(PRINCETON, NJ) -- There is a lot of exciting programming happening at Morven Museum & Garden this May. On Friday, May 5 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, Morven in May’s Spring Garden Party is back, rain or shine. Celebrate the start of spring in Morven’s spacious backyard garden featuring a generous grazing menu, refreshing beverages, lively entertainment, and a highly curated auction. Bidding for the auction will begin Tuesday, April 25 and will remain open through the Spring Garden Party, closing at 7:30pm on May 5th. Auction highlights include: Bedens Brook golf package, Peacock Inn dinner and overnight stay, and the return of the Tugboat Ride! Museum doors will be open to visit their newest special exhibition, Striking Beauty: New Jersey Tall Case Clocks, 1730–1830, now on view through Sunday, February 18, 2024.

Hosted by Nick Lopez, Susan MacGregor, Liza Morehouse, Gregory Rogers, Kathy Vik, Craig Wallace, and Elizabeth Wislar, this beloved celebration signifies the arrival of Spring and offers a welcome opportunity for everyone to come together in shared support. So pull out your party finest—this year is going to be better than ever! This highly anticipated event is almost sold out, reserve your spot today so as not to miss out! If you have any questions, please contact Megan Shackney, Chief Development Officer, at [email protected] or 609-924-8144 x 101.

Join them on Sunday, May 21 at 2:00pm for Morven Moves, their inaugural outdoor dance performance program. In line with Morven’s mission of preserving and celebrating authentic stories, Morven Moves does so through dance. This one-day-only performance features seven unique New Jersey-based choreographers and dance companies that reflect the rich and diverse culture and communities of the Garden State. Genres of dance presented range from contemporary, to flamenco, to dance theater. Works will be presented by Cara Hagan, Grant Jacoby & Dancers, Kiana Rosa Fischer, Lisa Botalico, mignolo dance, morgaine de leonardis, and Yu.S.Artistry.

Tickets are $20 General Admission, $10 for Morven Members and students. Seating is limited to 50 tickets; standing room tickets will be sold once the seated tickets sell out. Standing Room tickets will be $10 General Admission, $5 for Morven Members and students. This performance will take place outside in Morven’s gardens (weather permitting). In the event of rain, the program will move inside to the Stockton Education Center’s Gathering Space. Standing room tickets will be converted to virtual if the performance is moved indoors. Purchase of a ticket will also include access to the Museum to view Striking Beauty: New Jersey Tall Case Clocks, 1730 - 1830. Morven Moves is sponsored by Keller Williams Realty Princeton.

On Monday, May 22 through Wednesday, May 24 from 10:00am to 1:00pm, their 3 Day Plein Air Painting Workshop with Raymond Brown, a collaboration with the Arts Council of Princeton, returns. Inspired by the popular 19th century French tradition of painting in the open air (“en plein air”), this new class will feature the spring splendor of Morven's beautiful gardens. Participants will discover the quality of natural light (and how it changes during the session), explore how color can define forms, learn how to represent natural colors, and experiment with brush strokes and creating textures. Participation is $170 General Admission, $140 for Arts Council of Princeton Members.

Instruction is geared toward beginning/intermediate skill levels but all levels welcome. Please bring your own easel, painting supplies, sunscreen, rags, brushes and canvas to these classes. For more detailed suggestions on supplies to bring, email [email protected].

Lastly, on Wednesday, May 24 at 6:30pm, explore the human and environmental impact behind the rich mahogany exteriors of early American tall case clocks with historian and author Dr. Jennifer Anderson at The Costs of Luxury: Mahogany and Tall Case Clocks in Early America. Early New Jersey clockmakers and cabinetmakers utilized some of the finest materials available to craft the tall case clocks featured in wealthy homes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.  Dr. Anderson will examine the human and environmental costs of one such material, mahogany. Beneath the rich and silky exterior of this exotic wood lies a larger story of consumer demand, exploitation, and environmental impact. 

This event is hybrid - held both live and online. In-person tickets are $20 General Admission, $10 for Morven Members and Students. Virtual tickets are $10 General Admission, $5 for Morven Members and Students. Doors open for the in-person event at 6:00pm in the Stockton Education Center. The virtual waiting room opens on Zoom at 6:00 p.m. Q&A for both live and virtual attendees will follow the talk. In-person tickets include access to visit Striking Beauty: New Jersey Tall Case Clocks, 1730 - 1830, from 5:00pm to 6:00pm on the day of the program. A Zoom webinar link will be shared with virtual ticket holders upon registration. A recording of the event will be provided following the program.

Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton St, Princeton, NJ is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00am to 4:00pm.  The gardens are open daily until dusk.  

Most historic sites celebrate one notable resident. Morven is unique in that it was home to many remarkable people. Built in the 1750s and home to one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Stockton, Morven was home to five generations of Stocktons, then Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. before becoming New Jersey’s first Governor’s Mansion and home to five New Jersey governors, their families and staffs, witnessing nearly 300 years of history.

Funding for Striking Beauty has been provided, in part, by The Hess Foundation, Liza and Schuyler Morehouse, The George H. & Estelle M. Sands Foundation, Lisa and Michael Ullmann, Robert N. Wilson and Michele Plante, Baxter Construction, Fulton Bank, Weber Display & Packaging, and anonymous support provided by way of the Princeton Area Community Foundation. Morven Museum & Garden received a project grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.