PRINCETON, NJ Stores and Shopping Guide Announcement

Arts Council of Princeton Announces Opening of First-Ever Princeton Parklet with a ‘Village’ of Collaborators

Architect Kirsten Thoft, ACP Artistic Director, Maria Evans, Professor Michael Laffan, Princeton University, and Small World Coffee Supervisor, Theis Hoekstra, enjoying the Princeton Parklet

Princeton, NJ- Princeton’s first ‘parklet,’ a public seating platform built to transform curbside parking spaces into beautiful, lively spaces for the community to enjoy, was installed last week. Also known as "street seats,” parklets provide a means for the community, artists, art organizations, schools, residents and business owners to participate in designing and repurposing a parking space into a public art-based space.  Located in front of small world coffee on Witherspoon Street in downtown Princeton, the parklet is the first of its kind in Princeton.

“A ‘village’ of collaborators had a hand in creating the Princeton Parklet,” said Maria Evans, ACP’s Artistic Director. Mayor Liz Lempert and the Town of Princeton approached the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) to assemble a team to facilitate the creation of a parklet in Princeton, similar to those found in major cities such as New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Seattle. Evans, also an art teacher at Stuart Country Day School in Princeton, recognized that the parklet project could provide a wonderful teaching opportunity for Stuart art students. Ms. Evans and her class collaborated with a team comprised of Princeton Government's Lee Solow, the Princeton Public Works crew, George Akers of Material Design Build, architect Kirsten Thoft, Mike Hathaway of Revival Construction Co, landscape artist Peter Soderman, and small world coffee owner Jessica Durrie, to make Mayor Lempert’s vision a reality and build a beautiful parklet for the town to enjoy.

The parklet will be in place for 2-4 months. An official opening ceremony and dedication of the parklet will be held on June 4^th at 5pm at the site on Witherspoon Street in front of small world coffee.

The Arts Council of Princeton, founded in 1967, is a non-profit organization with a mission of Building Community through the Arts. Housed in the landmark Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, designed by architect Michael Graves, the ACP fulfills its mission by presenting a wide range of programs including exhibitions, performances, free community cultural events, and studio-based classes and workshops in a wide range of media. Arts Council of Princeton programs are designed to be high-quality, engaging, affordable and accessible for the diverse population of the greater Princeton region.