Barbara Hill Day – A Celebration of Community and Legacy
Join us in partnership with the Witherspoon-Jackson Community Princeton Safe Streets for Barbara Hill Day, a special evening of recognition, remembrance, and celebration. Highlights include:
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Recognition of the NJ Bill establishing Paul Robeson’s birthday as a state holiday
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Jim Floyd Memorial Discussion
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Chip Fisher Memorial Art Exhibit
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Youth Scholarship & Award Presentation
All are welcome to honor community leaders past and present while supporting the next generation.
About the Chip Fisher exhibiting Artists
Kirstan Fitzpatrick
Artist Statement
I make portraits of historical African Americans to show an appreciation of who I am, and where I come from. This body of artwork was created to emphasize that each one of us represents the essence of what America was founded upon.
My paintings, depicting portraits of African Americans at various historical time points, are based on archival photos that I have used as starting points for my artwork. In my paintings, I have given each unknown person a name (or title) to further stress their being real human beings that existed, and should be remembered as such.
Many of the people in the various historical photos that I study are individuals whose life stories have been untold. They are people with names long forgotten. This inspires me to take on the accountability of researching and finding out whatever I can about the time and place each photo was taken. If I cannot identify the individual (which is often the case), I attempt to give each person in the paintings a voice or identity by choosing names and creating settings (or symbolic themes) that coincide with the chosen subject.
I think that what inspires me to paint portraits and figures from historical photos is the desire to bring these photos to a more contemporary light, and to remind others of African American history, and how this history is still relevant to today’s world. I hope to enlighten others to the fact that all history needs to be remembered.
Aaron Fisher
Artist Statement
Princeton, NJ is where it all began….. My mother says from the time I could hold a crayon, I was drawing. Artistic expression comes naturally. Early influence came from my sister Pat, who too is an artist, and she encouraged me to hone my gift. I attended Middlesex County College, majoring in Marketing, Art and Design. I am currently the Visual Arts mentor for the New Brunswick area branch of ACT-SO (Afro- Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics), which is a yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate and encourage high academic and cultural achievement amongst African-American high school students.
Working on canvas and wood, utilizing acrylic paint, inks and colored pencil, I focus on the human face layering the various colors to recreate expression, character and life. Details matter and with all my pieces, I carefully attempt to recreate the details that make each face unique. I have never encountered a dull subject and inspiration is readily available. I work fervently to create works that express my admiration for the subject matter and in doing so, I am hopeful that the gazer notices the details but also, feels…….I currently reside in Franklin Park, NJ with Angela, my beautiful wife of 30 years and our daughter, Kylie.
