THE NEWARK MUSEUM ASSOCIATION
Programs
Program 1 [2020]
EXHIBITIONS AND FACILITIES:NORMAN BLUHM: METAMORPHOSIS (1947-1980)OPENING ON FEBRUARY 13, 2020, NEWARK MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTED NORMAN BLUHM: METAMORPHOSIS, A RETROSPECTIVE OF THE AMERICAN PAINTER NORMAN BLUHM (1920-1999). WITH WORKS DATING FROM 1947 TO1998, THIS WAS THE FIRST MONOGRAPHIC SURVEY OF BLUHM'S CAREER, BRINGING TOGETHER 17 LARGE-SCALE PAINTINGS ON CANVAS AND 25 WORKS ON PAPER FROM THE ARTIST'S ESTATE AND FROM DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS. BLUHM COMBINED VIGOROUS AND EXPRESSIVE BRUSHWORK WITH A LAVISH SENSE OF COLOR AND FORMAL EXPERIMENTATION ON A GRAND SCALE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE MUSEUM CLOSED TO VISITORS IN MARCH. WOLFGANG GIL: SONIC GEOMETRIES A MULTI-SENSORY EXPERIENCE OF SPACE, SHAPE, AND SOUND, THIS EXHIBITION PRESENTS SOUND SCULPTURES BY WOLFGANG GIL IN THE CONTEXT OF ABSTRACT ART FROM THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION. GIL'S INSTALLATIONS EXPLORE THE SCULPTURAL QUALITY OF SOUND, INVITING US TO CONTEMPLATE LISTENING AS A PHENOMENON. THIS EXHIBITION WAS INSTALLED IN 2020, WITH THE OPENING DELAYED UNTIL 2021 DUE TO COVID-19 CLOSURES. FOUR QUILTMAKERS, FOUR AMERICAN STORIESQUILTMAKERS, WORKING ALONE OR TOGETHER, TELL STORIES BY ASSEMBLING AND STITCHING FABRIC INTO LAYERED IMAGES THAT WARM LOVED ONES, DECORATE BEDS OR HANG ON WALLS. EACH QUILT IS AS UNIQUE AS ITS MAKER OR GROUP OF MAKERS, WHETHER REPLICATING TRADITIONAL PATTERNS OR CREATING NEW DESIGNS. THE MATERIALS-NEW, STORE-BOUGHT FABRIC, RECYCLED SCRAPS FROM OLD CLOTHING, OR SECOND-HAND TEXTILES - AS WELL AS THE IMAGES ARE THEMSELVES THOUGHTFUL CHOICES THAT ADD MEANING TO THE STORIES. THIS EXHIBITION WAS INSTALLED IN 2020, WITH THE OPENING DELAYED UNTIL 2021 DUE TO COVID-19 CLOSURES. THE MUSEUM INSTALLED ALEXANDER CALDER'S TRIPLE GONG MOBILE AND RE-INSTALLED WILLIE COLE'S SOLE SITTER BRONZE SCULPTURE TO HIGHLIGHT LOCATIONS ON ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER IN THE VAULTED GALLERY AND GARDEN PASSAGE. TOGETHER THIS TWO WORKS ACTIVATE MAIN SIGHTLINES OF THE MUSEUM AND ARE VISIBLE FROM THE WELCOME CENTER. THE CALDER MOBILE ANIMATES THE UPPER REACHES, AND THE WITTY COLE FIGURATIVELY ANCHORS THE AREA BELOW. THE MUSEUM ALSO COMPLETED ROTATIONS IN THE ASIA GALLERIES OF NUMEROUS LIGHT SENSITIVE TEXTILES AND WORKS ON PAPER AS WELL AS PHOTOGRAPHS AND WORKS ON PAPER IN THE GLOBAL AFRICAN GALLERY.DURING 2020, THE EXHIBITIONS DEPARTMENT BEGAN DIGITIZING GALLERIES TO CREATE 360 TOURS USED FOR VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING AND CONTINUED PLANNING UPCOMING PROJECTS - INCLUDING CARLOS VILLA, SAYA WOOLFALK, PHILIP K SMITH III - THAT WERE REALIGNED TO OTHER TIMESLOTS WHILE OTHERS, SUCH AS THE NEARLY FULLY PLANNED OUT RALPH STEADMAN RETROSPECTIVE, WERE SADLY CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19 EFFECTS.THE MUSEUM LEVERAGED THE PUBLIC CLOSER TO WORK ON RENOVATING THE MUSEUM SHOP, WHICH INCLUDED OPENING A NEW DOORWAY, REMOVING A PAIR OF OLD RESTRICTIVE DOORS, REDOING AND REROUTING EXPOSED WIRING, FRESHENING UP CASEWORK AND WALLS, AND UPGRADING THE LIGHTING AND SOME DISPLAY FIXTURES. CAF CONSTRUCTION, WHICH WAS UNDERWAY IN 2019, WAS COMPLETED IN 2020.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$4.1MProgram 2 [2020]
REGISTRAR & CURATORIAL:THE NEWARK MUSEUM OF ART'S VAST AND DIVERSE COLLECTIONS OF MORE THAN 200,000 ACTIVE IN USE OBJECTS, RANKS, IN TERMS OF ITS HOLDINGS, AMONG THE TOP 30 MUSEUMS NATIONALLY. THE MUSEUM IS NOW CUSTODIAN TO OVER 300,000 OBJECTS IN THE DEPARTMENTS OF AMERICAN ART, ASIAN ART, AFRICAN ART, NATIVE AMERICAN ART, DECORATIVE ARTS, NUMISMATICS, AND AN IMPORTANT NATURAL SCIENCE COLLECTION. THE MUSEUM IS ALSO THE HOME OF THE HISTORIC BALLANTINE HOUSE. THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS SUPPORT ITS COMMUNITY SERVICE MISSION BY PROVIDING THE INSPIRATION AND CONTENT FOR AN EXTENSIVE K-12 EDUCATION PROGRAM. IN THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR, THE MUSEUM ENGAGED OVER 13,000 KIDS AND EDUCATORS THROUGH VIRTUAL PROGRAMS ONLY. PUBLIC EVENTS, INCLUDING FREE COMMUNITY DAYS, TALKS & PANELS, AND FAMILY DROP-INS, INCLUDE CONTENT INTEGRATED FROM THE COLLECTIONS.IN 2020, NO OBJECT WAS ADDED TO THE MUSEUM'S ONLINE SEARCHABLE DATABASE AND 1 PURCHASE, 38 GIFTS, AND 1 TRANSFER WERE ACCESSIONED INTO OUR PERMANENT COLLECTION.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$3.5MProgram 3 [2020]
EDUCATION AND PUBLIC PROGRAM:LIKE MANY ARTS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS, THE MUSEUM HAS BEEN NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS AND HAS FACED UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES OVER THE PAST YEAR. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SHUTDOWN BEGAN IN MARCH 2020, THE MUSEUM BEGAN PRESENTING AN EXTENSIVE MENU OF LIVE AND PRE-RECORDED DIGITAL PUBLIC PROGRAMS, KNOWN AS #NMOAATHOME, TO ENGAGE AUDIENCES FROM ACROSS NEW JERSEY, THE COUNTRY, AND THE WORLD ACROSS A VARIETY OF ONLINE PLATFORMS. IN DEVELOPING AND PRESENTING THESE PROGRAMS, THE MUSEUM SOUGHT INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS REGULARLY REACHING OUT TO EDUCATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS THROUGH PARTICIPANT SURVEYS. IN RESPONSE TO THESE CHALLENGES, THE MUSEUM HAS ADJUSTED ITS DEFINITION OF SUCCESS TO INCLUDE A NEW FOCUS ON RESILIENCE, ADAPTABILITY, AND CONTINUED RESPONSIVENESS TO RAPIDLY CHANGING COMMUNITY NEEDS, WORKING TO ATTRACT AND SERVE AUDIENCES IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC BY SIGNIFICANTLY EXPANDING ITS DIGITAL PROGRAMMING. THE MUSEUM'S EXTENSIVE MENU OF LIVE AND PRE-RECORDED DIGITAL PROGRAMS, KNOWN AS #NMOAATHOME, SUCCESSFULLY ENGAGED FAMILY, YOUTH, AND ADULT AUDIENCES LIVING UNDER SHELTER-AT-HOME ORDERS ACROSS A VARIETY OF ONLINE PLATFORMS INCLUDING FACEBOOK LIVE, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, ZOOM AND YOUTUBE. FROM JANUARY 1, 2021 TO OCTOBER 15, 2021 WE REACHED 6,087 PEOPLE THROUGH PUBLIC PROGRAMS VIA ZOOM AND OVER 45,000 ON SOCIAL MEDIA.NEW VIRTUAL STEM+ARTS FIELD TRIPS RESPONDED TO THE NEEDS AND INTERESTS OF SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT NEWARK'S WARDS AND GREATER NEW JERSEY. A TOTAL OF NEARLY 13,000 STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS (6,603 FROM NEWARK) WERE SERVED DURING THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR, OF WHICH 11,471 IN 2021. A SERIES OF 13 NEW NMOA VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS CONNECTED TO CLASSROOM CURRICULUM AND SATISFIED STATE STANDARDS DURING THE EXTENDED CLOSURE OF NEW JERSEY SCHOOLS THROUGH TO THE END OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR. THE MUSEUM REACHED PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS THROUGH OUR MUSEUM FAMILY NETWORK TO SERVE STUDENTS IN NEWARK AND BEYOND. ALL NMOA VIRTUAL PROGRAMS HELPED STUDENTS UNDERSTAND CLASSROOM TOPICS, RETAIN CONTENT, BUILD VISUAL LITERACY, AND ENGAGE WITH NEW CONCEPTS IN SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING, IDENTITY AND EQUITY, AND THE PRACTICE OF EMPATHY. PROGRAMS INCLUDED EXPLORATION OF TOPICS SUCH AS DINOSAURS, EARTH AND THE MOON, FOSSILS, AND PLANETARIUM STAR SHOWS AND UTILIZED RESOURCES FROM OUR AMERICAN, AFRICAN, AND ASIAN ART COLLECTIONS. NMOA ALSO PRESENTED VIRTUAL SCIENCE FAIRS FOR SCHOOLS, WHICH INCLUDED A HOST OF ACTIVITIES FEATURING THE PLANETARIUM, LIVE ANIMALS THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH TURTLE BACK ZOO AND PHOTOGRAPHY ALONG WITH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS FOR EDUCATORS. THE NEWARK MUSEUM OF ART ALSO OFFERED EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS, PARENTS, AND CAREGIVERS SUPPORTING STUDENTS AT HOME. DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021, A SERIES OF 10 NEW HOMESCHOOL PROGRAMS WERE DEVELOPED TO BE FUN, SOCIAL, AND EDUCATIONAL AND INCLUDED OBSERVATIONS, GAMES, WRITING, DRAWING AND MOVEMENT WITH LIVE MUSEUM EDUCATORS. LIVE AUDIO-VISUAL PRESENTATIONS WERE DESIGNED TO HEIGHTEN OBSERVATION AND CRITICAL-THINKING SKILLS BY FOCUSING ON AESTHETICS AND CRITIQUE. CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES COMBINED LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY, SOCIAL STUDIES, AND VISUAL ARTS. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED:- PLANETARIUM FROM HOME. STUDENTS LEARNED HOW TO NAVIGATE THE SKY THROUGH STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS. THEY WERE ASKED TRIVIA QUESTIONS, TOOK POLLS, AND HAD MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO ASK THE MUSEUM ASTRONOMER QUESTIONS. - MUSIC AND ART. STUDENTS DISCUSSED HOW MUSIC CAN INFLUENCE ART AND ARTISTS. THEY LEARNED ABOUT STUART DAVIS AND ROMARE BEARDEN AND CREATED A JAZZ-INSPIRED ARTWORK. - ANIMALS AND HABITATS WITH THE TURTLEBACK ZOO. STUDENTS EXPLORED THE HABITATS IN WHICH ANIMALS LIVE AND LEARNED WHY ADAPTATIONS ARE IMPORTANT. AS STUDENTS LEARNED ABOUT SPECIFIC BIOMES, THEY WERE INTRODUCED TO 2-3 LIVE ANIMALS FROM THE TURTLEBACK ZOO. - CREATIVE WRITING. STUDENTS CREATED A STORY INSPIRED BY A SCULPTURE. THEY USED NEW OBSERVATION SKILLS TO CREATE CHARACTERS, SETTING, PLOT, CONFLICT AND RESOLUTION BASED ON A WORK OF ART.CREATIVE PLAY WEEKEND PROGRAMS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD AUDIENCES AND THEIR FAMILIES CONTINUED TO SERVE THE YOUNGEST OF LEARNERS THROUGH A VIRTUAL FORMAT. 181 CHILDREN AGES 3-5 AND THEIR CAREGIVERS EXPLORED THE MUSEUM'S ART AND SCIENCE COLLECTIONS THROUGH STORYTELLING, SONG, PLAYFUL ACTIVITIES AND AN ART-MAKING PROJECT IN 2021. A SELECTION OF 2021 SESSIONS INCLUDE INTERACTIVE STORYTIME AND THE ART OF PUPPETRY; COMMUNITIES; PAINTING WITH MUSIC AND MAKE MUSIC AND A HARMONICA!; FLORAL LANDSCAPES; COLLAGE THE FOUR SEASONS AND PAINT AN OSTRICH.VIRTUAL WEEKEND PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES CONTINUED TO ENGAGE YOUTH AND FAMILIES DURING THE YEAR FOR A TOTAL OF OVER 446 PARTICIPANTS. PROJECTS MADE USE OF HOUSEHOLD MATERIALS TO DESIGN, BUILD AND TEST AS CHILDREN EXPLORED THEIR CREATIVITY AND LEARNED NEW TECHNIQUES AND CONCEPTS IN ART, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. PROGRAM INCLUDED SESSIONS FOR YOUTH AGES 5-10+ EXPLORING ENJOY MOVEMENT, ARTMAKING, SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS AND STORYTELLING SESSIONS; THE ART OF MAGIC AND POCKET SOLAR SYSTEMS; THE PRINCIPLES OF HIP HOP AND ANCIENT EGYPT; BURBLE, FIZZ, KABOOM!; MEET AND MAKE ART WITH ARTIST ADEBUNMI GBADEBO; CELEBRACIN DE FAMILIA WITH 123 ANDRES AND STORY HOUR WITH HARMONICA SUNBEAM.TO FOLLOW COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR INDOOR GATHERINGS AND TO MEET THE NEEDS OF WORKING FAMILIES IN NEWARK, THE MUSEUM RECONFIGURED ITS POPULAR FULL-DAY CAMP NEWARK MUSEUM INTO SUMMER LEARNING PODS. IN SMALL PROJECT-BASED CLASSES OF NO MORE THAN 15 STUDENTS, CAMPERS DEVELOPED THEIR SKILLS OF OBSERVATION, COMMUNICATION AND PARTICIPATED IN STEM+ARTS CURRICULUM. CAMPERS PARTICIPATED IN SIX SESSIONS THAT RAN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, WITH MUSEUM-SUPPLIED MATERIALS. A TOTAL OF 66 YOUTH WERE SERVED. WEEKLY THEMES INCLUDED THE EARTH AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR PLANET; THE BUILDING OF BRIDGES TO MAKE CONNECTIONS FROM OUR HOMES TO SKYSCRAPERS TO CAVES; THE ART OF THE SPOKEN WORD; EXPLORATION OF THE PAST AND HOW IT IMPACTS OUR DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE; EXPLORATION OF STRENGTH THROUGH THE LENSES OF SCIENCE, DANCE AND ART; AND HONORING THE DIFFERENCES THAT MAKE US UNIQUE AND WHICH ALSO CONNECT US. THE RESILIENCE OF THE EXPLORERS HAS BEEN THE MUSEUM'S INSPIRATION THIS YEAR, EVEN AS THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS KEPT SCHOOLS CLOSED THROUGH THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR IN NEWARK. THE 31 EXPLORERS MET VIRTUALLY EITHER AS A GROUP OR INDIVIDUALLY WITH MUSEUM STAFF FOR PAID WORK STUDY AND INDEPENDENT RESEARCH (UP TO 15 HOURS A WEEK IN JULY AND AUGUST, AND 7-10 HOURS PER WEEK DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR), UTILIZING MUSEUM-ISSUED LAPTOPS. MUSEUM STAFF ALSO PARTNERED WITH THE ALL-STARS PROJECT TO LEAD A SERIES OF TRAINING WORKSHOPS FOR EXPLORERS TO STRENGTHEN THEIR COMMUNICATION AND PRESENTATION SKILLS AND ENGAGED THE FINANCIAL BOSS TO DELIVER A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS ON FINANCIAL LITERACY. EXPLORERS ATTENDED PSAT AND SAT TRAINING FROM THE PRINCETON REVIEW, TOOK 12-15 HOURS OF PRACTICE TESTS, AND HAD UNLIMITED ACCESS TO ONLINE TOOLS AND MATERIALS. AS A RESULT, EXPLORERS REPORTED A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN SCORES OF 200-300 POINTS ON AVERAGE THIS YEAR. SINCE COVID HEALTH RESTRICTIONS AND SHUTDOWNS BARRED STUDENTS FROM VISITING OTHER CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS OR TOURING COLLEGES, MUSEUM STAFF PROVIDED PERSONALIZED COACHING ON RESEARCHING COLLEGES AND COMPLETING THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS. THIS JUNE, ALL 14 SENIOR STUDENTS SUCCESSFULLY GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND FROM THE EXPLORERS PROGRAM. THIRTEEN GRADUATES ARE ATTENDING COLLEGE IN THE FALL, AND ONE HAS ENLISTED FOR MILITARY SERVICE. UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF DIRECTOR & CEO LINDA HARRISON, THE MUSEUM IS BECOMING MORE VISITOR- AND COMMUNITY-FOCUSED TO BETTER MEET THE SOCIAL, EDUCATIONAL, AND CULTURAL NEEDS OF ITS AUDIENCE. AS PART OF THIS SHIFT, THIS YEAR'S COMMUNITY DAYS EVENTS PUT MORE EMPHASIS ON IMPORTANT EVENTS FOR THE COMMUNITIES THAT RESIDE IN THE REGION (E.G., AFRICAN AMERICAN, LATINX, BRAZILIAN, KOREAN, ETC.), AND IN ADDRESSING SOCIAL ISSUES THAT ARE RELEVANT TO THESE COMMUNITIES (E.G., ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, INEQUALITY, AND RACISM, ETC.). THE PROGRAMMING REACHED A WIDE, MULTIGENERATIONAL, MULTI-ETHNIC AUDIENCE AND WAS MADE ACCESSIBLE BY BEING FREE OF CHARGE, WITH SEVERAL EVENTS FEATURING ACTIVITIES FOR NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS. EACH COMMUNITY DAYS EVENT INCLUDED DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES FROM PANEL DISCUSSIONS TO HANDS-ON ARTMAKING, MUSICAL AND DANCE PERFORMANCES, VIRTUAL TOURS OF NMOA'S COLLECTIONS, AND A VARIETY OF PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES. THE MUSEUM HAS PRESENTED SIX VIRTUAL EVENTS THUS FAR THAT HAVE SERVED A TOTAL OF 1,540 ATTENDEES VIA ZOOM (AVERAGE OF 257 PARTICIPANTS PER EVENT) AND 20,471 ATTENDEES ON SOCIAL MEDIA (AN AVERAGE OF 3,312 PARTICIPANTS PER EVENT).GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$2.5M
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