On April 12, we had our first meeting toward putting together what will heretofore be known as the “Traveling T” exhibit. The T is the best of four salvaged from the iconic and now ironic neon signage: TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES, that for so many years hung on the Lower Trenton Toll Supported Bridge spanning the Delaware River between Trenton, New Jersey, and Morrisville, Pennsylvania. The sign has been donated to the incipient Port of Trenton Museum, and most of the rest of it now lives in storage somewhere in this struggling city.
The salvaged T is to be incorporated into a large armature that will hold artifacts and other historical content documenting Trenton's past as a great Delaware River port city. The exhibit will travel to various sites to publicize the museum and the city.
This evening’s gathering was largely devoted to examination and explanation of the tabletop model of the T. It was cunningly constructed of balsa wood, at unspecified scale, and basically consists (surprise!) of a large capital “T” buttressed by beams and trusses. Or some kind of supports. I’m still learning the lingo.
This evening’s gathering was largely devoted to examination and explanation of the tabletop model of the T. It was cunningly constructed of balsa wood, at unspecified scale, and basically consists (surprise!) of a large capital “T” buttressed by beams and trusses. Or some kind of supports. I’m still learning the lingo.
The beams will frame a couple of Plexiglass panels holding content—objects, maps, narrative and the like. The actual structure will be about 10 feet high and 6 feet wide, built of aluminum, finished in green powder coat, except for the T, which will retain its original worn white finish. Echoing the neon of the original, the traveling T will be illuminated by a string of red LED lights on a timer. Since it will be sitting in public places where physical stability is essential, it will need to be vetted by a structural engineer.
The project team is on board with the design, and with each other. The creators of the model T are a pair of sculptors, Bruce Lindsay and Kate Graves. They’ve been working together for 15 years, and Kate had moved from California to New Jersey to apprentice with Bruce. Richard Hunter, an archaeological consultant, and Mark Feffer, a writer and editor who chairs the Port of Trenton board, have known each other for a like period, with a similar level of personal and professional regard.
As someone more accustomed to crafting paragraphs and shuffling papers, I’m struck by the materiality and intricacy of the T, by its ability to distill into physical form the essence of this emblem of Trenton’s past. It will be a challenge to do the same with other parts of the city’s heritage.
I'm also struck by the similarity between the Trenton T and the Temple University logo. One possible venue for the T is Waterfront Park, the home of the Trenton Thunder, a farm team of the New York Yankees. Maybe we can get it for a gig at Lincoln Financial Field, too.
Temple T Trenton T
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