CREEK TO CANAL CREATIVE DISTRICT

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY

PUZZLE STORIES

"I didn’t really know what I was doing while I was painting my puzzle piece, but once I stepped back, voila! There was a perfect Trenton Tomato Pie. When I think of great things to eat in Trenton, I think of hearty Italian, comforting soul food, warm Caribbean, spicy Jamaican, and of course a little bit of Pork Roll. I love how homey and proud Trenton is when it comes to its food culture, so even if it was a little unintentional, I think a hearty tomato pie is the perfect way to express the way I feel about this special city. "

"I created a collage from images I'd captured over several years that I felt depicted the soul of our city. From friends, well known events, community members, and cultural celebrations, this imagery is what one may find flashing by as you bike down Broad St, walking through Mill Hill Park, or going to the corner store in the summer. I think if anyone spent enough time in the city, they'd see and learn to appreciate these small moments as a native Trentonian does. The photo collage was designed to be the body of the map, making the events, people, and architecture of Trenton the literal building blocks and landmarks. A compass created out of 4 collaged capital domes sits outside of the city outline and I decorated the remaining blank space of the map with thin stars made from recycled printed posters from the 1930s and 1940s."

"My puzzle piece is a snapshot of the day a print of my work featuring Yma Sumac, the acclaimed Peruvian singer whose voice could reach at least 4 octaves, was hung during "Windows of Soul" on Stockton St, Trenton. Featured in the painting is Wills Kinsley, working hard as usual to help the arts in Trenton. This image commemorates my participation in this awesome project by SAGE and shows my connection to the Old Trenton Neighborhood."

"The text of the piece is taken directly from a commemorative plaque above the doorway of 1 West State Street, former location of a tavern that served as an important social and political hub during the American Revolution. The tree stump depicts something once living, but now covered in a new life form…electric green moss. The ginkgo leaves symbolize longevity and endurance, something that I see in the resiliency of Trenton over the course of history and in its future."

"The lines of the collage on the map represent the lives of Trentonians and the importance of walking in your own light. I am a 25 year old artist that’s uses his camera to make ornate figures and shapes with lights using in camera, long exposure techniques. The sparks represent the individual potential and power. Each of the long exposures photos were taken in various parts of Trenton like Mill hill, downtown, and along Broad Street. The process behind making the images involved two extra people: a dancer and a spotter. The dancer spins steel wool on a metal whisk to make intricate shapes that can’t be mimicked. The Spotter ignites the wool before the dancer begins spinning. The cascading showers of sparks give a complex depth to the foreground, contrasting empty darkness with bright streaks."

Zenon Tech-Czarny

"For my puzzle piece, I decided to start by making an actual map of the City from memory using a pencil. I love making maps on the computer and when I saw this blank canvas I wanted to try to do one by hand. I began with the major roads and quickly (re)realized that they all lead to Trenton. Then I decided to stick with that theme since it made sense -- it's literally true and Trenton being the region's destination a good vision for the future. After I sketched out the roads with pencil, I switch over to markers and added water, parks, trails, open space, landmarks and added the text. Trenton truly was once the region's destination, and I believe it will be once again."

"Jean Goodwin (Bartell) was my grandmother. She grew up on Adeline Street in Trenton, NJ in the 1930s and 40s. She was stylish, a little wild, and the life of any party. Jean is the reason I care about and feel connected to Trenton, even though I have never lived within the borders of the capital city. I’m thankful for the arts community in Trenton for giving my multiple opportunities to explore my grandmother’s memory over the years through art making."

"My piece is about all the things that make me think of Trenton or that bring back great family and childhood memories. All the pizza! Sitting on the curb as a kid outside Delos on Hudson and swan and my dad teaching me about the honor system and how I have to hold my pee cause there was no bathroom. I remember going to engine seven and having my dad tell me all about how my great grandfather, my great uncles, and my grandpa all served as firemen there, and how my dad and uncle would slide up and down the pole after school. Class trips to the NJ State Museum to see the dinosaurs. Going down to the Battle Monument to volunteer at St Mary’s Cathedral soup kitchen. Having the constant fights about whether its cases pork roll or Taylor Ham and every family picnic. This city inspires and every generation has their stories to tell. I look forward to hearing lots of them over my lifetime."