University ‘Pauses’ Trenton Arts Programming That Brought Local Teens to Campus
Trenton Arts at Princeton will have some funding next academic year, although it will be roughly halved and its programming is yet to be determined
For the first time since founding Trenton Arts at Princeton (TAP) as an undergraduate, Lou Chen ’19 played violin alongside local middle and high schoolers and Princeton students on stage at this year’s annual showcase. “It was really special,” said Chen, who until last year conducted the group’s orchestra.
In the days following the April 11 show, TAP staff were told that Saturday Morning Arts, or SMArts, TAP’s signature program which brings approximately 40 middle and high school Trenton-area students to the University every Saturday morning during the school year, will be “paused” after this semester because of budget cuts.
Earlier this academic year, TAP staff were told that the program was facing cuts as part of the University’s new austere financial strategy, and that Nancy Agosto’s position as TAP program coordinator would be eliminated this summer. In response, staff tried to brainstorm different program models and ways to raise additional funding. They also surveyed the Trenton-area student participants, asking what is most important to them about the program. Responses strongly indicated that being at Princeton as a community was vital.
But according to Anabel Guerreiro ’28, a physics major and TAP student leader, despite a few months of optimistic and creative thinking, it finally became clear that the University “didn’t want to hear any ideas” from TAP, which she finds “pretty disheartening.”
“In this time of careful budgeting, we are taking a step back to evaluate the best way to continue our engagement work with the Trenton schools,” University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill told PAW. “We hope to use the next year to test out new ideas, experiment with new programming models, and develop new partnerships with the goal of creating sustainable programming moving forward.”
Chen, who officially stepped down from TAP last year and now leads the Connecticut music nonprofit INTEMPO, was particularly emotional at this year’s showcase because “the students and the staff, they all knew that TAP [is] on the ropes and they tried to give their all,” he said. “I think they saw it as their last chance to make a case for their existence. And then a week later, they’re finding out that actually that wasn’t enough.”
TAP was heavily featured in Princeton’s Venture Forward capital campaign, which concluded in 2025 and was dubbed the University’s most successful campaign ever. (A campaign video about TAP that Chen said was scripted by the University asked the question, “What if access to the arts was no longer left to chance?”) Chen also shared with PAW a 2023 letter from President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 in which Eisgruber wrote, “Your program enhances the lives of the students who participate, and meaningfully contributes to the cultural vibrancy of our community and our University. I appreciate all you do and look forward to the program’s continued success.”
Chen called the decision to pause Saturday Morning Arts “icky” because, in his mind, “the University used TAP and therefore Trenton when it benefited their reputation (and their pocketbook), and discarded us when we were no longer of use.”
During conversations this past week with Princeton administrators, TAP staff said they were specifically asked not to tell the Trenton students about the pause, as the University planned to announce the move this summer. But TAP staff made the decision to inform students on April 18, at their last session before graduation and the summer lull, to allow for a proper goodbye.
After Agosto gathered everyone into a circle and broke the bad news, “students were speaking up about what TAP means to them and why this is so awful that it’s being stopped in this way,” said Guerreiro.
“The impact for the students is clearly quite huge,” said Diego Solorio ’25, a TAP student leader, sixth-grade teacher, and fellow in Princeton’s Teacher Preparation Program. He believes TAP exemplifies Princeton’s unofficial motto — in the nation’s service and the service of humanity — and said that defunding the program “is more than a mistake, it’s an intentional action by the University destroying existing support for communities of color.”
Rachel Schwartz ’18, director of Trenton Youth Dancers, said that TAP will have some funding next academic year, although it will be roughly halved, and what form its programming will take is yet to be determined. According to TAP staff, TAP’s four core components — orchestra, singing, theater, and dance — may be housed under different University units or end entirely. Funding might be used to send Trenton students to concerts at Princeton, or to transport some Princeton students to Trenton; currently, more than 60 Princeton students participate as arts instructors.
“What I understand is that next year will be a year of sort of piloting different programmatic options, to see how the program could reincarnate,” said Schwartz. After that, “there’s no guarantee and a likelihood that there will be no more funding at all” for TAP, because administrators are questioning “how the whole program aligns with Princeton’s mission as a research university.”
The provost’s office has historically served as TAP’s point of contact for centralized funding. TAP is a collaboration between Princeton’s Department of Music, the Lewis Center for the Arts, and the Pace Center for Civic Engagement.
It’s unclear how other community connections will be impacted. For example, eXpressions, the University’s oldest student dance group, served as TAP artists-in-residence this year, hosting workshops for and collaborating with the Trenton Youth Dancers.
Maddie Rohde ’27, a chemistry major and former eXpressions artistic director, told PAW before the latest TAP news that eXpressions “has really benefited from this [partnership], and I hope to continue growing the program and gaining interest in it.” Rohde said the collaboration has helped remind her and other eXpressions members of the joy of dance.
Chen expressed frustration about what he sees as a lack of transparency. “The University refuses to openly acknowledge that their priorities have shifted away from meaningful community engagement,” he said, adding that he feels like “they’re just hoping that TAP and a few other similar programs kind of die a quiet death.”
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