Clinton Township Newsletter

1 5 j u l y 2 0 2 6 The Hunterdon Art Museum and the Red Mill Museum Village are proud to announce Mill to Mill, a collaborative initiative celebrating traditional and contemporary craft practices in recognition of the nation's 250th anniversary in 2026. Located across the Raritan River from one another in historic Clinton, the two institutions will "bridge the river" with exhibitions and participatory programs that highlight creativity, community, and civic reflection. At the Red Mill Museum Village, visitors will explore historic trades and crafts, including blacksmithing, spinning and weaving, carpentry, leatherwork, pottery and more through hands-on experiences and exhibits. These skills are connected to the site's Native (Lenape), agrarian, and industrial past and this programming will shine a light on how handmade objects and physical labor shaped everyday life in early America. At the Hunterdon Art Museum, a contemporary art exhibition will address themes of labor, memory, and cultural heritage. Workshops and participatory crafts projects – including batik, dye pots, contemporary needle crafts and yarn bombing - will connect participants to contemporary forms of radical crafting. The craft programs will culminate on Flag Day, June 14, 2026, with the Peace Flag Project: a fiber chain of hundreds of community-made flags displayed along the banks of the Raritan River and pedestrian bridge, symbolically linking the two museums in a landmark celebration of peace, unity and creativity. By inviting the public to contribute to this crowd-sourced project, the role of shared making in fostering connection and belonging is emphasized. Both museums are proud to participate in Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a nationwide initiative led by Craft in America to honor the handmade during America's Semiquincentennial. Through the workshops, classes and events planned for this year-long celebration, we join museums, artists, and organizations nationwide in celebrating the craft traditions that connect us through history and time. "By bridging our two institutions, Mill to Mill offers a unique opportunity to reflect on our nation's past while envisioning its future through creativity and community," said Gina Sampaio, Executive Director of the Red Mill Museum Village. "Through hands-on craft and contemporary art, this project underscores the power of making as both personal expression and civic engagement," said Jeanne Brasile, Executive Director of the Hunterdon Art Museum. For more information, please visit: www.TheRedMill.org or: www.HunterdonArtMuseum.org. h u n t e r d o n a r t m u S e u m a n d r e d m i l l m u S e u m v i l l a G e u n i t e F o r m i l l t o m i l l i n h o n o r o F o u r n a t i o n ' S S e m i Q u i n c e n t e n n i a l a n n i v e r S a r y "Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society." ~ Rep. John Lewis, Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America, 2017

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