Open Studio

Hello and Welcome to Open Studio, a podcast from the Arts Council of Princeton spotlighting the creative minds shaping our cultural landscape. We sit down with artists, makers, and creative thinkers from our community to talk about the work they do and the ideas that inspire them. Co-hosted by me, Adam Welch Executive Director and the Director of Development and Community Engagement Liza Peck, Ope...

Today it is our very good fortune to be speaking with the one and only Aaron Fisher. Aaron Fisher’s story begins in Princeton New Jersey, where creativity wasn’t just encouraged—it was inevitable. As his mother recalls, from the moment he could hold a crayon, Aaron was already expressing himself through art. That early spark was nurtured by his sister Pat, an artist in her own right, who recognize...

Andy Golden is recognized as the longtime President of the Princeton University Investment Company (Princo), where he spent three decades shaping one of the most successful university endowments in the world. But beyond the numbers and the institutional impact, there’s a lesser-known dimension to Golden’s life - one that reveals a more personal and creative side: his work as a photographer and phi...

Today it is our very good fortune to be speaking with the one and only Aziz El Badaoui. (ba dow wee)   In a town known for its intellect and tradition, Aziz El Badaoui has carved out a space where creativity, identity, and craftsmanship intersect. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, Aziz is more than a hairstylist and owner of a prestigious highly sought after salon —he is an artist working in an ever...

Ghada Amer⁠ was born in Cairo (Egypt) in 1963. In 1974, her parents relocated to France where she began her artistic training ten years later at Villa Arson, Nice, France. She currently lives and works between New York and Paris and has exhibited among others at the Venice Biennale, the Sydney Biennale, the Whitney Biennial, and the ⁠Brooklyn Museum⁠ . “ I believe that all women should like their...

So, What happens in our mind when music plays? Not just what we hear—but what we  see , what we  remember , and what we  feel unfolding inside .  Today, we’re diving into a question that seems simple on the surface but opens into something deeper: how does music shape the inner world of the human mind?  Our guide on this journey is Princeton professor Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis, a scholar whose w...

The first episode of Open Studio features an interview taped at ⁠Soul Selects⁠ studios in Hopewell, NJ., with ⁠Chris Harford⁠ . Chris's roots in the Princeton arts community run deep, going back to the early 1980s when a vibrant mix of local culture, independent music, and community support helped shape a generation of artists. As a student at Princeton High School, he was already performing local...