(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- New Jersey’s only Smithsonian Affiliate, the Morris Museum, will open only on Saturdays and Sundays beginning in January. Hours will be 11:00am through 5:00pm on Saturdays, and 12:00am through 5:00pm on Sundays with exclusive Members hours from 11:00am -12:00pm on Sundays. Having reopened to the general public in July, one of the first cultural institutions in New Jersey to do so, this scale-back to only weekend hours is a response to the anticipated slowdown of visitation during the winter months. Until January, the Museum will continue to be open Tuesdays through Sundays throughout December and will also add Monday, December 28 to the opening schedule to accommodate additional visitors during the holiday period.
The Morris Museum is proud to partner with Grow it Green Morristown to host the popular Winter Market on Sundays from 10:00am – 1:00pm with early access for at-risk customers. Attendees of the Winter Market are invited to visit the Museum with a special discount of $3 off regular adult admission.
“Like all non-profits and businesses during this pandemic season,” said Executive Director, Dr. Cleveland Johnson, “every detail of our operations comes under the magnifying glass. Reducing our hours this winter allows us to continue welcoming our audience for a safe, in-person experience, while we strategically keep our expenses in check.” Visitor surveys have given the Museum high marks for attention to safety. “It is perfectly possible to spend a couple of hours at the Morris Museum and have entire galleries to yourself!” says Johnson.
All winter, visitors can experience the breathtaking new exhibition, “Threads of Consciousness: The Tapestries of Jon Eric Riis,” the largest presentation of the artist’s work in the U.S. and his first solo museum exhibition in the Northeast. Active for nearly six decades, Riis is celebrated for his intricately handwoven representational textiles that strike a balance between social commentary and virtuoso craftsmanship.
Known for its unique interest in the intersection of “art, sound, and motion,” the Museum also features
“Tiny Intricacies: A Cache of Kinetic Art” showcasing miniature mechanical wonders through Sunday, December 27. In its place, opening January 30, is a new exhibit, “Those Beautiful Rags,” about American “ragtime” music and the mechanical instruments that often performed it, drawn from the Museum’s Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata.
The Museum’s celebration of contemporary New Jersey artists, “Dissonance—Art | Craft | Design | Performance | New Media” remains open through Sunday, March 14.
On April 1 the Museum will open “Natural Essence—Motion Perceived”, an exhibition that contemplates the hidden beauty and majesty of movement in nature. Featuring works by Lawrence, Berzon Gianluca Bianchino, Alexandra Limpert, Sui Park, and Rein Triefeldt; “Natural Essence” examines humanity’s relationship to the natural world through a captivating collection of kinetic and illusory works. The five featured artists find beauty in everyday materials, transforming them to reflect natural phenomena—from the subterranean depths below to the cosmos above—that evoke woodland sprites in flight, lizards among colorful flora, glimpses of ocean waves, tinted grains of sand, and more.
Adrian Landon’s elegant, lifesize, stainless steel “Mechanical Horse,” installed during the spring lockdown, continues on exhibit through March 2021, delighting visitors with its graceful galloping in place.
Of course, the Museum’s permanent Earth Science and Native American galleries remain open, as well as the Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata, with live demonstrations on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 2:00pm. For families with children, the “Mega-Model Train” exhibit remains a perennial favorite.
During the winter slowdown, the Morris Museum will continue to flourish online, especially with its virtual Gala—themed “Art, Sound, and Motion”—on Thursday, February 25. While raising much-needed funding for museum programs and operations, exciting museum developments will be announced at that event, including details about the Museum’s growing relationship with the Smithsonian, as New Jersey’s only affiliated museum, and plans for a 2021 spring/summer season of live, outdoor performances on the Museum’s “back deck.”
“Winter weekends will be a great time to explore something new,” says Johnson, “and the Morris Museum has surprising experiences in store for everybody.” For specific hours, admissions, directions and safety guidelines click here.
Founded in 1913, the Morris Museum is an award-winning, multifaceted arts and cultural institution serving the public through its exhibitions and performances, which strive to interpret the past and discover the future through art, sound, and motion. The Museum is home to the historic and internationally-significant Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata. The Museum’s permanent galleries are enhanced, at any one time, by three or more temporary exhibitions of contemporary content. The Museum’s Bickford Theatre is a 312-seat performing-arts facility, offering unique programming in film, jazz, and live performance through its innovative series, Live Arts at the Morris Museum. The Morris Museum has a proud tradition of meaningful educational programs and family events. New Jersey’s only Smithsonian Affiliate Museum, Morris Museum is also the first museum in New Jersey to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, it has been designated a Major Arts Institution and has received the New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ Citation of Excellence, among other awards.
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