Letters from the Director — The Newark Museum of Art

Art, Celebration & Transitions

Welcome the special season of celebration, light and transition. Our world is offering us change on many fronts, but what endures are our traditions, our relationships, and the strength of the institutions we have created. Let’s celebrate all that we have and share gratitude for what we have built together. A Museum of courage, joy and wonder.

From Versailles to Bony Ramirez: Exciting Spring Happenings at NMOA

Spring is my favorite season in Newark. Five thousand world‑famous cherry trees blossom an invitation to a new season of growth and renewal (Did you know that Frederick Law Olmstead’s Branch Brook Park has more cherry trees than Washington, D.C.? We see you Newark!).

Fashion, Recognition, and Belonging: A Special Invitation from NMOA

As many have discovered, The Newark Museum of Art (NMOA) is not your typical world‑class museum. As director, I have the privilege of witnessing the power of human creativity transcend time, space, and difference to build belonging. And this past month brought some particularly moving examples.

Empowerment Through Art: MLK Day and the Story of Newark Fashion at NMOA

At NMOA we began 2024 with our beloved community. Our annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is our largest Community Day of the year, gathering more than 1700 visitors to honor his life and work.

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Art, Community, and Celebration: A Look Back at 2023

As the holiday season unfolds, I am reflecting on this extraordinary year at the Newark Museum of Art.

In honor of New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver

Like many of you, my heart has been heavy since the sudden passing of New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver.

A June of Celebration

At The Newark Museum of Art, we are making an intentional way toward building equity and inclusion as we celebrate Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day.

Celebrating our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities

Often, I am inspired by the various cuisines of the Asian diaspora and will seek out out‑of‑the‑way restaurants for perfect dan dan noodles, moan dut khnao, aloo masala, tuna poke or a hot bowl of niku udon. Equally satisfying inspiration can be found in the art of these beautiful cultures.

Volunteers, Art Ball, and a new gallery opening

This month, new ideas and faces have arrived at The Newark Museum of Art.

A New Spring

A new spring is dawning at The Newark Museum of Art. That’s how it feels, at least, after the spectacular reopening of our Seeing America: 18th and 19th Century galleries on March 9.

Celebrate Black History with Us

This month, I’m thinking a lot about the history of Black people in America and how to honor and celebrate this legacy through our work at the Museum.

New Year, New Museum

Happy New Year! Looking ahead, back, and all around, I see constant progress at The Newark Museum of Art, thanks in no small part to the generosity of our members and donors. It was your critical support in 2022 that got us to this moment.

2022 ‑ A Milestone Year

As we are near the end of the year, it’s a good time to reflect on some of the Museum’s important milestones in 2022.

A New Work by Mickalene Thomas Enters the Collection

As we continue to grow our world renowned art collection in the 21st century, we move forward with gratitude and intention to ensure that all our visitors feel represented, including the transgender and BIPOC communities.

Doing More for Our Environment

Climate change is one of the defining issues of our age. With rising temperatures, extended drought periods, and melting polar ice sheets, it is impossible to ignore the need for sustainability across all industries, and that includes the museum sector.

Building an Inclusive Collection

On a Saturday morning earlier this summer, there was a palpable buzz at the Museum when Amy Simon Hopwood, Associate Curator of Decorative Arts, and Catherine Evans, Deputy Director of Collections & Curatorial Strategies, picked up the phone to bid on a modest, yet immensely significant 1852 ceramic jug by David Drake.

Thank You Bank of America Art in Our Communities© Program!

As many of you know, our summer series of exhibitions and public programming has been robust and magical! This happens often due to the continued commitment and support of our key partners. One partner that leaned in this summer is Bank of America. They made a commitment to film arts, underwriting NMOA’s Newark Black Film Festival, the oldest Black film festival in the country, and they made a further commitment to the visual arts.

Supporting Black Filmmakers

Who doesn’t love watching a good film in a beautiful theater on a hot summer evening in a cool theater?

A Summer of Reveries

I trust you’re making the most of this summer. Hot days, long nights and all that jazz. Maybe attending a Newark Museum of Art sculpture garden concert.

Welcoming Our Arts and Cultural District: Why We Need Art

This last month, our team at The Newark Museum of Art joined our local community and neighbors in celebrating and supporting the renaming of Washington Park as Harriet Tubman Square. This park has long been a slice of our city that we at the Museum have had a great honor in standing beside, and even more so now in its honoring the legacy of one of the most remarkable social activists in our nation’s history.

Honoring Juneteenth at the Museum

In 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making June 19 a National Independence Day. Known as Juneteenth, the day celebrates the end of slavery in the United States.

A Night of Artful Celebration At The Newark Museum of Art

Earlier this month, the Museum hosted our annual Art Ball gala, a spectacle where we are joined by some of our key stakeholders and board members to celebrate the creative minds, visionary artists, and cultural legacy behind our institution.

Reflections from Women, Power & Promise

A couple of weeks ago, The Newark Museum of Art had the pleasure of hosting our annual Women, Power & Promise conference, where for the first time in two years we were able to reunite face‑to‑face and be joined by so many brilliant changemakers and leaders across our community.

To Those Who Make Newark A Home

I wanted to take a moment to highlight a unique programming opportunity taking place at The Newark Museum of Art alongside our current exhibition, Carlos Villa: Worlds in Collision, which travels to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco in the coming months.

Celebrating Our Volunteers

April is National Volunteer Month, a time dedicated to appreciating the generous contributions volunteers make.

A Fresh Look

It has long been part of The Newark Museum of Art’s mission to elevate our digital presence, and I’m proud to announce our new website.

An Annual Promise

Last year when The Newark Museum of Art presented the inaugural Women, Power & Promise conference, we were pretty sure we had the makings of an annual event before the first invitation left our inbox.

East Meets West in Carlos Villa: Worlds in Collision

On February 17th we celebrated the opening of a new, groundbreaking exhibition—Carlos Villa: World in Collision—the first major museum show in the country dedicated to a Filipino American artist.

A Homecoming

The Newark Museum of Art has a long history of being a trailblazer.

A Few of My Favorite Things

I joyfully admit it; this is the time of year I always look forward to.

NMOA in Your Pocket

When The Newark Museum of Art takes a step in a new direction, we like to go all in.

Back from the Brink

Inspired by an underleveraged part of our collection containing thousands of earth science specimens and related artwork, a cross‑departmental team of curators, educators, technicians, and multimedia designers has been hard at work answering the question: What role should science and technology play at The Newark Museum of Art?

Our Stand for Equity

In just over a week from now, The Newark Museum of Art will virtually present The Moral Pandemic: A Racial and Gender Equity Summit.

Fall Transitions

Following a summer break from my writing desk, I have much to fill you in on. As we gear up for our next busy season, let me update you on some key activities.

Summer in the City

No getting around it—the weather is hot and humid. If I didn’t know better, I would think I was back in Chicago looking for a little heat relief.

Public Art for All

It’s now official. One of our nation’s bravest freedom fighters will receive her rightful due in Newark, steps from the Museum’s front door.

The Reinvented Museum

The innovation continues!

Celebrating Juneteenth

More than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln, slaves in Texas finally obtained their freedom. With a decree by General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, the emancipation of a quarter million enslaved people in the state was solidified.

Meet Our New Visitor Experience Staff

Part host, part diplomat, with equal amounts tour guide, ambassador, safety attendant, and Museum promoter, our frontline Visitor Experience staff need to be energetic, flexible, and friendly. And that only gets to the first few sentences of their job description.

Lights, Camera, Action at the Museum

As a super fan of classic Hollywood and Turner Classic Movies, I thought I knew my fair share of movie lore. It turns out there is a much richer legacy, rooted right here in my adopted hometown.

The Fortitude of Women Leadership

This week I have been thinking a lot about the fortitude of women leaders. In 2010 Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, energized me and millions of other women with her eloquent encouragements to be bolder and leave our fears in the rearview mirror. In her provocative book, Lean In, Sandberg detailed how the gender gap is far from gone and shared her own personal experiences to embolden women in the workplace.

Join Us in Supporting the Community

Earlier this year, The Newark Museum of Art revisited its decades‑old mission statement; we engaged with visitors, trustees and staff to help us with the important work of recalibrating our expression of purpose.

New Digital Experiences for You

While The Newark Museum of Art’s doors stay closed to ensure the safety and well‑being of our staff and visitors, we feel compelled to do our part to ease some of your stress and provide a bit of comfort, at least for one moment at a time.

Please Take Action Today

As we close out our second week with most of us working remotely while a dedicated group are on‑site to protect the Museum, we hope you are weathering this storm as well as possible.