The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce the opening of “Objects Count: A Decade of Collecting at the New Jersey State Museum” on October 6. The exhibition, located in the Riverside Gallery on the Museum’s 2nd floor, will feature an eclectic selection of artifacts and specimens in the fields of history, art and science collected by the New Jersey State Museum over the past ten years. “Objects Count” will be on view through March 28, 2019.

The New Jersey State Museum is home to over 2 million objects and specimens, but like all museums, only a small percentage is on view. This exhibit is an opportunity to experience more than 50 recently-acquired objects that have not yet been seen by the public. Step back to the Ice Age with a caribou antler from New Jersey; contemplate a painting by artist Ben Shahn; view a flight suit from a South Jersey female pilot and contemplate what it was like for a woman to fly a plane in the 1930s. Marvel at Native American projectile points; ponder which ancestor of R.W. Johnson was the owner of a gold signet ring unearthed during an archaeological survey on the original site of the Robert Wood Johnson property in Piscataway, NJ; and much more. Individually, each object tells a story about the world in which we live. Taken together, these artifacts remind us of a basic premise of the role of museums in modern society - to collect, preserve, research, interpret and display items of artistic, cultural, or scientific significance for public education.

The New Jersey State Museum is open 9:00 am to 4:45 pm, Tuesday through Sunday, closed all State holidays. For additional information visit www.statemuseum.nj.gov, like the Museum’s Facebook page, follow on Twitter (njstatemuseum), or Instagram (nj_statemuseum.)

 

About the New Jersey State Museum

Located at 205 West State Street in Trenton, the New Jersey State Museum encompasses three buildings including a state-of-the-art Planetarium, and holds over 2 million objects in its collections in Archaeology/Ethnography, Cultural History, Fine Art and Natural History. As a center of cultural, educational and scientific engagement, the museum inspires innovation and lifelong learning through collections, exhibitions, programs and research in science, history and art. Established in 1895, the New Jersey State Museum fosters state pride, serves as a cultivator of tomorrow’s leaders, and engages visitors of all ages and diverse backgrounds in an exploration of New Jersey’s cultural and natural history presented within a global context. The New Jersey State Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

About the New Jersey State Museum Foundation

Celebrating 50 years in 2018, the New Jersey State Museum Foundation was founded in 1968 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) to support the museum's collections, exhibitions and programs through fundraising, volunteerism, advocacy and marketing. In recent years, the foundation has received generous support from the PNC Foundation, NJM Insurance Group, Department of State/New Jersey Historical Commission, Henry Luce Foundation, Capstone Foundation and Princeton Area Community Foundation. The Foundation also operates a newly renovated gift shop selling merchandise related to the museum's exhibitions, collections and New Jersey history and culture. Proceeds support the New Jersey State Museum's collections, exhibitions and programs.