Morristown
New Jersey
Morris Arts - Arts Matters October 2023
Arts and Entertainment
October 10, 2023
From: Morris Arts2023 marks Morris Arts' 50th Anniversary! We invite you to celebrate with us throughout the year at our existing arts events, programs, and special Golden Anniversary happenings. Below is a compilation of what's coming up this fall. We look forward to connecting with you through the arts!
ARTS IN COMMUNITY
PUMPKIN ILLUMINATION
Sunday, October 22 | 4–8PM
Vail Mansion Reflecting Pool | 10 South Street, Morristown | FREE
An evening of fun for all ages including:
4PM – The Sleepy Hollow Halloween Story by Kit’s Interactive Theatre (NEW!)
5PM – Mummy Making Workshop with Dan Fenelon
6PM – Luminary Parade
6:15PM – Illuminate the Pumpkins*
Live music by Alex De Lazzari Quartet
Bring your carved pumpkin to the reflecting pond in front of the Vail Mansion
NEW THIS YEAR!
The Sleepy Hollow Halloween Story
Kit's Interactive Theatre weaves the characters from Washington Irving's classic story into a new and exciting tale. Designed to be spooky (but not scary), the show begins where the original story leaves off and combines storytelling, music, dance, audience participation, and a great deal of humor.
ARTS IN EDUCATION
HER WORDS
Fall 2023 Registration Now Open!
Teen girls and gender-expansive youth in Morristown who attend Middle and High School are welcome to join Her Words. Students will meet on Wednesdays from 5–7pm at the Morristown Neighborhood House (12 Flagler Street, Morristown) from October 11 through early June. Refreshments will be provided at each session. Please contact Adia Harris, Program Director, at 973.538.1229 or [email protected] or Cyndall Brice at [email protected] to join the program.
IN OUR GALLERIES
Join us from 6–8PM on October 12 for a free closing reception of Color is Joyful exhibit on the 3rd floor of 14 Maple Avenue building in Morristown. The exhibit features 27 works by five New Jersey artists chosen by guest curator, Professor Beatrice M. Mady and has been extended through Monday, October 23.
VOLUNTEER WITH US
Want to connect more with your community? Love the arts?
We have some great volunteer opportunities at our annual events and programs throughout the year as well as flexible office volunteer opportunities.
>>>If interested, please contact Debra Broseker at [email protected] for more information.
LOCAL ARTS GRANTEES UPCOMING EVENTS
This year, we awarded $120,500 to 32 organizations in Morris Country. Below is a sampling of some events they produce. Be sure to visit their websites and social channels for additional information and events. Looking to apply for our FY24 Local Art Grants? Applications are available here.
MORRISTOWN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
HAPPENING NOW!
OCT 7 | 11–4PM
Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown
Features in-person talks by world-class authors across every genre for all ages. The main festival and kidfest take place on Saturday, rain or shine, at beautiful, historic locations in the heart of historic downtown Morristown. All events are open to the public and, aside from select ticketed talks, are free of charge.
New Jersey Jazz Society
JERSEY JAZZ LIVE!
Featuring The Bill Mays Trio
OCT 8 | 3PM | $10 members; $15 non-members
Madison Community Arts Center
10 Kings Road, Madison
Bill Mays Trio will feature tunes from his newest album, Autumn Serenade, released in May 2023 on the Sunnyside label and may be his favorite. It reunited him with the other two members of a trio that played with Gerry Mulligan in the 1980s – bassist Dean Johnson and drummer Ron Vincent.
Roxbury Arts Alliance
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
THROUGH OCT 15 | $15 - $25
Citizens Bank Theater
72 Eyland Ave, Succasunna
An epic “musical within a comedy”, this brilliantly funny Tony Award-winner is a celebration of the American musical that harkens back to the jazz age of the 1920s.
Fairleigh Dickinson University
WAMFEST: WORDS, ARTS, MUSIC FESTIVAL
PRESENTS KEVIN SMITH
OCT 11 | 7 – 8:30PM | FREE
Dreyfuss Theater, 285 Madison Avenue, Madison
WAMFest is an annual series of readings, interviews, talks, and performances hosted by FDU's School of the Arts. WAMFest brings successful artists of various art genres to the campus to inspire and inform students and the community.
This year features Kevin Smith, an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob.
Pioneer Productions & Morristown and Morris Township Library
A NIGHT WITH NEIL SIMON
featuring John Kenrick
OCT 13 | 7PM
1 Miller Road | Morristown
An evening with dramaturgy expert John Kenrick about the evolution of American playwright, Neil Simon, featuring live readings from Simon's plays by performers from Pioneer Productions' upcoming production of Lost in Yonkers.
Pioneer Productions
LOST IN YONKERS
OCTOBER 27 – NOVEMBER 5
Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM; Sunday Matinees at 3PM
Morristown United Methodist Church, 50 Park Place, Morristown
Directed by Daniel Peter Vissers
By America's great comic playwright, this memory play is a coming-of-age story set in 1942 in Yonkers, New York centered around two brothers.
"The best play Simon ever wrote...America's greatest comic playwright gives us a rich memory play full of insight, laughter and tears." – The New York Times
Morris County Historical Society
MORRIS COUNTY THROUGH THE LENS OF TIME:
A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY BY XIOMÀRO
TUES – THURS: 11AM–4PM; SUN 1–4PM
THROUGH JAN 7 2024
68 Morris Avenue, Morristown
In this landmark exhibit, nationally acclaimed photographer Xiomàro captures eight of the county's historic sites from new, exciting angles. The never-before-seen work displays the beauty found in the mundane and the poignant traces left behind by generations past.
FROM OUR FRIENDS AT MORRIS COUNTY PARKS COMMISSION
THE LIVING SCULPTURE: A Seward Johnson Exhibition
THROUGH NOVEMBER 15 | Daily; 10AM–4PM | $10 Donation
Willowwood Arboretum
A special exhibition of artwork by New Jersey artist, Seward Johnson.
FOR ARTISTS
Arts On Main, Rockaway Gallery
"Monochromatic"
Please send images of your artwork in black & white or sepia photography, or painting/drawings using a single color + white or black to lighten or darken that one color.
Email submissions to [email protected]
Applicants must be a Morris & Sussex County Artist
Deadline: October 15
Madison Arts & Culture Alliance
Roseum Gallery: Works from Our Garden
A six-week celebration of the work of Madison-based visual artists. The exhibit will run from November 20 through December 31, with an opening reception on Friday, November 24 from 4-7pm.
Applicants must be an artist from Madison, NJ
Deadline: October 20
New Jersey State Council on the Arts
The Business of Being an Artist Virtual Series (Part 1): Every Artist Insured: Understanding Your Options in New Jersey
October 31 | 12 – 1:30PM | FREE
Feeling at a loss when looking for affordable health insurance? Have no idea how to identify a quality plan? This workshop will give you clear, step-by-step guidance on what all your insurance options are and how to get the most affordable coverage to fit your needs.
Registration Deadline: October 24