Sorry for the long post _but_ we've been busy! Almost a year ago we
were sad to see the Museum's Executive Director, Cleveland Johnson,
shift into a well-earned retirement mode and wish him all the best
in that new phase of his life. After a thorough search effort by our
Trustees, Andy Sandall, the former Executive Director of the Museum
of Arts and Sciences of Daytona Beach, Florida, was selected and came
on board early this year to further advance the Morris Museum's mission
focus of "Interpreting the past, discovering the future, through Art,
Sound, and Motion".

It is at times a challenging, even daunting combination of subjects
to bring together in one of the largest museums in New Jersey, yet
all three are actually at the heart of our core permanent collection --
the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Automatic Musical Instruments
and Automata, numbering over 750 objects and over 5000 pieces of
media (the music).

In 2018 we initiated the Guinness Collection inspired "Cache of Kinetic
Art" exhibition series, answering the commonly fielded question: "Is
there anyone making contemporary automata today?"

The answer is "absolutely!" Since that first of four exhibitions (in
2018, 2019, 2020 & 2022), the Morris Museum has introduced and exhibited
98 contemporary kinetic artworks, created by 48 artists, representing
8 countries and 17 States plus the US Virgin Islands. The success of
the Cache series is directly reflected in the artists willingness to
participate as well as the museum's ability to reach well beyond normal
provincial boundaries. Kinetic Art is Alive and Well!

Opening in our 4000 square foot Main Gallery tomorrow (9/16/2022)
is a contemporary multi-media, static & virtual reality, solo-artist
show titled Joie de Vivre by Federico Solmi. Having helped with the
installation, I can confidently say that it clearly needs to be
experienced in-person.

https://morrismuseum.org/on-view/upcoming/federico-solmi-joie-de-vivre 

The museum has been active in acquisitions as well, adding to its own
collection of kinetic works such as: Dancing Around the Bed 3 (2019) by
The Safarani Sisters (MA); Counterpoint II (2015) & To the Promised Land
(2016) by Laura Zelaya (Argentina); The Going (2014), The Buddha (2016)
& The Face (2005) by Walter Rossi (NYC); Pigeons (2019) & Tick Bird
Visits the Museum (2018) by Philip Lowndes (UK); and Exoplanetarium VIII
(2021) by Joshua Hudak (NY).

A few fine instruments have also been added to the museums collection
of mechanical musical instruments: a Stella Orchestral Grand, 26-inch
disc music box (c1901), gift of Mrs. Ethel Schaal; a Technola Player
Piano (c1913) by Aeolian Co., gift of Ruth Reigninghaus-Smith; and
a Salon Barrel Orchestrion (c1876), made by Bernard Dufner, Buffalo,
New York, graciously donated by Bill & Ann Edgerton. All three can now
be seen and periodically heard at special times within the permanent
Guinness exhibition gallery.

A small palate teaser is at https://youtu.be/Tx5CtnmjisQ  The musical
selections on this pinned barrel are from Martha (Friedrich von Flotow),
Sonambula (Vincenzo Bellini) and Travatore (Giuseppe Verdi).

You simply have to put us on your "must visit" bucket list!

Jere Ryder - Conservator, Guinness Collection
Morris Museum, Morristown, New Jersey
http://www.morrismuseum.org/ 

 [ Bill & Ann Edgerton enjoying the newly installed instrument
 [ https://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/22/09/15/220915_124143_7-26-2022%20-%20Bill%20&%20Ann.1.jpg 

 [ Salon Barrel Orchestrion by Bernard Dufner
 [ https://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/22/09/15/220915_124143_Dufner%20Orchestrion%20ID%20photo1-email.jpg 

 [ Close-up of keyframe & barrel of Dufner Orchestrion
 [ https://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/22/09/15/220915_124143_Dufner%20Orchestrion%20-%20keyframe%20&%20barrel.jpg