The Zimmerli Art Museum to Offer Free Admission, 5/16-18

The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers announced today that it will offer free admission from Friday, May 16, through Sunday, May 18. The Zimmerli looks forward to celebrating Alumni Weekend (www.alumni.rutgers.edu) and Commencement (commencement.rutgers.edu) with other departments across the Rutgers University-New Brunswick campus. The museum also is pleased to continue its annual participation in the Association of Art Museum Directors' (AAMD aamd.org) Art Museum Day on May 18, coinciding with International Museum Day. The Zimmerli is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Information is available at www.zimmerlimuseum.rutgers.edu.

Last year, the Zimmerli-along with more than 170 other AAMD member museums across North America-participated in Art Museum Day. Art Museum Day emphasizes the essential role that art museums play in their communities, highlights the value of the visual arts in society, and provides new opportunities for audiences to participate in the wide-ranging programs offered by AAMD member museums. The Zimmerli also invites visitors to share their experiences on Art Museum Day via social media with the hashtag #ArtMuseumDay.

This year, because Art Museum Day coincides with Alumni and Commencement gatherings, the Zimmerli is extending free admission for the entire weekend. "Art museums are a great place to make memories with the special people in your life. Whether it's our neighbors in New Brunswick, graduates about to embark on the world beyond Rutgers, or alumni coming back to reconnect with old friends, we offer visitors an inspiring environment to enjoy time with one another," observes interim director Marti Mayo. "This year, we are especially pleased to feature a free photobooth in the exhibition 'Striking Resemblance: The Changing Art of Portraiture.' After visitors explore the history and evolution of the genre, they can make their own portraits to remember their day together."

"Art museums play a powerful role as community gathering places, bringing together people from all walks of life to experience the best of human creativity," said Chris Anagnos, Executive Director of AAMD. "AAMD is so pleased that the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers is joining us in this celebration by inviting everyone in New Brunswick to participate in Art Museum Day."

The Zimmerli features a variety of offerings throughout the weekend. The exhibition "Maples in the Mist: Chinese Poems for Children Illustrated by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng" is a journey inspired by noted poets of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). Selected from the museum's extensive collection of original artwork from children's literature, it is ideal for families with young children. In addition, scavenger hunts are available to guide families in discovering artwork throughout the museum. The Zimmerli's first exhibition devoted to artists from Ukraine, "Odessa's Second Avant-Garde: City and Myth" focuses on nonconformist artists who worked in this fabled seaport on the Black Sea from the 1960s through the late 1980s. Other exhibitions include "Stars: Contemporary Prints by Derrière L'Étoile Studio (Part Three)," "'Never such innocence again': Picturing the Great War in French Prints and Drawings," "Diane Burko: Glacial Perspectives," and "A Gift in Honor of Tyler Clementi: Dale Chihuly's Rivera Blue Macchia Chartreuse Lip Wrap." On Sunday at 3 p.m., the museum screens its monthly installment of the PBS series "Art 21: Art in the Twenty-First Century." The episode "Fantasy" includes insightful interviews with contemporary artists Cao Fei, Mary Heilmann, Jeff Koons, and Florian Maier-Aichen.

AAMD represents 240 art museums across the United States, Canada, and Mexico-from regional museums to large museums in major urban centers. International Museum Day is organized annually around the world by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). AAMD's Art Museum Day is an opportunity to focus attention on the role of art museums in North America, as part of ICOM's global celebration.

A comprehensive list of participating AAMD member art museums is available on the AAMD website (https://aamd.org). Note that while AAMD's Art Museum Day and ICOM's International Museum Day are formally held each year on May 18, some institutions shift their celebrations to adjacent dates.

ZIMMERLI ART MUSEUM|RUTGERS

The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum houses more than 60,000 works of art, ranging from ancient to contemporary art. The permanent collection features particularly rich holdings in 19th-century French art; Russian art from icons to the avant-garde; Soviet nonconformist art from the Dodge Collection; and American art with notable holdings of prints. In addition, small groups of antiquities, old master paintings, as well as art inspired by Japan and original illustrations for children's books, provide representative examples of the museum's research and teaching message at Rutgers. Founded in 1966 to serve the campus and community, the Zimmerli is now one of the nation's largest and most distinguished university-based art museums, located in a 70,000-square-foot building on the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Established in 1766, Rutgers is America's eighth oldest institution of higher learning and a premier public research university.

SUPPORT

The Zimmerli's operations, exhibitions, and programs are funded in part by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and income from the Avenir Foundation Endowment, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Endowment, and the Voorhees Family Endowment, among others. Additional support comes from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; the Estate of Victoria J. Mastrobuono; and donors, members, and friends of the museum.

LOCATION

The Zimmerli Art Museum is located at 71 Hamilton Street at George Street on the College Avenue campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick. The Zimmerli is a short walk from the NJ Transit train station in New Brunswick, midway between New York City and Philadelphia.

MUSEUM AND Z CAFÉ HOURS

Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., and the first Wednesday of each month (except August), 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays, major holidays, and the month of August.

Z Café featuring the Food Architects is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a variety of breakfast, lunch, and snack items.

ADMISSION

Admission is $6 for adults; $5 for 65 and over; and free for museum members, children under 18, and Rutgers students, faculty, and staff (with ID). Admission is free on the first Sunday of every month. For more information, call 848.932.7237 or visit the museum's website: www.zimmerlimuseum.rutgers.edu