Public Programs

Reserve your seats today!
To purchase tickets, please call (973) 259-5137 or stop by the Museum Store.

Spotlight on the Artist: Anne Sailer
MAM Museum Store
Saturday, August 28 and Sunday, August 29

Join us for a trunk sale of one-of-a-kind jewelry made by artist Anne Sailer.  Sailer creates unique jewelry that prominently feature a process she calls "drawing with wire." Inspired by aural input (from ordered music to random ambient sound), Anne works with her materials to put beat, rhythm, pattern and sound into form. Over time, Anne has worked with metals, minerals, glass, digital images, pattern, paint, and fibers to create both art jewelry and mixed media art. Her latest jewelry collection features silver, copper, semi-precious stones and hard-to-find Czech "Picasso" glass beads. Each piece is unique, with no combination of materials the same. Buyers of Anne's work describe it as "warm and wonderful," "powerful and grounding," and "bringing clarity and peace". For more information about the artist, you can visit her website, http://www.annesailer.com/.

24th Annual Julia Norton Babson Memorial Lecture
Collectors and Relationships with Artists
Thursday, October 7, 7 p.m.
$10 Members, $15 nonmembers
FREE for MSU staff and students

Gail Stavitsky, chief curator of the Montclair Art Museum and organizing curator of MAM’s exhibition Living for Art: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection, will moderate the panel discussion between art collectors Herbert and Dorothy Vogel and artists Richard Tuttle and Robert Barry. Herbert Vogel worked as a postal clerk and Dorothy Vogel was a librarian. The discussion will highlight the Vogels’ relationships with artists and how they built their large and impressive contemporary art collection on a modest income. The Vogels’ collection is a keen reflection of their friendships with artists, and their remarkable story—unique in the history of art collecting—has inspired many to reinvestigate what it means to be a collector of art. Collectors and artists will be available for a Q&A following the discussion. Take this rare opportunity to meet the Vogels.

Please arrive early. The galleries will have extended hours from 5 to 7 p.m. Tickets to the lecture include admission to the current exhibition on the day of the program.

The Babson Memorial Lecture is funded, in part, by a generous gift from the Julia Norton Babson Memorial Fund.

MAM Appraisal Day
Sunday, October 10, 1 – 4 p.m.
$10 Members, $15 nonmembers
Ticket entitles appraisal of two items (or photos of a large item)
 
It’s time to dust off your treasures and bring one or two of your favorite family heirlooms into MAM for an appraisal. MAM’s Appraisal Day will be cohosted with Rago Arts and Auction Center of Lambertville, NJ. Rago’s is a renowned venue for auction, private sale, and appraisal, with auction exhibitions in-house and online. Its experienced specialists provide unmatched personal service. Partners David Rago and Suzanne Perrault have appeared as guest appraisers on the hit PBS series Antiques Roadshow since its inception.

Advance tickets available through the Museum Store.
Reserve your tickets today by calling 973-259-5137.
 
Cosponsored by Rago Arts and Auction Center, 333 North Main Street Lambertville, NJ.

MSU/MAM Art Talks
Leonardo Drew

Tuesday, October 12, 7 p.m.
$10 Members, $15 nonmembers
FREE for MSU staff and students
 
Please join MAM this fall in welcoming artist Leonardo Drew, best known for his dynamic large-scale sculptural installations. Drew attended Parsons School of Design and received a BFA from Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. His sculptures can be seen as exercises in formalism rooted in the very experience of looking. The work also explores memory by employing a wide range of material to evoke common elements of the human experience and our diverse histories. Drew lives and works in Brooklyn and San Antonio, Texas, and is represented by contemporary art gallery Sikkema & Jenkins Co., located in Chelsea, NYC.

Image: Leonardo Drew, Number 134, 2009, Wood and mixed media, Approximately 186 x 278 x 88 in. (472.4 x 706.1 x 223.5 cm), Courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co.

This series is a collaboration between the Master of Fine Arts degree program of Montclair State University and the Montclair Art Museum. Image courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co.

MAM and the Adult School of Montclair:
Living for Art: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection
Thursday, October 21, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Registration through the Adult School of Montclair
Call 973-746-6636 to register, Enroll EARLY!
Limited to 40 participants.
$12 MAM Members, $15 nonmembers

Please join MAM for an after-hours tour through Living for Art: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection. The exhibition features 50 gifts of minimal and conceptual art that the Museum recently received as part of the National Gallery of Art’s Fifty Works for Fifty States initiative, of which MAM was the sole New Jersey state recipient. The Vogels built a large and impressive collection that, in 1992, they decided to transfer to the National Gallery of Art. This docent-led tour will provide unique insights into the world of the Vogels and how they began collecting. Come find out more!

Sponsored by the Adult School of Montclair and MAM.

Collecting Art: An Affordable Art Fair
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Noon to 5 p.m.

The Montclair Art Museum is organizing its first affordable art fair in conjunction with the exhibition Living for Art: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection, on Sunday, October 24, Noon to 5 p.m.  Peruse art made by a diverse group of artists, offering pieces within the price range of $50 to $500.  Help support local and emerging artists while expanding your own art collection! MAM will also be offering free admission to the Museum galleries all day.

We are now accepting applications from regional artists who would like to participate in this event. Click here to read the formal application. Applications will be accepted until September 15, 2010.

Jeweler Thomas Gentille
Friday, October 29, 1 p.m.
$10 Members, $15 nonmembers

Thomas Gentille is recognized internationally for a lifetime of contributions to the field of contemporary jewelry. Over a career spanning nearly 50 years, Gentille has continually invented new processes to manipulate a wide range of materials. His work is in many international collections, including the permanent collections of Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Susan Grant Lewin, well-known collector of contemporary art jewelry and the author of One of a Kind American Art Jewelry Today, will also join us to discuss her passion as a collector. The lecture will be followed by a visit to see Gentille’s work on view at Montclair’s Gallery Loupe, with gallery owners Patti Bleicher and Eileen David.

Image: Thomas Gentille. Brooch. Polychromed wood. Courtesy of Gallery Loupe for Contemporary Art Jewelry.

Co-presented with Gallery Loupe for Contemporary Art Jewelry, 50 Church Street, Montclair, NJ.

MAM Is Reading! Book Discussion
Seven Days in the Art World
Thursday, November 11, 7 p.m.
FREE MAM Members, MSU staff and students, $12 nonmembers

Join MAM’s community-wide book club for another great read. This fall’s book selection is Sarah Thornton’s Seven Days in the Art World. Discussion leader and local author Deborah Davis will guide you through an entertaining series of nonfiction narratives, which reveal the inner workings of the institutions that contribute to an artist’s place in art history. The book takes you to a Christie’s auction, a studio visit with Takashi Murakami, the Basel Art Fair, a behind-the-scenes look at Artforum magazine, the Turner Prize, an all-day critique with graduate students at CalArts, and the preview of the Venice Biennale. The book is available in the Museum Store. Reserve your copy today by calling 973-259-5137.

Please join MAM trustee, Montclair resident, and widely read author Deborah Davis, who will lead an evening of lively discussion. The book club meeting will be held in Museum galleries, followed by a visit to the exhibition Living for Art: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection.

8th Annual Conversation on Education and the Arts
Faith Ringgold: Story Quilts and Children’s Books

Thursday, November 18, 7 p.m.
$15 Members, Montclair Community Pre-K families
$18 nonmembers, $10 students with ID
FREE for MSU staff and students

Best known for her painted story quilts, Faith Ringgold was born and raised in Harlem and educated at City College of the City University of New York. Her painted story quilts blur the line between “high art” and “craft” by combining painting, quilted fabric, and storytelling. Faith Ringgold has written and illustrated 17 children’s books, including Tar Beach, and has exhibited in major museums all over the world. A book signing will follow the lecture. Books by Faith Ringgold can be purchased from the Museum Store. Reserve your tickets today by calling 973-259-5137.

Professional Development Certificates will be available for educators. Sponsored by The Montclair Community Pre-K, MAM, and MAM’s African American Cultural Committee (AACC), with generous support from Jane and Harvey Susswein.

This program is made possible by a grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.

On view at the Montclair Public Library the month of October as part of The Little Read celebration is a student exhibition featuring projects from the Montclair Community Pre-K and the MAM SummerART program inspired by the artist’s story quilts and children’s books.

MSU/MAM Art Talks
Mariko Mori

Thursday, December 2, 7 p.m.
$10 Members, $15 nonmembers
FREE for MSU staff and students

Mariko Mori is a Japanese video and photographic artist. While studying at Bunka Fashion College in the late 1980s, she worked as a fashion model. This experience strongly influenced her early works, in which she takes control of her role in the image, becoming an exotic, alien creature in everyday scenes. Mori’s continued interest in the fusion of art and technology, Buddhism, and the idea of universal spiritual consciousness draws from ancient rituals and symbols. Mori uses the latest technology and material to create a strikingly beautiful vision for the 21st century. Join MAM in welcoming this cutting-edge artist.

This series is a collaboration between the Master of Fine Arts degree program of Montclair State University and the Montclair Art Museum.

Holiday Cello and Piano Concert
Thursday, December 16, 7 p.m.
$10 Members, $15 nonmembers
Children free

Escape the holiday rush and Deck the Halls — Leir Hall, that is.
Come celebrate this festive time of year at MAM as cellist Jameson Platte and pianist Matthew Quayle explore holiday music from traditional to contemporary compositions. Based in the New York City/New Jersey area, the duo’s recent appearances include Merkin Concert Hall (New York) and the Glen Falls Symphony Musicbridge Festival. Advance ticket sales through the Museum Store (973-259-5137).

CLOSER LOOK

First Friday of the Month, 2 p.m.

Come learn more about featured artwork at MAM. These informal 20-minute gallery talks offer visitors an in-depth examination of one work of art on view in the galleries. Education staff and docents lead the discussions.

  • October 1: George Inness (1825-1894), Early Autumn, Montclair, 1888
  • November 5: Faith Ringgold (b. 1930), Tar Beach 2, 1990
  • December 3: William Morris Hunt (1824-1879), Cigar Girl, 1870
  • January 7: Charles Burchfield (1893-1976), Day in Midwinter, 1945

SATURDAY TOURS

1 p.m. FREE with Museum Admission

These 45 minute-long docent led tours take place once a month on Saturday. The topics and themes change, so you can experience something new at the Museum every month.

  • October 16: Living for Art: The Herbert and Dorothy Vogel Collection
  • November 27: The Harvest: Natural Materials & Native American Art
  • December 18: Sacred Spaces, Divinty in Landscape
  • January 16: The Progression of American Portraiture, 1700-2011

Saturday tours are made possible with support from the Bloomingdale’s Fund of the Federated Department Stores Foundation.