The Newark Museum creates a Garden of Remembrance: A Memorial to September 11, as an artistic response to last year's tragedy. This indoor garden was inspired by the celebrated gardens of medieval Spain. For a six-month period, through September 15, 2002, the Garden of Remembrance will transform the Museum's Engelhard Court into a place which symbolizes an usual time in history when people of the three great monotheistic religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam - lived together in humane and creative society, marked by advances in the arts and sciences. Join us for a special look at this spectacular display of orange and palm trees, bubbling fountains, cooing turtledoves and more.

For information call 973-596-6550 or visit their website at www.newarkmuseum.org.

The George Street Playhouse in association with Cornerstone Theater Company presents Public Ghosts - Private Stories. With intriguing tales of murder, love and mystery inspired by real-life stories of both living and deceased residents of New Brunswick, the play chronicles one hundred and eighty years of Hispanic, Hungarian, Irish and African-American history. Join us for a back-stage preview.

For tickets call 732-246-7717 or visit www.georgestplayhouse.org.

Last year, the Perkins Center for the Arts, in Moorestown, NJ, and Appel Farm Arts and Music Center, in Elmer, NJ, joined forces to design and build a Noborigama wood-fired kiln. This month, with the support of a "Project Serving Artists" grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, six prominent New Jersey artists have gathered to fire their work using the ancient techniques of the Noborigama Kiln. State of the Arts follows these six artists over three weekends as they prepare and load the kiln, fire the kiln for 36 continuous hours, and finally share the results of their labors as they unload the kiln. The participating artists include Mr. Bruce Dehnert, Mr. David E. Gamber, Ms. Katherine Hackl, Mr. James Jansma, Mr. Skeffington Thomas, and Ms. Rebekah Wostrel .

For more a complete schedule of wood firing workshops and classes visit the Perkins Center for the Arts at www.perkinscenter.org. For information on Appel Farm Arts and Music Center visit www.appelfarm.org.