By Jaimie Yue
The Morris Museum has proven that cities like New York, Boston, or Philadelphia are not the only places to view high-quality, inspiring art. As the second-largest museum in New Jersey and a recent Smithsonian Affiliate, the Morris Museum has much to offer in visual art, the performing arts (the Bickford Theatre), robotics and instruments (the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection), and more.
A few exhibitions currently on view at the Museum are:
Dissonance – Art | Craft | Design | Performance | New Media
The term dissonance describes the tension that arises from the arrangement of discordant elements, which can enrich our appreciation of harmony through added color and complexity. Inspired by this concept, the exhibition Dissonance features 59 works by 35 artists that encompass qualities of “discord, tension, instability, and conflict,” thought to “aptly fit the moment in which we find ourselves (during the COVID-19 crisis), as individuals, as institutions, as a nation, as a culture.
A Cache of Kinetic Art: Tiny Intricacies 
The contemporary mechanical works in Tiny Intricacies may be small in size but they are designed to delight and surprise. Some of the works are traditional in their construction using materials such as wood, metal, and paint; others reflect more technological advancements, predominantly engineered utilizing electronic components.
The museum is not barren when it comes to educational content. Inside The Dodge Room, which is in the original mansion, hang various historical portraits of people like Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin, allowing children to identify people and artifacts they may be learning about. Other displays, such as David Friedmann’s exhibition “Painting to Testify: Early Post-Liberation Works” about his experiences as a Holocaust survivor, and Eva Zeisel’s ceramic works created over her lifetime invite visitors to explore chapters of history they may be less familiar with.
Certain installations are sure to appeal to all ages. Daniel Rozin’s PomPom Mirror is a delight: when visitors move, the pom-poms move with them. The “mirror” is really an octagonal grid with 928 black and white pom-poms. A sensor detects motion from visitors moving in front of the “mirror” and a computer activates motors that push the black pom-poms out and pull the white pom-poms in. What results is a whimsical silhouette of the viewer made out of pom-poms– and teaches young and old visitors alike about kinetic art.
Read more ‘Family Adventures’ articles here: https://theconnectionsnj.com/category/family-adventures/
The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection is the highlight of the museum’s permanent collection. Visitors can play with music boxes, learn about instruments and machines throughout history, and listen to songs over the decades, from pipe organs to ragtime music. Live demonstrations of the mechanical musical instruments and automata are at 2:00 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
The Adventures of Baron Von Steubon and Cromwell: A Kinetic Tale by David Bowman adapts a storybook with kinetic sculptures. The 18 interactive machines that spin, whir, flap, and buzz with a press of a button can entertain everyone. The exhibition is on display until March 1, 2020.
Next door, multiple trains zoom on three different tracks through a massive, highly detailed set, donated by the company Mondelez International in 2012 and currently maintained year-round by dedicated volunteers. The model trains run on the third weekend of every month. They also run every weekday except for Monday, but only during December, January, February, July and August.
The Rock and Mineral Gallery teaches visitors about different specimens found worldwide thanks to generous donations. The Morris Museum stays true to its suburban roots, honoring donors and volunteers with plaques on the wall.
The above are only the rooms I got to see on my first visit. There is still an entire second floor to see with the fossil collection and Native American art collection. Additionally, the Bickford Theatre is an excellent venue to attend community performances, from dance to spoken poetry readings to theatrical plays.
Museum Hours
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11:00AM – 5:00PM
Wednesday 11:00AM – 5:00PM
Thursday 11:00AM – 5:00PM
Friday 11:00AM – 5:00PM
Saturday 11:00AM – 5:00PM
Sunday 12:00PM – 5:00PM
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day