Princeton University Art Museum Celebrates the Dedication of its New Gallery Space, Art@Bainbridge, with Neighborhood Block Party on September 14

Work by contemporary artist Jordan Nassar to be featured in first installation at Art@Bainbridge in historic downtown Princeton

PRINCETON, N.J. – Following extensive restoration and preservation efforts, storied Bainbridge House, one of the few remaining 18th-century structures in downtown Princeton, has been transformed into a compelling public venue being programmed by the Princeton University Art Museum. Called Art@Bainbridge, the new gallery space will feature the work of contemporary artists in an intimate domestic setting.

On Saturday, September 14, 2019, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Museum will host a neighborhood block party for the entire community to celebrate the grand opening of Art@Bainbridge. The event, which will include live music, exhibition tours and family-friendly activities, is free and open to the public. Visitors will have the rare opportunity to discover the whole of Bainbridge House, including the private upper floors.

“The Museum looks forward to launching Art@Bainbridge with the entire Princeton community,” said James Steward, Nancy A. Nasher–David J. Haemisegger, Class of 1976, Director. “This beautifully restored and updated historic building represents the institution’s ongoing commitment to examining the powerful work of today’s most exciting practitioners as it relates to our shared histories, values and concerns.”

Art@Bainbridge, located at 158 Nassau Street, is a brief walk from the Museum at the heart of the Princeton campus. In its inaugural year, Art@Bainbridge will offer a series of installations and exhibitions centered around the theme of shelter. These presentations will consider ideas of shelter and domesticity in the context of a recently restored colonial-era home, as well as wider implications of the theme as it relates to belonging, the construction of identity and the arts as a site of refuge.

The ground-floor galleries will also serve as a convening space for Museum programs, community gatherings and dynamic partnerships with neighbors such as the Princeton Garden Theatre and Labyrinth Books. The Museum’s education department will occupy Bainbridge House’s upper floors.

One of the oldest houses in Princeton, dating to 1766, Bainbridge House has provided housing for members of the Continental Congress and for students of the University, served as the Princeton Public Library for more than 50 years and most recently was home to the Historical Society of Princeton from 1967 to 2015. It has been owned by Princeton University since 1877; the University supported the cost of its restoration and renovation. Most of Bainbridge House’s 1766 structure remains, including its original wall paneling, fireplace mantles and surrounds, doors and three-floor staircase. Renovation of the house encompassed preservation work, the restoration of its historic fabric and the replacement and upgrade of its systems.

An installation of hand-embroidered pictures by New York–based artist Jordan Nassar, organized by the Princeton University Art Museum, will inaugurate Art@Bainbridge. Jordan Nassar: Between Sky and Earth will feature works Nassar has created in the last five years of his rapidly developing artistic career. Nassar’s geometric compositions and colorful landscapes, stitched in patterns characteristic of Palestinian embroidery, reflect his exploration of landscape as a representation of both a geographic location and an abstract idea of home. Nassar produced much of his recent work in collaboration with Palestinian craftswomen who typically began the compositions, which Nassar then completed in response.

Jordan Nassar: Between Sky and Earth is curated by Alex Bacon, curatorial associate, with Mitra Abbaspour, Haskell Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. The exhibition officially debuts at Art@Bainbridge on September 14, 2019 and runs through January 5, 2020.

“As a thoughtful and visionary young artist, Jordan Nassar represents a particularly compelling and hopeful voice in today’s critical conversations around art, geopolitics, experience and empathy,” said Steward. 

Born in 1985 in New York City, where he currently lives and works, Nassar has exhibited his work internationally in numerous solo and group exhibitions.He has stated that his work “deals with race and ethnicity, cultural heritage, cultural ownership and cultural exchange, conflict, facts and truth, nostalgia and dreams.”

About the Princeton University Art Museum

With a collecting history that extends back to 1755, the Princeton University Art Museum is one of the leading university art museums in the country, with collections that have grown to include over 100,000 works of art ranging from ancient to contemporary art and spanning the globe.

Committed to advancing Princeton’s teaching and research missions, the Art Museum also serves as a gateway to the University for visitors from around the world. Intimate in scale yet expansive in scope, the Museum offers a respite from

the rush of daily life, a revitalizing experience of extraordinary works of art and an opportunity to delve deeply into the study of art and culture.

The Princeton University Art Museum is located at the heart of the Princeton campus, a short walk from the shops and restaurants of Nassau Street. Admission is free. Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Museum is closed Mondays and major holidays. Art@Bainbridge is located at 158 Nassau Street. Admission is free. Art@Bainbridge hours are Sunday to Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information: artmuseum.princeton.edu

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Media Contacts:

Princeton University Art Museum
Gabrielle Langholtz
609-258-3767
gml@princeton.edu