Montclair Art Museum Offers Extended Gallery Hours and Live Performances During Free First Thursdays

MONTCLAIR, N.J. - March 24, 2016 - PRLog -- Free First Thursday Nights invite the Montclair Art Museum's (MAM's) entire community to enjoy a night out at the Museum the first Thursday of the month (October-June) from 5 to 9 p.m. The programming includes a dynamic mix of free admission, a full-service bar, live performances, and a variety of activities. Free First Thursday Nights are made possible by TD Bank.

Offerings change on a monthly basis, providing something new to see and do at every First Thursday Night. Live Flamenco music performed by artist Hernan Romero will add flavor and fun to the night's festivities. April's entertainment will also include a live poetry reading from the Montclair-based Halfway There, a reading series that brings together established and emerging voices. Beginning at 7:30 p.m., readers include Melissa Adamo, Mark Ferguson, Ananda Lima, Joseph Palestina, Joseph Rathgeber, and Kem Joy Ukwu.

Also featured will be artist Kasia Skorynkiewicz's Post, an interactive art project. The wall collage of discarded stamps invites participants to collaborate and reflect by writing their personal experiences on a chosen stamp. This artist project is presented in collaboration with the MFA Studio Art Program at Montclair State University. In addition, Montclair Film Festival will share a preview of their exciting spring lineup at 8 p.m.

The third and final phase of the Rand Gallery Reinstallation opens to the public during April's Free First Thursday Night. Tours of Undaunted Spirit: Native American Art will be led by Native American curator Pamela Jardine at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Along with MAM's exhibitions, Gallery U from Westfield, New Jersey will present a special preview of Ekphrasis: Art & Words, an exhibition of art and poetry, in honor of the 20th Anniversary of National Poetry Month. A meet and greet with the artists begins at 5 p.m., followed by the reading at 6 p.m.

MAM's Yard School of Art Draw Along Workshop is featured at every month's Free First Thursday Night. Visitors are invited to create their own artwork during the workshop, which offers a free session with a clothed model and guided art instruction. An information table for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) will also be set up.

Free First Thursday Night refreshments also include a full-service bar and food trucks. The Art Bar at MAM is now in partnership with Upstairs bar and restaurant and features signature cocktails, wine, and NJ Beer Co. beer at special Free First Thursday Night prices. Museum members receive a discount on all drinks at the bar.

New on view across the street at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services is the Montclair 10 exhibition featuring artwork from MAM staff and volunteers. Fifteen to twenty works by 10 artists living and working in the New Jersey area will be showcased; featured mediums include painting, photography, print, drawing, and ceramics. The exhibition opens April 7 for MAM's Free First Thursday Night, and closes May 22.

Free First Thursday Nights run October through June. For an up-to-date schedule of upcoming Free First Thursday Nights, visit montclairartmuseum.org/free-first-thurs-nights (https://www.montclairartmuseum.org/free-first-thurs-night...). Highlights include the Vance Wall Art Education Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Artist Talk with Noah Klersfeld, and Studio Montclair Draw Along Workshop in May and Moving Architects contemporary dance performance and the MAM Art Truck in June.

Social Media

Visitors are encouraged to share their First Thursday Nights experience on social media. Find the Museum on:

• Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/montclairartmuseum
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/MAMmontclair Use the hashtag #MAMfftn
• Instagram (http://instagram.com/mammontclair) - Share your photos with #MAMfftn
• Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/montclairartmuseum/ Share your photos with MAM in our Free First Thursday Nights group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/mamfftn/


About the Museum

The Montclair Art Museum, a notable, community-based institution with an international reputation, boasts a renowned collection of American and Native American art that uniquely highlights art making in the United States over the last three hundred years. The collection includes more than 12,000 objects: paintings, prints, original works on paper, photographs, and sculpture by American artists from the 18th century to the present, as well as traditional and contemporary Native American art and artifacts representing the cultural developments of peoples from all of the major American Indian regions.

The Museum's education programs serve a wide public and bring artists, performers, and scholars to the Museum on a regular basis.

MAM's Yard School of Art is the leading regional art school, offering a multitude of comprehensive courses for children, teens, adults, seniors, and professional artists. The Yard School was recently recognized in the Discover Jersey Arts People's Choice Awards 2015 as the Favorite Adult Art Class and Favorite Art Camp.

The Montclair Art Museum is located at 3 South Mountain Avenue in Montclair, N.J. Information and directions are available on the Museum website, montclairartmuseum.org, or by calling 973-746-5555. MAM is open Wednesdays through Sundays, Noon - 5 p.m., and on the first Thursday night of the month (October-June), from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and major holidays. Museum admission is $12 for nonmember adults, $10 for senior citizens and students with I.D., and free for members and children under 12. Free First Thursday Nights and Free First Fridays are free for everyone. The Store at MAM is open Tuesdays through Sundays, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and has extended hours until 9 p.m. on Free First Thursday Nights.