Enjoy a sneak preview of the Betty Wold Johnson Hillside Farm Preserve in Hopewell, New Jersey through the eyes of photographers Dave Burwell and Rebecca DePorte at D&R Greenway Land Trust’s Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, Princeton. Featuring art by award-winning Ukrainian illustrator Yuliia Hanyk and guest artist Elena Nabokova, the exhibit portrays the natural and historic significance of the nearly 800-acres of preserved land while it asks the question, “What does the Land Remember?”  The public is invited to a Meet the Artists reception on Thursday, November 19, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm, followed immediately by screening of the new film Ledger by filmmakers Zachary Smith and Maria Ivarsson.  The reception and screening are free, with donations accepted to support preservation and stewardship of land.

Through months of visits, Burwell and DePorte captured changing seasons, memorable wildlife encounters, and the beauty of this remarkable landscape. Their photographs offer visitors an opportunity to experience the Preserve’s fields, woodlands, and wildlife through the patient observation of two accomplished local photographers.

“From my first visit to Hillside Farm, I felt connected to its land, its history, and its natural beauty,” writes Burwell in his exhibition statement. His photographs reflect a year spent watching the landscape transform, revealing sweeping views of surrounding hilltops and valleys alongside quieter moments on the land.

A fine art photographer and teacher, Burwell lives in Princeton and serves as president of the 250-member Princeton Photography Club. His lifelong love of nature sparked an early interest in photography, which he now shares through group classes and individual instruction in photography and photo editing.

For DePorte, repeated visits brought unexpected discoveries and opportunities to observe wildlife behavior. One encounter with a young Cooper’s Hawk led her to a field where she spotted a Red-headed Woodpecker. Returning over several visits, she observed an adult carrying food to a nest cavity and later saw a fledgling.

“What began as a fleeting glimpse of red became one of my most rewarding wildlife encounters at the Betty Wold Johnson Hillside Farm Preserve,” DePorte writes in her exhibition statement.

DePorte is an award-winning fine art wildlife photographer whose images explore the beauty, behavior, and relationships of animals in the wild. Her work has earned recognition from the International Photography Awards and Bird Photographer of the Year, and has been selected for the Audubon Photography Awards Top 100. She is an owner/member of Gallery 14 in Hopewell.

Yuliia Hanyk, a Ukrainian illustrator, graphic designer, and printmaker from Lviv, now based in Philadelphia, is featured in a special exhibit “What the Land Remembers.” She has illustrated nine books for leading Ukrainian publishers, earning recognition from BBC Ukraine and Ukrainian Book of the Year. Her art carries Ukrainian memory and resilience across borders.

Her collection of watercolors was made for Ledger, a documentary by Zachary Smith and Maria Ivarsson about the Revolutionary history of Hillside Farm. Guest artist Elena Nabokova joins her with paintings of Hillside.

At 7:00 pm the public is invited to a screening of Ledger, the story of Hillside Farm told through three interwoven perspectives: an unknown soldier; Hannah Till, George Washington’s cook, who secured her freedom through her service; and the Lenape, who have stewarded the land for thousands of years. Together, their stories ask what the land remembers.

Gallery viewing hours are Monday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm. The reception and film are free, with donations accepted to support D&R Greenway’s mission to preserve and care for land. To RSVP for the November 19 reception, email info@drgreenway.org or call 609-924-4646.