was raised in Stockton, New Jersey, and went to the University of Chicago and studied political history. I came back right out and worked at Moravian and started studio life.”

The daughter of a successful Hunter-

When hired to tile interior walls of the renovated Trenton Transit Center, Hackl says, ‘I proposed nature and the urban environment, to show that it was all around us and that there was a great, rich outdoors around Trenton.’

Talking Tea with Holsome Teas and Herbs & Tea-For-All

BY REBEKAH SCHROEDER

January has few holidays after the new year, but a lighthearted observance that makes the weight of a dark winter better is the month’s national recognition of hot tea.

Stay snug with a satisfying cup of your own, or, for an experience combining the leisurely with the educational, put that kettle back on—the wisdom of these tea shops is steeped in years of creativity and care.

Holsome Teas and Herbs

The rows of colorful Chinese tea bins lining the walls at Princeton’s Holsome Teas and Herbs shine like hidden gems in this “hole-in-the-wall” establishment, each resembling vibrant jewels with their own origins, flavors and brewing customs.

Holsome, which takes its name from the word “wholesome” minus two letters, is in the rear of the building at 27 Witherspoon Street, reachable either through the brick back alley and egress or by walking straight through the storefront of Junbi, the bubble tea shop that Holsome’s owner, former chemist Paul Shu, rents the space to.

According to Shu, the longtime spot described on its website as “Princeton’s

Holsome’s rear egress at 27 Witherspoon Street in downtown Princeton.

best kept secret” was the first tea store in the downtown Princeton area, opening in 1996 at 20 Nassau Street prior to moving to its permanent home on Witherspoon. The welcoming white interior, accentuated by an emerald seating area of modest tables and a prime outside view, is a window into the scientist’s second dream.

Holsome has successfully tested Shu’s hypothesis, carrying a combination of three aspects—high-quality teas from around the world, Chinese herbal medicine, and nutritional supplements and vitamins—over 26 years of business, long before you could buy bubble tea on every block.

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Shu’s teas, whether traditional or flavored, come from a variety of countries, including China, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and India.

“A tea shop like this can do well because our tea’s so different, it’s really so different. You will come to a tea shop to buy tea; you can actually see it, smell it, and taste it,” Shu said. “But if you go online, that quality and service are not there.”

Shu also mentioned that relying solely on descriptions for reference raises the risk of “disappointment,” a scenario easily avoided by providing a physical, pleasant environment for perusing and purchasing tea.

Holsome is open Monday through Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. Shu’s wife used to help, but he has since encouraged her to do all the paperwork and bookkeeping from home while he oversees the storefront.

Shu is an impressive one-man show, balancing phone calls, brewing tea, and measuring out the leaves waiting to be weighed, which can be purchased for the minimal weight of a quarter pound.

Born in China, Shu moved to Taiwan when he was about 6 years old. In 1965, he came to study in the United States, obtaining a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and his Ph.D. in the same subject from the University of Michigan.

After graduating, Shu completed his postdoc at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, then started as a research scientist with 3M, a manufacturing company based in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

ExxonMobil, then known as the Mobil Oil Corporation, used to have a research and development center based in Hopewell Township that offered Shu a position. He arrived in Mercer County in 1981, worked there for 15 years, and registered an estimated 74 patents in his name.

While he trained as a chemist, Shu rarely stuck with a single passion and “always had more than one job at one time,” leading him to found the Whitewaters Swim Team in 1983. Shu is now the acting director, but before he stepped back to focus full-time on Holsome about three years ago, Whitewaters had “the longest history of one coach and the same head coach” in the area.

In 1995, Mobil exited the area, and Shu accepted what he described as a “package deal” for early retirement from Mobil, which left him wondering about what to do next in his career.

Thinking about his family background, Shu knew that both of his paternal and maternal grandparents were “very knowledgeable in traditional Chinese medicine,” even applying what they knew to serve as healers in their hometown communities. Those who practiced Chinese medicine back then, Shu said, were not often

“formally trained in college or university,” learning instead through “self-study.”

But, “more importantly, because Chinese medicine is very closely linked to our philosophy, our Chinese philosophy tends to be [that] we are more into nature; it’s not artificial, so whatever goes harmoniously with nature, that’s the way they approach.”

Shu observed how a greater number of people in America were taking an interest in this practice so “deeply ingrained” in his culture. The supplement industry was also booming, with health stores in malls like GNC making vitamins more accessible to the general public.

Around the same time, Shu had recently discovered his affinity for tea while revisiting Taiwan, returning to America with some that he eagerly shared with friends. Back in the late ‘90s, he said that because America was such a “fast-moving” country, people tended to gravitate towards soda or coffee, consuming the latter in instant form rather than taking the time to properly prepare their morning java.

Shu envisioned a company that would be informed by both his principles and professional experiences in chemistry. Such expertise, he added, allowed him to “pick up new information”—such as how to run a business without official training—quicker.

Because of Shu’s capacity for analysis, he emphasized the importance of remembering how “nature came first; science is after that.”

“Everything is in nature. It’s already there, and we just don’t know enough. We gradually learn more and more about it, but people think we’re discovering it. You didn’t discover it; it was already there. You bumped into it.”

Shu wanted to improve his clients’ quality of life and health under the belief that he could “fundamentally help people’s overall wellbeing” in an informed, practical manner. Now, he sells organic ingredients such as burdock root, goji berries, rosehips, lavender flowers, and peppermint.

By bringing products and tea to an American audience not nearly as familiar with such a market back at the beginning of the 21st century, Shu capitalized on a niche that has since been embraced in the public sphere.

This change can be visibly seen just in Princeton alone, which is now bustling with various shops to buy, try and enjoy tea. Many of these places also sell bubble tea, a sweet, Taiwanese tea-based drink that typically features boba—chewy balls of tapioca “pearls” with a divisive texture—as well as milk, sweetened red bean, coconut-based flavored jellies, and other additions.

“When I first moved to Princeton, Princeton was a sleepy small town, essentially,” Shu said, remembering a time when the shops were scattered solely from Nassau through Witherspoon, as well as in Palmer Square. One of the only businesses still operating, he added, is Small World Coffee, which he believes was the first coffee spot when it opened three years before Holsome in December 1993.

“I’ve seen so many businesses come and go,” Shu said. “Fortunately, I’m still here,” with the owner attributing that to the fact that his “original formula seems to be working.”

Back then, there were numerous banks and a few restaurants in Princeton, but only one chain: a single Burger King. Similar fare was seen as unbefitting of the town’s atmosphere, so when industry giants like Starbucks came along, “that was a shock at the time,” Shu said.

This attitude of wanting the town to “have its own distinct status and reputation,” Shu continued, has now fallen by the wayside in favor of more chain stores.

Shu was pleased that Holsome had been successful “from day one,” and when Urken Supply Co., a family-owned hardware store on Witherspoon, closed in 2002, Shu’s enterprise had the chance to expand into a larger location.

Once he acquired the building, Shu ran

his tea shop in the front, while a multipurpose space in the back served as an art gallery where, “every two months,” a new, local creative would showcase an exhibit of their works.

When a yoga studio on Spring Street closed, Shu gave the equipment, as well as some of the teachers, a new home at Holsome Teas and Herbs. The “Holsome Yoga”’ program ran for years until instructor Gemma Farrell took over and moved the group, now known as “Gratitude Yoga,” to the second floor of 86 Nassau Street in 2018.

Shu acknowledged that although Holsome was able to incorporate more of a holistic flair, the 2008 financial crisis had a significant impact on the company.

Eventually, Shu made the decision to begin renting out the front of the building, which turned out to be a “very valuable” source of income, as Holsome carried on in the rear. To do so, he redid most of the interior, carving out a corridor and a second egress for additional room.

Shu said that Junbi, which means “preparation” in Japanese, opened in March 2021 with a lineup of matcha-forward drinks, bubble teas, coffees and more. Junbi is “very popular for young people,” he added, with bubble tea frequently serving as “the first step” toward regular tea consumption for these generations. Holsome even sold healthier, “unconventional” bubble tea back when they were in the front area, yet now that Shu is without a kitchen of his own, his recommendation is to take full advantage of Junbi’s menu.

The revamped layout at Holsome is still used for a zen meditation class, but Shu is considering converting the old gallery into a place where people can come to sit, study, and learn while drinking tea.

Shu noted that he is more than “happy here” at Holsome’s spot, gesturing to the wide window, a personal request of his, which fills the room with light as it looks out onto the courtyard area. “This is almost like my own backyard. When you sit here, it’s almost like they let me share their garden,” Shu said with a sincere smile.

Throughout times of uncertainty, Holsome Teas and Herbs has remained true to its roots—and name—by inviting customers to pause and savor the simple things in life. “People just come to talk to me for any health advice. If I know, I’m more than happy to provide it,” Shu explained. “My philosophy here is, I like to provide knowledge.”

Shu insisted that he is not interested in any products with unproven abilities or hypes, and everything he does retail has been vetted in terms of efficacy and safety.

Shu has built trust in his relationship with customers over the years, meaning that if someone asks about a particular problem or product, he will be “very hon-

For the past 26 years, Paul Shu, the owner of Holsome Teas and Herbs, has been running a shop that combines his love of tea with Chinese herbal remedies influenced by his family. background.

est” in letting them know the truth, even going so far as to refuse to sell it to them.

Shu said people he has known for years regularly call him for questions and conversations, becoming like his old friends. Many of them have since moved away, but despite the distance, he arranges for products to be delivered to them wherever they are now.

The owner maintained that because such a feature had always been an integral part of Holsome’s business model from the start, he did not notice a dramatic increase in the sale of “natural alternatives” during the pandemic. The modest storefront, which only accepts in-person or phone orders, does not have an online store.

Just as simply, with green tea being the least oxidized and black tea being the most oxidized, Shu’s favorite tea, oolong, is semioxidized and falls somewhere in the middle. Shu said that depending on how much air the leaves are exposed to in production, the color will fluctuate, giving a “different taste and flavor” to the tea.

His recommendations, however, revolve around each person’s individual tea experiences, as a match must “depend on their interest, state, and appreciation level.”

Everyone “has a different value system,” Shu explained, meaning that there are differences between the palates of beginners and those who have dedicated time to honing their taste preferences. He believes that rather than selecting the most expensive tea, an introduction to tea should begin with sampling and exploring flavor profiles through more affordable options.

Shu equated the experience to that of wine, stating that college students are likely to opt for a cheaper option that works for their roommates at the time. But once they develop a discerning palate, those same people might buy “a particular year or variety” at a higher price.

“Tea drinking is very similar to that,” Shu said. With thousands of years of customs and history behind it, the craft has “evolved continuously” throughout time to the point where drinking tea, according to Holsome’s owner, “is almost like an art” in and of itself.

“You can brew a nice cup of tea your way, [with] your knowledge, and then you can appreciate the result,” he said. Shu explained that although manipulating the climate, and temperature can influence the overall flavor of a tea, the maker has a level of control over the final product that far exceeds that of coffee, where the definitions of a dark or medium roast differ from shop to shop.

“If you understand the tea brewing process,” he said, “a good cup of tea is very easy.” While he referred to tea as “more subtle,” Shu also drinks coffee, brewing it with the same care as his tea. Customers who enter Holsome with a cup of java in hand, though, always seem to apologize

Browse the beautiful displays of teas, left, while taking in the charming courtyard view at Holsome, right.

to the owner as if he would look down on them for their choice; when this happens, he reassures them that there is no need to worry over such a trivial detail.

“Coffee and tea—they all can improve our lives, so what’s the big deal?” Shu said.

Since tea is organic, Shu acknowledged that there is no surefire way to ensure the exact consistency of each tea from batch to batch, but he has long established a rapport with producers that allows him to get as close to the same result as possible every time. Despite coming from “the same tea garden, the same facility, the same teamaking master, every year’s different,” he explained, comparing those variations to the harvest from a vegetable garden.

As shops across Princeton may go about tea in a “different style,” Shu shared, he is glad to see the shift in attitudes about what can be savored as a beautifully understated selection, one that is less ubiquitous in America.

Back when Teavana was in business— the now-defunct tea store and mall staple that was bought out, then dissolved by the Starbucks brand—Shu was still pleased, noting that they provided more ways “to introduce average people to tea drinking” on a larger scale.

“We’re all promoting tea drinking,” Shu said in earnest, adding that to create an art and culture of tea here, others must aid the general mission to “broadcast” the practice. Coffee might have reigned supreme at the beginning of Holsome’s journey, but now that people have a better understanding of tea or are eager to learn, the clientele’s choices have changed accordingly.

“I can see many of our customers are coming with good knowledge and taste in tea, and that’s very encouraging. My original idea is working, but it takes some time,” Shu explained.

He has no interest in moving on or elsewhere, keeping busy with over two decades’ worth of dedication and regulars. If he ever does find a successor, Shu said he would need to ensure that their interest in tea is just as strong as his—someone who can apply his scientific precision, as well as Shu’s peaceful understanding and enduring philosophy, to the business.

Tea-For-All

Tea-For-All is located in the north end of the Trenton Farmers Market at 960 Spruce Street in Lawrence, down the main corridor of permanent and rotating vendors, right by the vegan eatery Savory Leaf Cafe and Out Of Step: Offbeat Boutique & General Store.

Ran by couple Deborah “Debbie” and Michael “Mike” Raab, Tea-For-All has been

in business since 2011, opening in the Trenton Farmers Market eight years later in a spot that comes complete with a tea bar and retail space.

Just four months into this long-awaited storefront, though, the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily closed their physical location, so the Raabs, like true tea entrepreneurs, pivoted to take away teas, porch deliveries and off-hour curbside pickups.

Debbie was used to reinventing her approach as the owner and principal; after retiring from a career in corrections in 2009, she honed her business skills through pop-up markets and partnerships. First, she graduated from Trenton State College, now known as The College of New Jersey, with a bachelor’s in sociology and a minor in psychology, then worked in the field for over 30 years, starting as a state social worker before becoming a program director.

Mike joked that Debbie “was terrible at retirement,” because rather than enjoy her free time, she began studying her second interest in tea whenever and wherever she could, with the thought of starting her own, all-encompassing business.

Instead of just focusing on tea and its corresponding products, Tea-For-All centers on education by coordinating a monthly tea club membership program as well as “about 20 or 30 different lectures” that, for a fee, touch on topics from history to wellness. Tea-For-All is also a regular at places like the West Windsor Community Farmers’ Market, where the company can interact with a broader audience.

For January, Tea-For-All is expecting to host more of these educational classes and private tastings “two or three times a week,” while due to the onset of the cold weather, they have been selling more warm beverages such as tea lattes, hot chocolates and apple ciders.

Tea-For-All is currently open from Wednesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., as well as on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. While the Trenton Farmers Market is closed on Wednesdays, several shops remain open to the public and can be entered through their respective entrances, including Tea-For-All, Out of Step, Savory Leaf, and the Lady and the Shallot.

Mike, whose background is similar to Shu’s in their shared love of science, spent 25 years in sales, complemented by his

experiences in engineering and marketing. He received his bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics with a minor in engineering from Northrop Institute of Technology, followed by his MBA from the same institution, which closed as Northrop University in 1990.

Growing up with a dad in the Navy, Mike spent his childhood in “every place that God put water” before living in California for roughly 30 years. Once in the chemical industry, he held a number of managerial, liaison, and leadership positions. Mike’s company, the Chemtura Corporation, wanted to move him to the marketing department on the east coast, so he made arrangements for his teenage son, Andrew, to come along with him.

Once in New Jersey, the plans to bring Andrew fell apart, so Mike let off steam by walking the three miles from Lawrence Square Village to the Quaker Bridge Mall. As he passed by the now-closed store called This End Up Furniture Co., Mike decided to look for a desk for Andrew in the hopes that he could still come in the future.

There, he met Debbie, who was working there as a second job. The two chatted for a long time, and Mike promised to come back once given the official go-ahead. When Mike returned a few weeks later, Debbie was not on shift, so Mike—always a salesman at heart—told her coworker that he wanted to ensure she received credit for the purchase, then passed on a note with his contact information.

The two soon became a couple, bonding over their mutual love for outdoor activities, even training all summer for the MS 150 Bike Tour in Woodstock, a cycling fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. But the week before the event, Mike got sick with the flu, while the facility Debbie worked at had just closed.

Both upset and physically weakened on Mike’s end, they canceled. After he recovered, Mike went out looking for condos with Debbie, having just sold his place in California. When the curious realtor asked about their relationship, Mike confessed to him that he was going to propose to Debbie at Woodstock, which unfortunately was not to be. At dinner that night, Debbie

serve “two benefits: one, it’s a revenue generator, and they’re all profitable, but they also are a major part of our promotion and advertising.”

Their new truck with the Tea-For-All name is hard to miss, and Mike is pleased at how the ruby red ride has been able to build brand recognition from just being out on the road.

“One of the, I hope, infectious things is why people do business with us—because I think we treat people the way we want to be treated. We greet everyone that walks in. We don’t overshadow them,” he said, giving patrons the space to move at their own pace while still providing “accurate knowledge” as needed.

In their travels, the Raabs have traveled to regions like China and Taiwan, but also lesser-known areas of the U.S. that produce tea, such as commercial farms in the states of Mississippi—where they picked, plucked and processed black and green tea firsthand—and South Carolina. Mike added that Tea-For-All is “probably one of the only continental US companies that have Hawaiian tea for sale,” with two visits under their belt and another planned in March.

As a “guiding principle,” Mike and Debbie also want to positively impact younger generations by providing them with opportunities for employment and customer interaction.

“We take them on as our own sons and daughters,” he said. This staff includes another family member interested in tea, the couple’s grandson, John Major IV, or “J.” Another addition to the team is the talent of Kathleen Hippeli, the former owner of One Steep at a Thyme, a Jamesburg tearoom that closed during the pandemic. On Saturdays, Hippeli steps in to help, bringing her expertise and freshly baked goods.

This welcoming atmosphere is perfect for customers who want to expand their tea horizons from the familiar to the esoteric.

“Many people just grew up with a cup of Lipton when they were sick, with some honey in it from grandmom. They don’t really know a lot about the different types of tea,” Debbie said, sharing her own example of how tea can capture the comfort of family love, much like she did with her mother, and then cultivate that into a profound appreciation for the drink.

“Whenever possible, if a customer is not sure that they would like a certain tea—as long as we have the ability to do so—we try to give them a taste so that they can experience it and make their own decision,” she added.

“It’s always amazing to me that I love watching the light bulb go off with people, first of all, when they learn that all tea comes from one plant, and secondly, when they taste five different black teas, and it’s just unbelievable to them at the difference in the flavor profiles.”

Debbie explained that British tea does have its own appeal, but she is “just so much more fascinated with the different cultures of tea” across the globe.

Mike said that they do not sell a single tea that he does not like, but Tea-For-All also counts its vendors as a “backup knowledge base” with a focus on quality control that matches the veracity of their claims.

“Left to my own devices, if I were to pull something off the shelf, it would probably be an oolong or a pu’erh,” Debbie said, the latter being “bioactive,” as Mike pointed out, with a host of health benefits.

The couple includes a good green in their winter rotation but prefers tea without flavors or sweeteners all year. Because TeaFor-All has “a marvelous selection and palate of really excellent quality teas,” according to Mike, he admitted that his tastes in tea have matured. Various additions are available based on customer preference, yet Mike does not mean to downplay the importance of flavored teas.

“Nine out of every 10 cups of tea out of this shop, or any of our pop-ups, it’s going to be a flavored tea. It’s going to be a pineapple coconut, or it’s going to be lemon souffle, or it’s going to be any of these, which are wonderful, strong flavors, and that’s much more accessible to a wider audience,” he said.

Green teas, which the Raabs prefer on the higher end, can also be polarizing if prepared improperly, turning matcha, a type of green tea ground into a powder with a vegetal, nutty, and grassy taste, “almost astringently bitter,” as Mike warned. Matcha is usually associated with either the culinary grade, which should only be used for cooking, or overly sweetened versions where any true flavor is lost amid the other ingredients.

Debbie said that if she has the time to make matcha correctly for a customer who has sworn off it after a bad experience, she will prepare both of the two grades that Tea-For-All carries: one is “very close to ceremonial grade,” or what would be utilized in Japanese tea ceremonies and made from younger tea leaves, while the other is just below it in ranking.

“Four out of five times, the person ends up buying the ceremonial,” she continued, with people able to note the differences in taste between them.

Most customers are coming in exclusively for loose teas, according to Mike. There was also a significant uptick in the purchase of caffeine-free herbal teas, or tisanes, as a byproduct of the pandemic, with many people seeking out other ways to alleviate health symptoms or boost their immune systems. One of these herbal teas, the butterfly pea flower, blooms blue and brews a drink of the same color that transforms into purple when exposed to the acidity of a lemon.

Mike said that he regularly directs custom-

ers who come to him with questions about what teas have the most or least caffeine to the herbal shelf, noting that “even decaffeinated tea has some caffeine in it,” providing an alternative for people with allergies or other concerns.

Without a proper chemical analysis, he continued, a seller cannot properly gauge those qualities in a tea, since countless factors are at play that affect the resulting levels.

“In general, certain tea types have less or more caffeine, but green teas are the perfect example. You drink matcha, and it’s probably one of the highest caffeine contents that you can imagine, as opposed to one of the other green teas that, maybe, is a late-season green tea,” Debbie added.

Since customers have been looking for and requesting more herbal options, the Raabs have been continuing their own learning to be certified in courses about this rising

YEARS

ANNIVERSARY

609-584-5252 www.priornami.com

trend in holistic health. Tea-For-All’s selections reflect the diversity of their customer base, harkening back to countless homeopathic remedies passed down through generations.

While the owners hope to better understand the nuances of products such as licorice root or raspberry leaf, Mike said that Tea-For-All lets the medical professionals study and decide what advantages such products might have.

“People should make [tea] part of their healthy diet, but it’s not going to solve people’s medical issues,” Mike said. “We don’t need to make those claims. We’re happy to tell you what we know the benefits are.”

It’s this everlasting meeting of artistry and philanthropy that encouraged Mike to tell the story about the “Texas bowl,” a vessel for both tea and the tale itself that took the

1666 Hamilton Ave. Hamilton, NJ 08629

RWJUH Hamilton

Scoring Top Nursing Honors: Achieveing Magnet Status Recognizes the Highest Quality Care for Patients

Nurses have been called the backbone of healthcare. At Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (RWJUH Hamilton), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, they provide vital care at the bedside but also promote teamwork, enhance safety, improve patient outcomes, nurture community health, educate staff, provide leadership and more.

As a result of such efforts, RWJUH Hamilton has earned Magnet recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The designation is the nation’s most prestigious nursing honor—one that only 9 percent of hospitals across the country have achieved. “At RWJUH Hamilton, our nursing team continuously strives to provide excellent care to our patients in an authentic, compassionate way. “We were very excited about being designated for the first time as a Magnet hospital,” says Lisa Breza,

Pieces repaired using Kintsugi, left, and the “Texas bowl,” right.

RN, MSN, NEABC, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at RWJUH Hamilton. “It’s not something you just get by applying. “You need to prove that your nursing is consistently exemplary through data, surveys and outcomes for eight consecutive quarters, or two years,” Breza says.

RWJUH Hamilton’s 400-plus nurses excelled even while facing the peak of an unprecedented pandemic. “I’m so proud of our nurses.” “They all work very hard, and our programs are truly outstanding,” says Richard Freeman, President and Chief Executive Officer at RWJUH Hamilton.

Standards of Excellence.

The ANCC considers a number of key criteria that reflect not only best clinical practices but also organizational factors such as leadership structure, shared decisionmaking and education. “Achieving Magnet designation has been years in the making,” Breza says. “We did an analysis of existing practices and executed plans to make sure we met standards for providing exemplary nursing.”

“These honors testify to the outstanding care and compassion our nurses bring to their patients,”

says Dawn Hutchinson, MSN, RN, PCCN-K, and Assistant Vice President of Nursing at RWJUH Hamilton.

Colleagues in Quality. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton is one of six Magnetrecognized hospitals in RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH), the state’s largest healthcare system. To learn more about Magnet recognition, visit rwjbh. org/magnet

To discover what awaits you or someone you know in a nursing career at RWJBarnabas Health, including Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, visit rwjbh.org/nursing

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton also recently achieved a Leapfrog ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade for the 13th time underscoring RWJUH Hamilton’s commitment as a High Reliability Organization (HRO). Through the concerted effort of RWJUH Hamilton’s physicians, nurses, staff, volunteers and leadership, patients and families benefit from the highest level of quality care and the safest hospital experience.

To learn more about Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, visit rwjbh.org/Hamilton or call 609586-7900. See ad, page 13.

couple back to about five or six years ago to a Dallas tea festival. One of the seminars featured students from a nearby school district with two of their tea-loving teachers, who had started an after-school tea club for the children.

During this experience, the students were encouraged to go over to a potter’s table, where the sculptor had created matcha bowls of varying structure and size. “If you notice, this one is not perfectly round,” Mike explained, showing the piece in his hand but refraining to call those aspects “imperfections,” calling them the work of an artist.

“This one little girl picked up this bowl, and she said, ‘You see how it’s murky down here and it’s not clear? That’s the early part of my life. I don’t see that. But it gets up here, closer to the top,’” Mike recalled, visibly moved by the memory of her words that day.

“‘It becomes much more clear, and how much more perfectly rounded it is, and how it had these indentations and imperfections at the bottom, but…’” Mike stopped where he was in the story with tears in his eyes.

“We like to see kids succeed, and needless

to say, I bought her bowl,” he finished with a laugh, just in awe at how the children “developed this marvelous relationship over tea because they could all relate to that.”

This theme was reminiscent of the Japanese concept of “wabi-sabi,” which Debbie defined as about “how life’s not always perfect, but learn to find the beauty in imperfection…people aren’t in our lives forever, but accept that and celebrate them for when they are there.”

When someone accidentally broke a bowl at Tea-For-All, another customer, Steve, took it upon himself to practice kintsugi, a Japanese art that breathes new life into fragments by adhreing them again with a golden line of lacquer. Kintsugi, which translates to “golden joinery,” embraces any perceived flaws as part of an improved, more elegant piece of pottery.

For Mike, this built on his resounding message of “Yes, it’s imperfect, but so what? It’s beautiful.” Just as time might need to pass for a bowl to become its most colorful itera-

tion yet, he conveyed that younger people deserve to be given the proper space to heal and process.

As the Raabs aim to help from the heart, Tea-For-All has also been making strides to be more sustainable, whether that is in their packaging or products. Customers are also encouraged to bring their own cups for a discount or tins for refills, as long as they call ahead for the latter so that the owners can ensure the tea is in stock.

It’s an expensive endeavor to be more environmentally conscious, Debbie acknowledged, but one they prioritize given its match with both their values and the aesthetic of the farmers’ market. Trips to the World Tea Expo and possibly Japan are scheduled for the new year, but each endeavor shares the same resounding mission statement that Tea-For-All has always echoed from the two who know it the best.

“I think ours is a story of adaptation and teamwork,” Mike said. “We treat people the way we want to be treated. We try to always

speak with knowledge and understanding of where the customer is, always willing to share what knowledge we have. We’re also willing to be told we’re wrong, or we need to know more, and we charge a fair price for a cup of tea—and a quality cup of tea.”

“We’re having more and more people that are coming in, too, that are saying, ‘we like to come here and get the tea, because we always get an education with it,’” Debbie said, with that love of endless intellectual exploration forming a mutual bond between owners and customers.

“We continually learn about tea. It’s not an endpoint, it’s a journey; that’s one of the things we pride ourselves on,” Mike added.

Shu and the Raabs continue to cultivate their crafts and curious minds with a ceaseless resolve—retiring has never stopped them before—and there is always more tea to pour, more kettles to fill, and more knowledge to impart with an equal helping of smiles.

But if you take anything in your tea, let it be the lesson that these two businesses in Mercer County are serving up cups of endless enthusiasm to ease the brunt of the cold winter season.

Read the full story online at the CNS website, communitynews.org.

AllCure Spine and Sports Medicine

Helping seniors find the right diagnosis and right treatment

AllCure Spine and Sports Medicine is a multidisciplinary family practice that has been in business for over 10 years. Over the past decade, the senior community has been a big portion of our patient demographic. We hear many different complaints week to week, but one of the biggest complaints we see with our seniors is balance and gait dysfunction. As our bodies get older, degenerative changes take place, which can lead to a host of symptoms taking away from your quality of life. This can lead to loss of balance, decreased range of motion, decreased strength, trouble with gait mechanics, and much more. Here at AllCure, we provide the proper imaging and testing to help us diagnose these common complaints before they become debilitating. We always say that a small problem will remain small if it’s treated early enough. We strive to get ahead of each patient’s chief complaints and provide a comprehensive plan of care.

One of the major issues seniors face is getting a proper diagnosis early enough to find effective treatments. In many cases we see that patients are given a prescription for medication that will only treat the symptoms, but not the root cause.

This will lead to worsening symptoms over time and keep patients from an active and independent lifestyle. We pride ourselves in making tailored treatment plans to fit each patient’s individual needs and impairments. There is no one-size-fits-

all approach to healthcare and each patient should be treated with that mindset.

We strongly feel that a multidisciplinary approach is the best way to get patients the care they need and the relief they deserve in a safe, fast, and efficient manner. Our experienced team of providers consisting of chiropractors, physical therapists and acupuncturists collaborate on each case to get the patient the best plan possible to achieve their goals.

We do accept Medicare! We find that most of our Medicare patients don’t have to pay a dime out of their pocket, rather just commit the time and effort.

Please give us a call today and we would be happy to hold a free 10 minute consultation for you or a family member to make sure that you are comfortable and get the correct information to make an important decision for improving your health and quality of life. We look forward to hearing from you!

AllCure Spine & Sports Medicine, 140 Cabot Drive, Suite A, Hamilton. 609-528-4417. www. allcurespineandsports.com. See ad, page 9.

Brothers Anthony Alfieri, DC, left, and Victor Alfieri, DPT.

Hamilton Dental Associates

New Year, New Smile

Smile, it’s a new year! A time that for many means resolutions, and a renewed commitment to health and improvement. A healthy smile is a big part of that, and now you can care for your and your family’s teeth all in one place. When families come to HDA, they are happy because they can take care of their own dental needs while everyone in their family’s oral health is being looked after at the same time. “It’s a win-win,” commented Dr. Irving Djeng, pediatric dentist, “kids get attentive, gentle treatment by a dedicated, specialist team that works only with kids, while parents and adult patients are cared for by our experienced adult staff right down the hall.” Dr. Lauren Levine, pediatric dentist, also commented, “We go to great lengths to make the children feel comfortable because we know that teaching children good oral hygiene at a very young age prepares them for a lifetime of healthy smiles.”

You may have heard the term 6-Month Dental Recall, but what does that mean? A “recall” or “dental recall” visit is a regularly scheduled checkup appointment to help dentists have an ongoing knowledge of the status of their patients’ oral health. These visits are vital to both practice and patients. The more often a patient can meet with their dentist, the better care that doctor can provide. The frequency of appointments is determined by each dentist and usually coincides with a hygienist visit, usually every 6 months or twice a year. A recurring 6 month recall to your dentist is so important to supporting oral and overall bodily health, that many insurance companies outright cover many of

recall services included in the visit!

The basic components of the preventive dental appointment consist of:

• Review and update medical and dental history

• Blood pressure screening

• Oral cancer examination

•Examination of the teeth and periodontal tissues (i.e. gum tissue and supporting bone). This includes a visual examination for signs of dental caries (cavities), other problems with the teeth (chips, broken fillings, etc.), looking for signs of inflammation and infection, and periodontal probing, which measures the depth of the gum pocket.

• Radiographic exam. The content and timing of dental x-rays can vary and are customized to the needs and disease susceptibility of the patient. The dental team weighs risk vs.

benefits when taking dental x-rays, keeping radiation exposure to a minimum

•An actual prophylaxis (cleaning) to mechanically remove any build up or plaque from tooth surfaces.

•Application of a topical fluoride

agent, when indicated.

Usually at the end of the appointment, the dentist will review all the findings and radiographs, make any necessary diagnoses, and recommend treatment, if indicated.

Hamilton Dental Associates (HDA) has been serving Hamilton and the Greater Central New Jersey area for over 50 years. While HDA’s roots are in pediatric dentistry, they also specialize in adult and cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics, oral surgery, periodontics, and endodontics. Patients are treated by specialists in their field. For example, orthodontic treatment is done by an orthodontic specialist, and patients requiring a root canal will be treated by an endodontist — a dentist who specializes in root canals. It’s all done under one roof which is time saving and eliminates the need for multiple referrals.

Come see what all the smiling is about! To request an appointment, call 609-586-6603 or visit

HamiltonDental.com. Locations are 2929 Klockner Road and 2501 Kuser Road, Hamilton, New Jersey.

Happy New Year! We look forward to seeing your smile! See ad, page 12

Physical Therapy

Nutritional Services

Caruso PTRD offers a unique, patient-centered physical therapy approach that offers patients the chance to work closely with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Our therapists' main goals are to listen to each of your needs and provide individualized care to treat your condition. We want you to get back to being you; whether it's getting you back on the field, back at the office, or back to running around with your children or grandkids! Treating pain is only the first step!

performance, or weight loss goals through an approach that is anything but “cookie cutter”. Our Nutrition Experts, RDN’s,are the ONLY medical professionals qualified to give you nutrition advice. We don’t believe in quick fixes or the latest craze. We believe in life long change without having to sacrifice ANYTHING that makes your life unique!

Pilates Reformer

The most recognized and effective form of safe and successful exercise. Pilates can be tailored to the specific needs of the client to provide injury prevention, rehabilitation and muscle stability work. We offer Private and Semi Private Sessions.

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

ATTENTION ALL AGES: Achieve your body composition, sport's performance, nutrition or weight loss goals through an approach that is anything but "cookie cutter". We take the time to learn about you, any medical conditions you may have and tailor to your individual needs. Our Nutrition Experts, RDN's,are the ONLY medical professionals qualified to give you nutrition advice. We don't believe in quick fixes or the latest craze. We believe in life long change without having to sacrifice ANYTHING that makes your life unique! Relax and unplug in our new Salt Room! Offering numerous health benefits such as; providing relief for respiratory

THERAPY

Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute

Treating Pain with PRP and Stem Cell Therapy

Pain.

It gnaws at you. It drains you. It becomes the focus of your life.

Experiencing a few pain-free moments can be euphoric; it makes you realize how long you’ve been living with aches and pain. You might wonder how you can find a solution to relieve the pain and regain your freedom from discomfort.

Dr. Ronak Patel at Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute wants you to know there are two new revolutionary answers to pain relief.

Both platelet-rich therapy — otherwise known as PRP — and stem cell therapy give patients new hope by using the body’s powerful healing power to accelerate the battle against pain. Dr. Patel has seen incredible success implementing these cuttingedge treatments on hundreds of patients suffering from pain-related issues.

So if you are suffering from any of the ailments below, there’s a lifeline.

• Osteoarthritis

• Rotator cuff tear

• Back pain

• Meniscus tears

• Tennis elbow

• Disc herniations

• Tendonitis

• Neck pain

Here’s the best news: Neither PRP or stem cell therapy involves drug use with side effects or any surgical procedures.

Both PRP and stem cell treatments use the body’s own healing resources to repair diseased or damaged tissue — and the results are quite remarkable.

PRP therapy involves injecting concentrated platelets and growth factors into damaged tissue to

stimulate the faster growth of new healthy cells. Platelets are cells that prevent and stop bleeding. If a blood vessel is damaged, the body sends signals to our platelets to get on the job and start the healing. Some call platelets the body’s natural bandage.

So how does PRP therapy work? It’s basically drawing a one small vial of blood from the patient and then using a centrifuge to turn it into a potent and concentrated form of platelets. It is then injected back into the patient. Think of it as a boost of your own blood — only superpowered.

Recovery time for PRP therapy is far shorter than for surgery. Patients usually experience soreness for a week or so, but the gradual improvement soon begins. Unlike

a steroid shot, which gives you immediate relief and quickly wears off, a PRP patient will see pain symptoms improve over a period of months, and up to 80 percent of patients will see relief for up to two years.

Stem cell therapy can be an even more powerful way to harness the body’s healing power. Stem cells are the building blocks for every cell in our body. These powerful cells can be harvested to produce powerful new cells to fight inflammation and disease.

For those suffering from osteoarthritis, stem cell therapy has proven very effective. That’s because the stem cells may help develop new cartilage cells and suppress inflammation. Stem cells can be harvested through a sample of body fat or bone marrow or be harvested from donated umbilical cord tissue.

And yes, you can even augment PRP therapy with stem cell therapy for an even bigger boost!

Stop wondering if you’ll have to live with your pain forever. Contact Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute today at 609-269-4451 or go to www.njpaindoc.com to book an an appointment and learn more. See ad, page 3

Dr. Deolinda Reverendo

I’ve got breast cancer

but I also have an expert team on my side.

RWJBarnabas Health, together with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, offers the most advanced, patient-centric cancer care for adults and children. Our multidisciplinary teams of nationally renowned oncologists, nurses, oncology nurse navigators, and support professionals ensure a compassionate, comprehensive approach, creating an individualized plan to treat your type of cancer. Our patients have access to innovative clinical trials, precision medicine, immunotherapy, advanced surgical procedures and sophisticated radiation therapy techniques. Visit rwjbh.org/beatcancer or call 844-CANCERNJ.

NCI

Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center

To book a classified ad in this section, please email your text and any other information to mdurelli@communitynews.org. Classifieds run at 75 cents per word with a $20 minimum per month. For more information, call 609-396-1511, ext. 105.

SERVICES

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WANTED TO BUY

Wanted: Baseball, football, basketball, hockey. Cards, autographs, photos, memorabilia. Highest cash prices paid! Licensed corporation, will travel. 4thelovofcards, 908-5960976. allstar115@verizon.net.

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COMMERCIAL SPACE space available in the ewing Professional Park. Comfortable suite currently used by mental health professionals. Waiting room, kitchenette and restrooms in suite. Well-lighted parking lot. Available Jan 1st. For more details, email suppsoln27@ yahoo.com or call Supportive Solutions at 609-635-3751.

Doctors Office Suite TurnKey ready in Hamilton, Mercer County nJ approx. 1405+/- SF for lease. Fully furnished. $2,550/mth. DiDonato Realty 609-5862344 Marian Conte BR 609947-4222.

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parking. 305-968-7308

Princeton Commercial retail spaces for lease: Various Locations in Town. Please Contact: Weinberg Management. WMC@ collegetown. Text 609-7311630

VACATION RENTALS

Florida Beach rental: Fort Myers Beach 1br vacation condo on the beach, flexible dates available. Call 609-5778244 for further information

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don County real estate agent and a father who worked at Princeton’s Squibb Laboratory in global licensing and negotiation, Hackl attended the Buckingham Friends School at Lahaska, and then the George School in Newtown, where she was introduced to ceramics.

“The school had a four-year art requirement, and I stuck with ceramics for four years and loved it. I put all my time into the studio, and they had great facilities. When I left the George School, I had developed a type of proficiently.

“I took a year off between off between high school and college and I worked with (accomplished Lambertville ceramicist) Byron Temple and an apprenticeship in Japan.”

Then she went to Chicago to study history because she was enthusiastic about the subject and never imagined she could make a career creating ceramics. “My family was in business. I never saw (ceramics) as a model.”

But when she came back to New Jersey, she realized that she missed working with clay and became involved with Moravian Tile, where her artistic vision expanded.

“I had just done pottery up to that point, and the tradition here is very narrative, integrating storytelling into clay (and) architecture.”

It also expanded her opportunities.

In addition to finding herself beginning a career in public art, she also co-started a pottery barn and began attracting clients.

Looking back, Hackl says, “Life unfolds and certain doors open, and you will find out what happens next as long as you’re engaged in things and it’s interesting. But you don’t know where it is going to lead. I didn’t know I had a job doing this until I was in the middle of it.”

For more on Katherine Hackl and her studio at 226 Swan Street in Lambertville, visit katherinehackl.com.

Works by Lambertville-based artist Katherine Hackl, pictured at left, include an image of a hawk flying over Trenton Transit Center, above, and tiles depicting the State House gardens, right.

‘Life unfolds and certain doors open, and you will find out what happens next as long as you’re engaged in things and it’s interesting. But you don’t know where it is going to lead. I didn’t know I had a job doing this until I was in the middle of it,’ Hackl says.

Art shows ring in the new year

By Dan auBrey

Trenton residents and visitors interested in exploring some very new art can start the year off by visiting several of the city’s important venues displaying lively new work:

The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie’s current exhibition, “Curated by Trenton,” is on view through January 22.

For this highly Trenton-specific show, lead curator, photographer, and Artworks Managing Director C.a. Shofed brought together five Trenton-area curators — Lank, Buck Malvo, Heather Palecek, Brass Rabbit, and Habiyb Shu’aib — to mount the show that features work by more than 30 artists.

That includes the following artists based or active in Trenton: Joshua Adair, Alia Bensliman, Bill MF Brown, April Cooper, Kate Eggleston, Will Foskey, Stampy Goblyn, Kate Graves, Sharon Harris, Vee Katz, Will Kinsley, Kyle Lang, Mel Leipzig, Rory Mahon, Buck Malvo, Chris Marinari, Matt “Afromatic” Morton, Léni Pacquet-Morante, Henry Simon, Jim Simon, Marilyn Simon, Tamara Torres, Kelly Vetter, Andrew Wilkinson, and others.

Participating curator and photographer Heather Palecek shares some of the sense of “Curated by Trenton” with the following statement for her portion of the exhibition, “Upcylce/Uplift”:

“Upcycling is the act of taking an object that is no longer in use and repurposing it, giving it a second life. An important aspect of upcycling for me, is that it’s saving an item from being added to a landfill,

contributing to our global garbage crisis as well as climate change. ‘Upcycle/Uplift’ features 11 local artists who work with upcycled objects in the creation of their art as either materiality, substrate, tool, or presentation. The environmentalist in me is inspired by their unique and profound manipulation of objects to create works of art that are not only beautiful, but sustainable.

“I’d like to send a message that upcycling materials is a substantial way to better our future and world and uplift these artists as local leaders in this movement. I hope everyone (artists and non-artists alike) will be encouraged to upcycle after experiencing ‘Upcycle/Uplift.’ You may find inspiration from Kelly Vetter, who collects single use plastic bags and utensils to create incredibly intricate and sophisticated animal sculptures, or from Alia Bensliman and Jim Simon, who incorporate old magazines into their sculptural and 2D works. Or maybe take inspiration from Kyle Lang, who uses glass from old picture frames as his photographic substrate for darkroom experimentation, and Sharon Harris, who has turned old tin cans into cameras to create her beautiful portraits. Or from Habiyb Shu’Aib, who has upcycled materials into frames that correspond to the subject matter in his work. This exhibition also features the work of Marilyn Simon and Henry Simon, Tamara Torres, Kate Eggleston, and Will Kinsley. Coming from these 11 artists are diverse styles, subjects, and mediums: a little something for everyone. I’m thrilled to announce that Kate, Will, and Kelly are unveiling works created for and seen for the first time.

“Upcycle because you care about the

environment. Upcycle to reduce pollution and litter on our streets. Upcycle because it’s fun. Uplift community members, teachers, artists, and friends who are doing good for our world and within our community. And listen to (folk singer and social activist) Pete Seeger’s words:

“’If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled, or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.’”

The Trenton City Museum, housed in historic Ellarslie Mansion, is open to the public Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m., and Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m. Free. For more information, call 609-989-1191 or link onto ellarslie.org.

like a check and balance for an exploding population. What made this recent pandemic unique was the rapid pace at which the virus spread. Congestive populations, ease of travel around the world, and a thriving global economy are all part of a pandora’s box that has slowly been opening over the last few centuries. Humans have been a catalyst for the next mass extinction event.

“Imagine if our advancements in science, medicine, and technology didn’t exist. How would this pandemic have played out? It could have become a part of life where we tried to lead a life as normal as we had become accustomed to, while adapting to extraordinary circumstances as we did early in the pandemic.

‘PANDEMICA:

Images of a Potential Future” continues at the Trenton Free Public Library through January 28.

The exhibition coordinated by the Trenton Artists Workshop Association features the work of Addison Vincent, artist and artistic director of Artworks Trenton.

The artist discusses the catalyst for creating the work as follows:

“In a world of increasing population, decreasing resources, and climate change, we are forcing the extinction of species and rapid mutation of viruses. The threat of annihilation for our species is ever present by our advancements, a self-destruction in the name of progress.

“Pandemics are nothing new. They happen every few generations, almost

PANDEMICA is a snapshot of what ordinary life could look like in the future. A species trying to go about daily life while adjusting to the ‘new normal.’

“The use of gas masks in these images are a representation of our adaptation to a toxic environment. It’s a symbol of our fragility, our basic life-giving function of breathing needing assistance in a world that we created for ourselves.

“The PANDEMICA series was created early in the pandemic when society halted, sheltered in place, and the future was uncertain. It started as an Instagram project, a way to be creative and stay connected with the world outside of my family unit. Ordinary motions in extraordinary times.

“If we have learned anything from this go-round with a global pandemic, it

From opposite left, ‘Provisions’ from Addison Vincent’s ‘PANDEMICA: Images from a Potential Future’ exhibit at the Trenton Library; ‘Puddle Architecture I, II, III, IV’ by Leni PaquetMorante; and David Orban’s ‘The Work Party: Biplane and Blue Truck in Red.’

should be that we need to carefully look at what we are doing to this small rock hurdling through space. Will we have time to adapt to our rapid advancements, or will we be a part of the next mass extinction event?

The Trenton Free Public Library is located at 120 Academy Street, Trenton. Hours are Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the library, call 609-392-7188.

The New Jersey Arts Annual at the New Jersey State Museum took on the big task of presenting 127 works by 95 artists recognized by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts by framing the exhibition with the idea of “Reemergence.”

The title is both a nod to the fact that it was the first such venture in two years and an opportunity for the participating artists to address their time during the pandemic and their subsequent return to “an altered landscape” caused by the “ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, political and

ideological polarization, and a collective reckoning with systemic racism.”

The works selected by NJSM Assistant Curator of Fine Arts Sarah Vogelman are expert, cover a great variety approaches and mediums, and demonstrate the overall strength of the state’s artistry — an

important visual statement for the NJSCA.

Yet important too is the recognition provided to the regional artists who are in the exhibition and whose work may be an introduction to area gallery viewers.

Regionally significant artists include Princeton artists Ricardo Barro, Gay Bitter, Connie Bracci-McIndoe, Judith K. Brodsky, Zenna Broomer, Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick, Charles McVicker; Lawrenceville’s Barbara Klein, and David Orban and Leni Paquet-Morante in Hamilton.

Since the exhibition provides a flashlike introduction to each of the artists, those unfamiliar with them can find more on the artists through their websites or keep an eye out for these currently active regional artists. But those already familiar with the above will get a chance to see new approaches and work as the artists and arts viewers began to re-emerge in a COVID changed world.

Reemergence, The New Jersey Arts Annual, New Jersey State Museum, 205 West State Street, Trenton. Through April 30, 2023, Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Free. 609-292-6300 or www. statemuseum.nj.gov.

for this period to expire so that it can flog the painting to the highest bidder and shamelessly monetize one of the city’s greatest cultural and historical assets. Hiding behind a deliberately shortsighted interpretation of its own mission statement, the University’s leadership appears disingenuous.”

“While it may well be within TESU’s legal right to sell the painting, choosing that path will break faith with those who worked to secure Wells Fargo’s benevolent gift and, more broadly, with the public and the people of Trenton. It is always disheartening to hear that a public entity has failed the public’s trust.”

Additionally, he notes that during the TESU December Board meeting “it was reported that the university had a $875,000 budget deficit, but the university had reserves to get them through a rainy day, and they were in good shape to weather the storm.”

They also noted that recruitment was down and were looking for money to turn that tide.

However, in a city looking for a positive tide to metaphorically lift all boats, it is time for all Trenton cultural forces and resources to rally and start a tourist revolution by using the American Revolution as a full-time attraction.

One can easily see it starting by helping to enhance awareness of the historically important Old Barracks.

The place that housed the Hessians who lost the Battle of Trenton, the Barracks was also almost lost to Trenton at the start of the 20th century until a group of smart women figured out that it needed be saved.

And while Washington currently gets whacked for participating in then common but still abhorrent practice of slavery, he is part of our collective history and has the ability to attract visitors who will also be carrying pictures of the first president in their wallets.

One way to increase the presence of Washington is to recall that the Wyeth painting is bookended to another large image of Washington down West State Street at the New Jersey State Museum.

There on the second floor, famed American artist Thomas Eakins’ bronze mural of Washington Crossing the Delaware is displayed amidst a collection of images of Washington on various small art works — including a framed needlepoint depicting the same scene that Wythe painted — and decorative objects created by artists employed by Trenton ceramic companies.

Elsewhere on West State Street one can spot Wash-

ington’s image on the doors of the former Mechanics Bank, in the stained glass skylight in the New Jersey State House Annex, and even spot the 13-foot-tall statue of General Washington created by American sculptor William O’Donovan atop the Trenton Battle Monument — a closed tower with broken elevator owned by the State of New Jersey.

And not too far away in the Mill Hill district is the statue of Washington crossing the Delaware that M. Dickenson Ayer created in Florence for the Philadelphia Centennial. It was later brought to Trenton by civic-minded individuals who understood the importance of the Washington-Trenton connection.

Yet, the capital city isn’t the only place that can claim Washington. Princeton had its own Washington battle a few days after Trenton that was memorialized in Princeton University’s painting “George Washington at the Battle of Princeton” by Charles Willson Peale (who actually fought in the battle). And American sculptor Frederick William MacMonnies’s “Princeton Battle Monument” by the municipal building features Washington front and center.

Combine the above with the presence of Rockingham in Kingston, where Washington lived for several months; the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Washington Crossing state parks, with the latter’s visitor center housing an official replica of 19th century German artist Emmanuel Leutze’s monumental painting of “Washington Crossing the Delaware”; the life size sculpture of the crossing outside the Washington Crossing Inn, the fact that the creator of the dollar bill image of George lived in Bordentown, and the small monuments and images that pop up all over the region, one gets a glimmer of the potential of highlighting George to attract visitors throughout the year — that is if the board and administration of TESU and state and community leaders can see the big picture rather than try to sell it.

GEORGE, continued from page 2

A framed needlepoint at the State Museum depicts the same scene as Wyeth’s painting.