Nikon Small World

Marek Miś, Cosmarium sp. (desmid) near a Sphagnum sp. leaf (100x), Polarized Light, 2012

June 14 – August 4, 2013

The Nikon International Small World Competition first began in 1974 as a means to recognize and applaud the efforts of those involved with photography through the light microscope. Since then, Small World has become a leading showcase for photomicrographers from the widest array of scientific disciplines.  This exhibit features twenty images from the winning submissions of the year.

“Rags, Those Beautiful Rags”: Ragtime Music from the Guinness Collection

June 20 – November 10, 2014

Celebrating the origins & popularity of Ragtime music, this exhibit will feature a variety of mechanical musical instruments, automata and period sheet music from the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection.  The craze that swept America in the 1890s was assisted by the availability of American-made musical boxes, self-playing pianos, and some of the first published sheet music originating from “Tin Pan Alley.”  Its main characteristic musically, is having a syncopated or “ragged” rhythm, the origins of which date back to the mid-1800’s.  Explore this uniquely American sound through the sheet music and the mechanical musical instruments that brought the songs to life.

Opening Reception, June 20, 2013 at 6:30pm

Victorian Carnival Family Festival, July 13, 2013
Demonstrations of Guinness instruments all day, included with museum admission

Curator’s Tour, August 1, 2013 at 6:00pm

Mega Model Trains Return

July 2 – August 16, 2013

Back by popular demand, the Morris Museum’s grand Model Train Display will re-open this summer to delight train enthusiasts of all ages with six working tracks and 48 interactive features.  A gift from Mondeléz International (formerly Kraft Foods), this spectacular 288-square-foot display will take you through cities, towns, a playground and the countryside.

An Evening of Elegance: 200 Years of Costumes for Grand Occasions from the Morris Museum Collection

July 18 – October 27, 2013

Celebrating 100 years of collecting gorgeous gowns from past centuries, this exhibition celebrates the Museum’s exquisite collection of ball gowns, cocktail dresses, evening gowns, and special occasion dresses from the past two centuries.  Included in this exhibition will be several designs by Scaasi. From luxurious silks and velvets, exquisite beading, to fun and flirty tulle and polka dots, this exhibition will showcase a gown worn to President Lincoln’s Inaugural Ball, to modern gowns worn on the runway.  Explore the unique stories behind the fashionable women that went out in style and take a step back in time to see how fashion trends and the perception of femininity and elegance have changed over the past two centuries.

Wet and Wild: Contemporary Art Quilts from the Collection of John M. Walsh III

September 19 – December  8, 2013

Nano: The Science of the Super Small

October 17, 2013 - July 13, 2014

Nano is an interactive exhibition that engages family audiences in nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. Hands-on exhibits present the basics of nanoscience and engineering, introduce some real world applications, and explore the societal and ethical implications of this new technology. Visitors can engage in a series of challenges activities to learn about real nano products and phenomena, explore nano materials and their properties, as well as build some nano products.  Nano was created by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Network) with support from the National Science Foundation.

The Art of the Brick

Nathan Sawaya, Yellow

November 14, 2013 - March 9, 2014

The incredible LEGO^® sculptures of Nathan Sawaya are returning to the Morris Museum for a new exhibition!  Nathan Sawaya is a New York based artist who creates awe-inspiring works out of some of the most unlikely things.  This exhibition features large-scale sculptures using only toy building blocks.  LEGO bricks to be exact!  Sawaya’s ability to transform this common toy into something meaningful, his devotion to spatial perfection and the way he conceptualizes action, enables him to elevate what almost every child has played with into the status of contemporary art. 

Fresh Perspectives 2014

April 10 – June 1, 2014

Art teachers from accredited high schools (public or private) in New Jersey are encouraged to submit a maximum of 4 pieces per teacher of outstanding artwork produced by their students during the 2013-2014 school year.

More details regarding the digital submission process will be made available in the Fall of 2013.

If you are an art teacher interested in participating and are not yet on our mailing list, please send your name, school name, email address, and number of art teachers in your department to artsubmit@morrismuseum.org.  Please include “Fresh Perspectives 2014” in the subject header.