The Princeton University Office of Community and Regional Affairs is pleased to share the October edition of Regional Roar, a monthly newsletter for regional thought leaders, policymakers, and community stakeholders. Regional Roar offers updates about forward-looking perspectives, innovation, and collaborative partnerships that support the growth and vitality of our region.

This October we are celebrating the Arts at Princeton. The new Princeton University Art Museum building will open to the public on October 31 after five years of construction. Visitors will encounter a soaring three-story grand hall, new art commissioned by the Museum, and new creativity labs open to artists of all ages. Learn more about opening festivities on Halloween below.

The October edition also features news about community programming from Princeton University Concerts and a fellowship opportunity from the Mercer County Community College and the Lewis Center for the Arts.

We are always pleased to hear from you, and invite you to forward this information to others who would be interested in these updates. 

Is there an event, research, or activity at Princeton University that you would like to learn more about? Please reach out to us at pucra@princeton.edu with questions or comments.

Museum for All

New Princeton University Art Museum opens to all on Oct. 31

The Princeton University Art Museum announced today that it will open its highly anticipated new building to the public on Friday, October 31, 2025, following a multiyear design and construction process first announced in 2018. The 146,000-square-foot new facility effectively doubles the Museum’s spaces for the display of art and for teaching and educational programming, with a host of updated visitor amenities. Sitting at the heart of Princeton University’s historic campus, the building embodies the institution’s long-standing commitment to serve as a nexus for the arts and humanities, a community gathering place, and a public gateway to the University’s intellectual resources.

Princeton University Art Museum is free and open to the public. The University will celebrate the opening of the new building with a 24-hour open house beginning 5:00 PM on October 31 and ending 5:00 PM on November 1. The event is open to all ages and includes a costume contest, film screenings, yoga, music meditations and more. View the full open house schedule.

More about Princeton University Art Museum:

Princeton University Art Museum announces solo exhibition by Hamilton-based artist Léni Paquet-Morante

Community Connections newsletter highlights news and events for neighbors

Image courtesy of Princeton University Art Museum

Music for All

Princeton University Concerts fosters community through music programming

Princeton University has brought brought classical music to the Princeton community since 1894. Princeton University Concerts, an offshoot of the University's Department of Music, aims to educate, challenge, inspire, and unite audiences through concerts and community programming.

PUC partners with Princeton Public Library and Princeton Garden Theater to provide book discussions and film screenings in conjunction with its lineup of chamber muscians at Richardson Auditorium. Each semester, PUC offers a chance for community members to breathe in music at live music meditations.

PUC organizes events for music lovers of all ages to enjoy live performances and mingle. Kids age three to twelve can learn more about chamber music at PUC's Meet the Music events. PUC works with TheSinglesGroup.com to host Do-Re-Meet dating and friending events before their concerts.

PUC launched the Admit All ticket access program to achieve its core value of PUC is to make classical music accessible to all. Admit All provides subsidized tickets to NJ Families Discovery pass holders, Medicaid recipients, WorkFirst NJ participants, Child Care Assistance Program recipients, SNAP or WIC recipients and Public Housing Authority or Section 8 residents. The program application is open year-round.

More about venues for connection:

Engaging Community is the Goal At Princeton University Concerts

I & YOU: THE MUSICAL Has World Premiere at McCarter Theatre Center

Photo courtesy of Princeton University Concerts

Creativity for All

Lewis Center for the Arts provides opportunity for community members to explore their artistic side

Princeton University's Lewis Center for the Arts (LCA) is the primary hub for students to tap into their creativity. LCA is the home of academic programs in programs in creative writing, dance, theatre, and visual arts and with it holds many performances, exhibitions and readings open to the public. The community members can tap into their creative side through programming like the Trenton Arts Fellowship.

The LCA and Mercer County Community college are accepting applications for the Trenton Arts Fellowship. The fellowship support local Trenton artists by providing studio space on the MCCC Trenton campus, resources, programming opportunities, mentorship, and research funds, in order to assist the artists in creating impactful work that would engage with the Trenton community. The deadline to apply is November 14.

The LCA along with support from the new Princeton Humanities Initiative will preimere it's centerpiece show for Fall 2025, A Moment of Science, on October 31 at McCarter Theatre. A Moment of Silence is an award-winning play by celebrated Iranian playwright and director Mohammad Yaghoubi. The play is Directed by Nikoo Mamdoohi, an Iranian theater director based in Washington, DC; with dramaturgy by Q-mars Haeri, postdoctoral research associate in Princeton’s Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies; and Iranian designers Omid Akbari (set) and Afsaneh Aayani (costumes). Surreal, poetic, and unexpectedly humorous, the play offers a deeply human meditation on Iran’s turbulent modern history.

A Moment of Silence is also supported by Princeton's Program for Community-Based Scholarship. Aayaneh and Akbari will visit students at Trenton Central High School and will present a theatrical design workshop for Trenton middle and high school students who are part of the Trenton Youth Theater program of Trenton Arts at Princeton. Mamdoohi and Haeri will present a performance and dramaturgy workshop for high school students in collaboration Trenton Central High School, Princeton University Preparatory Program, and the Lydia’s Scholars Program. Local high school students will also attend a post-matinee conversation.

More about access to the arts:

Princeton’s Venue Services hosts local intern through career-building program

Innovative tech workforce training preps N.J. high school graduates for high-paying theater stagehand jobs

Photo by Ron Wyatt/Lewis Center for the Arts

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