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Pictured: John Frederick Peto, Painting Self Portrait with Rack Picture (detail) A story about the John F. Peto Studio Museum will premiere on State of the Arts on Wednesday, June 22 at 8:30 pm, online and on air. The producer, Ilene Dube, writes here about what made her want to learn more about this nearly ... The post Important Information Inside: The Irony of John F. Peto appeared first on…
“We know what ancient cultures did because of what artists left us.” ~ Kimberly Camp (Dollmaking) This season, we’ve dedicated three full episodes of State of the Arts to the 2026 New Jersey Heritage Fellows: ten masters of traditional art forms, including dancers, musicians, and a dollmaker. The third and final episode premieres this week, ... The post NJ Heritage Master Artists tell their…
Pages from Allen Crawford's illustrated edition of Walt Whitman’s "Song of Myself" "The state of poetry is New Jersey," former Dodge Poetry Program Director Martin Farawell told the crowd at the 2015 Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. State of the Arts has attended many over the years, including 2002, 2012, and 2024. Every year, it is ... The post Lasting Legacies: Years of Poetry on State of the…
Self-portrait of painter John F. Peto in his studio | Courtesy John F. Peto Museum As we make the journey through spring, State of the Arts is deep in production around the state, with many new stories to come this season. On April 1st, watch "The Art of Reenactment." On a frosty day in January, ... The post What to look forward to this spring… appeared first on State Of The Arts - NJ .
“I love the effect of the music—it just makes people brighten up.” - Chick Corea This month marked the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, and some familiar faces from State of the Arts were honored. Here's a roundup of stories from our archives of Grammy winners we've featured over the years. https://youtu.be/7YFYl_xUGNM “With the names ... The post Grammy Award Winners on State of the Arts appeared first…
This past week, the public learned of yet another calamity from a seemingly unending stream of bad news: the Trump administration decided to accelerate the proposed sale of the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building in Washington, D.C., which will likely lead to its demolition. Named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, the ... The post Public art by Ben Shahn threatened with destruction…
"Remember his name. Remember his story. It is on all of us, especially those who live inside his wonderful creations, to make sure that the struggle for light will never be a struggle again." - Frank Godlewski, architectural historian and designer You are walking around a New Jersey neighborhood, enjoying the fresh air, when a ... The post Geometry and Light: Architecture as Art appeared first on…
“I’ve embraced my skin, my melanin, my destiny.” - Clifford Ward At Grounds for Sculpture, Clifford Ward’s I’ll Make Me a World gathered a profound œuvre spanning 12 years, an homage to his culture, ancestors, and the creative journey he has taken. "I'm trying to compensate for what I don't know about myself,” he explains—and ... The post I’ll Make Me a World: The Art of Clifford Ward appeared…
Much-loved artist and teacher Mel Leipzig died last week, on October 31, 2025, at the age of 90. He was legendary in Trenton, where he lived and worked for decades, and he was recognized nationally and internationally as a true and important artist. The Whitney Museum of American Art, the White House, the Zimmerli Art Museum ... The post Remembering Mel Leipzig appeared first on State Of The Arts…
At State of the Arts, our cameras often put us in places where we have rare opportunities to see the creative process up close. For instance, this Saturday night, October 25, at Patriot's Theater at the Trenton War Memorial, Oh God...Beautiful Machine premieres. It’s a 90-minute symphonic work based on a libretto by Trenton's own ... The post Oh God…Beautiful Machine appeared first on State Of The…
