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Art group looks to bring area COMMUNITYN creators together By KRisten Hunt
Le Dôme Café in Paris, Els Quatre Gats in Barcelona, and Café de la Rotonde in New York have more than just coffee in common. These cafes were common gathering spaces of the greatest artists and intellectuals of the 20th century. Creatives like Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Henri Matisse gathered with likeminded artists to discuss matters of political, literary and artistic significance, looking to each other for ideas that would later inspire their greatest work. Across generations, in different worlds riddled with their own complexity and turmoil, one thing remained constant— people coming together to share ideas. In an already solitary profession, worsened by the new norm of a digitized lifestyle, today’s artists crave inspiration that can only be found in human engagement. Masha Zhdanova, a 25-yearold artist from Plainsboro, felt a similar dilemma when she found no in-person groups for comic
makers in New Jersey. Earlier this year, she started her own. “I reached out to my two friends, Christina Castro and Suyang Gong (also from Plainsboro), who didn’t know each other at the time. I was like, ‘hey, are you guys free on Monday morning? Do you wanna go to a cafe and draw together?’” Zhdanova said. Inspired by meeting an artist friend who kickstarted a comic community in his small South Korean town, Zhdanova decided to replicate the idea in New Jersey. The casual cafe meetups between the three artists became a weekly ritual, a designated time to discuss their work, share inspiration and collaborate on projects. During their weekly hangouts, the trio brainstormed ways to expand their small group of artists and connect with more like-minded comic enthusiasts. What emerged was the Princeton Comic Makers, a group for artists in the Central Jersey area that hosts weekly gatherings to collaborate on projects and netSee ART, Page 5
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Glenn Michibata (right) displays his plaque for being inducted into the Mercer County Hall of Fame as he is joined by daughter Cori (left), son Matthew and wife Angie.
WW’s Michibata inducted into Mercer County Tennis HOF By RiCH FisHeR
Glenn Michibata, whose humility knows no bounds, was nervous about speaking in front of the area’s tennis elites at the Mercer County Tennis Hall of Fame Dinner. One would never know it,
however, as by the time his speech ended, event co-chair Marc Vecchiolla still hadn’t heard enough. “I could have listened to his stories for another two hours,” Vecchiolla said. “You’re talking about someone who was on the tour, just living that lifestyle. You
want to soak that in.” Indeed, the long-time West Windsor resident was enlightening and humorous, but his 11-year-career on the ATP Tour —which included two weeks as part of the world’s No. 1 doubles team—is not what earned him See TENNIS, Page 8
Community Educa�on and Be�er Health Programs located on page 4
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