We have used our collections, exhibitions, and events to engage visitors on environmental issues. Our yearly Community Day: Celebrating Earth helps raise awareness about the planet among family audiences, while artworks in the collection, such as Kambui Olujimi’s The Drop, directly confront climate change.
On September 22, the Museum opened its new exhibition Animal Kingdom, an exploration of ecology and nature, through animal specimens, artworks, and digital experiences. The long-term installation in our Victoria art+science+tech galleries invites viewers to engage with interactive features and immersive spaces, reminding us that the Earth is home to an astounding variety of life and the role that humans play in its preservation.
Animal Kingdom, which was made possible through the generous support of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Fannie and Morris Sklaw Foundation, Inc., The Merrill G. and Emita E. Hastings Foundation, Eleonore K. Cohen, and the Museum’s Endowment for Science Education, completes the reimagining of the Museum’s entire third floor for the first time in twenty years with the intention of offering a variety of memorable experiences to families and adult audiences. These new opportunities for active engagement will inspire a sense of awe, wonder, and respect for nature and what can be done to help reverse or slow down the process of extinction and erasure.
I am thrilled to see this dynamic approach bring a sense of new life and appreciation for nature to the Museum. Our hope is that these interactive, playful experiences underscore to our beloved visitors and members that we are never too young or old to learn about the precious gifts that our planet holds.
I look forward to seeing you at the exhibition and, in the meanwhile, I invite you all to take action and learn more about what you can do for the environment here in Newark by supporting one of our neighborhood partners: The Greater Newark Conservancy and The Ironbound Community Corporation.
In gratitude,
Linda C. Harrison
Director and CEO
The Newark Museum of Art
