(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers offers a variety of virtual programs in October, from longtime favorites to new ways of engaging with other art lovers. Please note that the museum building remains closed to the public and in-person programs are suspended until further notice.

Although the exhibition Angela Davis—Seize the Time is postponed due to the pandemic, the exhibition catalogue is now available and the Zimmerli invites the public to a virtual book launch on October 1, beginning at 5:30pm (ET). Museum interim director Donna Gustafson, who co-curated the exhibition, is joined for an online conversation by co-curator Gerry Beegan, an associate professor in Design at Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts, as well as catalogue contributors Nicole Fleetwood, professor of American studies and art history at Rutgers, and Lisbet Tellefsen, who compiled the private archive that inspired the exhibition. The panel discusses the scholarly interests and collaborative efforts that coalesced around Angela Davis as a subject for an exhibition – which documents her life, influence, and enduring activism over the past 50 years – and its relevance to the current political moment. The book launch is free and open to the public, but requires advance online registration via Zoom. Attendees also receive a 30% discount code to purchase the book through The University of Chicago Press.

Meet up with old friends and make new ones as the Zimmerli teams up with Rutgers Global for two social events. On October 6, one of the museum’s most popular programs transforms into Art Before/After Hours, featuring two live streams, as well as recorded content, from 9:00am to 10:00am or 7:00pm to 8:00pm (ET). Explore the Zimmerli exhibition “It makes me think of that awful day…” The Natural World in the Anthropocene, which examines humankind’s place within – and impact on – the natural world. The program includes a virtual tour, a reflection by Rutgers Human Ecology professor Mary Nucci, and a live Q&A with the curators. No preregistration required; log on here at either time. Get creative at Friendship Fridays on October 9, from 9:00am to 11:00am or 4:00pm to 6:00pm (ET), as the Zimmerli joins the Rutgers Global weekly pop-up lounge. Enjoy an art activity led by Zimmerli teaching artist – and Rutgers alum – Wes Sherman. No previous experience or special materials required; find the Zoom links here.

Interactive art-making experiences for young artists and families return on Zoom in October. Art Together, offering free art activities that encourage families to be creative, moves to the first Saturday, October 3. (If you missed the spring episode, inspired by the exhibition Mood Books: The Children’s Stories of Alvin Tresselt and Roger Duvoisin, find it on Zimmerli at Home.) Art Adventures meets virtually on eight Tuesdays, beginning October 13. Open to artists of all skill levels between the ages of 7 and 14, these afterschool sessions explore a variety of mediums and methods. For complete details and registration information, visit our website.

Zimmerli members are invited to a virtual curatorial conversation about the museum’s exhibition Everyday Soviet: Soviet Industrial Design and Nonconformist Art (1959-1989) on October 15 at 11:00am (ET). Join Julia Tulovsky, Curator of Russian and Soviet Nonconformist Art at the Zimmerli, and Alexandra Sankova, Director of the Moscow Design Museum for a live talk about this exhibition, the first in the United States to explore Soviet industrial design and material culture from the postwar era. More than 300 objects on loan from the Moscow Design Museum – marking the first time they have traveled to the United States – include household items, fashion, posters, and sketches of products and interiors. These objects are juxtaposed with a selection of approximately 85 artworks from the Zimmerli’s Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection of Nonconformist Art from the Soviet Union, offering a holistic examination of the ways in which design and art developed concurrently. Check here for registration information. (Not a member yet? Learn more here.)

Visit Zimmerli at Home to experience the museum, wherever you are, whenever you want. Search more than 7,000 images of artwork from the institution’s multifaceted collections on eMuseum. Make Art at Home features activities and coloring pages for all ages. Explore videos of talks and behind-the-scenes tours (including those you may have missed live). Expand your personal playlists with Art + Music, a compilation of songs recommended by the Zimmerli’s student guards, inspired by their favorite artwork. Miss being inside the museum? Select one of our galleries to appear as your virtual background during online meetings and visit online exhibitions. Recently added sections include Artist Interviews, Community Collaborations, and Virtual Events. Check back periodically, as new content is added.

Please note that the Zimmerli remains closed to the public and in-person programs are suspended until further notice. News regarding operations will be posted on the museum’s home page. For Rutgers updates, please visit Universitywide COVID-19 Information.

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. One of the largest and most distinguished university-based art museums in the nation, the Zimmerli is located 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.

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 and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Endowment, among others. Additional support comes from the New Jersey State Council of the Arts, as well as donors, members, and friends of the museum.