Free First Thursday Nights, now in its fifth year, return to the Montclair Art Museum, October 6, 5–9 p.m. Enjoy a night out at the Museum with free gallery admission, live music, art activities and tours, dynamic seasonal programming, and a full-service bar! Author and artist Wheeler Antabanez and Weird NJ co-publishers Mark and Mark will help kick off the new season with an eerie program. Free First Thursday Nights are made possible by TD Bank.
Get into the Halloween spirit with a premiere event hosted by Weird NJ co-publishers Mark and Mark. Author Wheeler Antabanez will read a haunting tale from his new book The Old Asylum and Other Stories, inspired by Overbrook Mental Hospital (formerly in Cedar Grove). The reading will be followed by a discussion and Q&A with Wheeler, Mark, and Mark. The reading will begin at 7 p.m. and include original video footage and artwork of Overbrook Mental Hospital by Wheeler Antabanez. Copies of The Old Asylum and Other Stories, published by Sagging Meniscus Press of Montclair, and the new issue of Weird NJ will be available for purchase and signing.
Upstairs on the gallery level, guests are invited to see MAM’s new exhibitions do it and Janet Taylor Pickett: The Matisse Series with live music provided by Okestura. do it is an interactive exhibition, which encourages the audience to participate in instructions by artists. Free First Thursday Night provides new opportunities to interact with the do it exhibition, including Adrian Piper’s The Humming Room, requiring all visitors to hum a tune in order to enter MAM’s George Inness Gallery. In addition, Allison Knowles' Homage to Each Red Thing (1996), a grid of red objects provided by community members, will be rotated to its second installation. The first and second renditions are provided by SummerART campers; future versions will feature MAM’s African American Cultural Committee and MAM Contemporaries. Come back each Free First Thursday Night to discover something new in the do it exhibition! Tours will take place at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Get creative at Free First Thursday Night! MAM’s Yard School of Art Draw Along Workshop is a favorite every month. 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 additional Janet Taylor Pickett inspired project will be offered in the new Helen and Bill Geyer Art Studio.
The Art Bar at MAM is once again 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 an exclusive discount at the bar. Grab a bite from Bro-Ritos, October’s featured food truck, and enjoy free samples of seasonal flavors from Lotus Scoop.
In honor of National Domestic Violence Month, the Museum will also be collecting nonperishable food items for Jersey Battered Women’s Service.
Free First Thursday Nights take place the first Thursday of the month (October–June) from 5 to 9 p.m. For an up-to-date schedule of upcoming Free First Thursday Nights, visit montclairartmuseum.org/free-first-thurs-nights.
