Category: Perks

The public is invited to a Holiday Open House and Art Sale on Saturday, Dec. 9 from 1 p.m.  to 4 p.m. at D&R Greenway Land Trust’s Johnson Education Center at One Preservation Place, Princeton.

Internationally acclaimed MUTTS cartoons by Patrick McDonnell, watercolors by James Fiorentino, botanical florals by artist Liz Cutler, and landscape quilts by Deb Brockway will be on display.

Sales benefit the land trust’s work to preserve and care for land, maintain public trails, grow food for the hungry, and inspire a conservation ethic.

The public is invited to enjoy cider, hot chocolate and cookies at a Holiday Open House at D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center at One Preservation Place.  Admission is free.

A new exhibit featuring four award-winning artists will be view and art sales will benefit the land trust’s work to preserve and care for land, maintain public trails, grow food for the hungry, and inspire a conservation ethic.

Internationally acclaimed cartoonist Patrick McDonnell will be on hand to sign his books as holiday gifts. Twenty-five of his MUTTS cartoon prints, featuring environmental and animal themes, signed and remarqued with original drawings, are available for holiday gift-giving.

These specially selected artworks illustrate McDonnell’s overriding message of compassion and kindness, much needed in today’s world. His comic strip, begun in 1994, is now in over 700 newspapers and 20 countries.  Patrick has collaborated with Jane Goodall, Eckhart Tolle, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and most recently with Marvel on a Superheroes book.

The lobby of the Johnson Education Center greets visitors with a large painting of a tiger, perfectly suited for Princeton University alumni.

Artist James Fiorentino began painting as a child and had his art featured in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., when he was just 15 years of age. He has created a set of baseball cards, as well as portraits of world heroes and celebrities.

He is showing his wildlife art in the Marie L. Matthews Gallery at D&R Greenway, with an emphasis on conservation of species. He will be available to talk with visitors on Dec. 9 about his experiences banding birds, observing wildlife and meeting celebrities.

Quilter Deb Brockway is known to many locally as a trail builder. She has participated for over a decade in building trails on preserved lands. An accomplished quilter, she turned to landscape quilting to depict the beauty she found in nature. Quilts on display show a butterfly alighting on a flower, a hiker walking past spring ephemerals on a forest path, a kayak nosing into the water with wildlife, and a cardinal attempting to camouflage among the trees. Brockway’s quilted wall hangings are beautiful to view and perfect for wintertime gift giving.

Retired Princeton Day School teacher Liz Cutler, who led the school’s sustainability club to inspire students to observe and care for nature, is showing her botanical art in memory of her son, Isaac. Together, they walked Greenway Meadows park throughout his lifetime. Liz turned to the meditative art of collecting and pressing flowers into unique artistic expressions during his illness. She follows the Flower Pressers Ethos to ensure that anything she collects will do no harm to the species or environment. New artwork that has never been shown before fills a dark wood room in the renovated barn that is the Johnson Education Center, bringing color to the room and a feeling of being surrounded by a wildflower meadow.

Plein air paintings created by the Garden State Watercolor Society will be available for purchase through a silent auction. These paintings depict different scenes from Hillside Farm, an 800-acre property with expansive views of Hopewell Valley. Hillside Farm was home to the late philanthropist Betty Wold Johnson who cared deeply about the importance of preserving as much land as possible.  Her two sons, Robert Wood Johnson, former United States ambassador to the United Kingdom and owner of the New York Jets football team; and Christopher Wold Johnson, Jets co-owner and businessman, donated the property to D&R Greenway in honor of their mother.

Linda Mead, CEO of D&R Greenway, who gathered these artists for this unique show and gifting opportunity, invites the public to the open house on Dec. 9.

“When this art went up on our walls, we were all taken aback by its individual beauty and collective magnitude. Join us to meet the artists and enjoy conversation with friends while you shop and support our mission!”

Information is available at www.drgreenway.org or by calling D&R Greenway at 609-924-4646.

D&R Greenway Land Trust is an accredited nonprofit that has reached a new milestone of over 22,000 acres of land preserved throughout central New Jersey since 1989. By protecting land in perpetuity and creating public trails, it gives everyone the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. The land trust’s preserved farms and community gardens provide local organic food for residents of the region—including those most in need. Through strategic land conservation and stewardship, D&R Greenway combats climate change, protects birds and wildlife, and ensures clean drinking water for future generations. D&R Greenway’s mission is centered on connecting land with people from all walks of life. www.drgreenway.org; info@drgreenway.org. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.