PRINCETON, NJ Restaurant Dining Guide Announcement

Species on the Edge - Prize-winning Art by 5th Graders - D&R Greenway’s Olivia Rainbow Gallery September 2 - October 14

Stuart Country Day's Sophia Phelan's 1st place Peregrine Falcon

Princeton, New Jersey:  Each year, D&R Greenway Land Trust and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ bring Species on the Edge, --prize-winning art by fifth graders—, to the Olivia Rainbow Gallery.  The best of New Jersey’s 21 counties, chosen by art and essay, will be open to view from September 2 through October 14.  D&R Greenway is off Rosedale Road, One Preservation Place, Princeton 08540.  Olivia Rainbow Gallery exhibitions are free, and there is no need to call to see if that gallery’s space has been rented.

This artwork and its accompanying essays resulted from fifth graders’ having studied over 80 endangered and threatened species of New Jersey wildlife, under the auspices of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ.  Local artists visit schools to coach the children in effective imaging.  The resulting works are judged, --art by artists and essays by scientists.  D&R Greenway is one of many venues to celebrate this blend of art and science annually.  These works, the cream of the crop, were selected from over 2,000 entries. 

The Mercer County winner is Sophia Phelan, student at Princeton’s Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart.  Sophia drew the peregrine falcon, New Jersey’s largest falcon and world’s fastest animal, capable of flying over 200 miles per hour.  The 2014 winners in the Olivia Rainbow Gallery call attention to the urgency of preserving NJ’s wildlife and their habitats. 

The Olivia Rainbow Gallery showcases student art throughout the year.  It was founded and is funded in memory of young Olivia Kuenne, who cherished both art and nature.  Its next exhibition, Natural Treasures, will be provided by frequent exhibiting artist Deb Land.   One of Deb’s students at Stuart Country Day School is Sophia Phelan, the Mercer County winner.  Her work has hung in the Olivia Rainbow Gallery during an earlier Stuart exhibit.

For the statewide Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest, beginning each fall on October 1^st, children choose representative species of endangered NJ wildlife.  In effect, during their research and painting/drawing, each becomes a temporary wildlife biologist.   More information about the contest can be found at www.conservewildlifenj.org.  

BACKGROUND

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey: Created in 1998, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ protects and preserves the rare and imperiled species of wildlife that live, breed, and migrate through our state.  We restore habitat, manage species, educate, and engage citizens, and conduct research on New Jersey’s rarest wildlife residents.  Visit us on the web at www.conservewildlifenj.org.

D&R Greenway Land Trust celebrates its Silver Jubilee Year of saving New Jersey Land.  Its mission is to preserve and care for land in interconnected greenways, inspiring a conservation ethic in all ages, by connecting people to the land.  A nonprofit organization, they present educational programs and art exhibits to expand conservation and stewardship.  Their 1900 barn is named the Johnson Education Center.  Founded in 1989, they have preserved an area twenty times larger than New York City’s Central Park.  They maintain 28 miles of trails for the public to enjoy.  Linda J. Mead, President & CEO since1997, has become known as a leader in creating partnerships and solutions that impact communities through land preservation.  www.drgreenway.org