FREE FIRST THURSDAY NIGHT CELEBRATES THE OPENING OF THE VANCE WALL ART EDUCATION CENTER AT THE MONTCLAIR ART MUSEUM

The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) will mark the opening of its
Vance Wall Art Education Center at Free First Thursday Night on May 5. The Center, launched through a transformational gift from Carol and Terry Wall/The Vance Wall Foundation, encompasses all the Museum’s educational efforts, from the established Yard School of Art to the new mobile MAM Art Truck, and thus it is fitting to celebrate its creation during one of MAM’s signature community programs, Free First Thursday Nights. This initiative invites 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. with 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.
A formal ribbon cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. will open the existing education entry to the public for the first time since construction began in December. The design by Montclair architect John Reimnitz highlights education, putting it on a par with MAM’s renowned exhibitions.
“Through this renovation we seek to spark creative energy, enhance on-site classrooms and programs, and improve the visitor experience with the arts,” said MAM director Lora Urbanelli.
Upon entering the Museum, there will be a clear visual distinction between the left side entrance to the Museum and the right side entrance to the Center. The Helen & Bill Geyer Art Studio, a new glass-walled education classroom made possible through a planned gift from Helen & Bill Geyer, will open the art-making experience directly to MAM visitors. The entrance will be namedafter former Museum president Nathaniel C. Harris, Jr. The renovation was generously funded by Carol and Terry Wall/The Vance Wall Foundation, Susan Bershad, Patti and Jimmy Elliott, Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker, and Margo and Frank Walter, with additional support provided by Linny and Rick Andlinger. The Store at MAM was also moved upstairs to the main gallery level, and will have a grand reopening during the event on May 5.
Following the ribbon cutting, the community is invited to see the Center in action with expanded Free First Thursday Night programming. Tours will be given by Leah Fox, the newlynamed director of the Vance Wall Art Education Center, who has headed this initiative from its  launch last August. The remainder of the evening will be dedicated to a cross-section of the full spectrum of MAM educational programming, from art workshops to artist talks, school programs,
enrichment activities, the MAM Art Truck, and more.
Free admission will provide entry to MAM’s current exhibitions, American Visions, 1870– 1940: Works from the Bank of America Collection (with tours at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.), the complete reinstallation of the Rand Gallery of Native American Art, including three components Pueblo  Indian Pottery, Basket Mania: Collecting Native American Basketry in the Late Victorian Era, and Undaunted Spirit: Native American Art, and finally New Directions: Noah Klersfeld, a special exhibition on MAM’s outdoor video monitors. Artist Noah Klersfeld will be on site to discuss his
Party in the Bathroom video series at 7 p.m.

The forthcoming exhibition and week-long celebration MAM: The Flowering—Art in Bloom 2016 (May 11–15) inspired a student exhibition, drop-in family workshop, and enrichment activity. The Helen & Bill Geyer Art Studio’s first workshop will be an Art in Bloom inspired children’s art project. Diane Israel, former director of the Essex Fine Arts Gallery, will also be on site doing Minute Miniatures—on-demand floral watercolors you can take home gratis! Watercolor in Bloom features paintings by Yard School of Art Students in Sharon Pitts’ Watercolor Techniques class. Works created with the MAM Art Truck at community festivals over the past year will be featured in another student exhibition. In addition, school offerings will be spotlighted through the New Jersey Regional Day School exhibition and Immaculate Conception High School’s Youth Perspectives, a focused, multi-visit school program that offers high school students a variety of opportunities to interpret the current exhibitions. Art-making opportunities will abound! The Yard School of Art’s Draw Along Workshop, a Free First Thursday Night favorite, will be tripled in size and scope in collaboration with Studio Montclair. Leir Hall will be transformed into MAM’s largest open studio, with a variety of still-lifes to choose from. An additional portraiture open studio will be available, plus instruction and critiquing for those who want it. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own supplies, but basic drawing supplies will be available. Come and try your hand at drawing from a clothed model or still life! The Learning Lab will also be open for drop-in artistic adventures. A musical trio featuring L. E. McCullough, Amy Beshara, and Max Carmichael will provide musical entertainment during the ribbon cutting ceremony at 5 p.m., and then perform in the galleries following the ceremony. Special musical performances will also include community partners such as the Montclair Community Pre-K and local senior centers. Free First Thursday Night staples include food trucks and a full-service bar. 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 at Free First Thursday Nights and discounts on every offering in the Vance Wall Art Education Center. On May 5, families will have the opportunity to join the Inaugural Vance Wall Art Education Family Membership and receive an exclusive MAM coloring book. The Museum’s African American Cultural Committee will also be on site to meet and greet with Free First Thursday Night guests. Don’t miss The Montclair Ten Returns, an exhibition of artwork by MAM staff, on view across the street from the Museum at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services through 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.