The Newark Museum of Art is located in Newark,New Jersey. It is New Jersey’s largest museum,and boasts major collections of art. Originally the museum was located on the fourth floor of the Newark Public Library but it relocated to its own building in the 1920s in Washington Park after a gift by Louis Bamberger. It went through a four year renovation to expand which costed about 23 million. It was founded in 1909 by librarian John Cotton Dana. He believed that a museum should entertain attract and promote learning. In fact,he even once said,”A good museum attracts,entertains,arouses curiosity, leads to questioning-and thus promotes learning. ”That might be why there is the MakerSpace. The MakerSpace is interactactive where kids can play and tinker and create using equipment there. The equipment contains a laser cutter,3D printers,pottery wheels,sewing machines,and handhelditems like hammers,saws,and screwdrivers. There are hundreds of other tools, too. Kids can create things by looking at the galleries to get inspiration then start making. The museum even has a New Jersey Makers day on March 10 Saturday. Besides the MakerSpace the museum holds many other interactive galleries,like the planetarium,and a 1784 Old Stone School House where people learn about the history of the school and about school centuries ago. The museum is open on Wednesday to Sunday,during noon to 5 p.m. Also the museum is free to newark residents.
There is a lot to do at the museum that nobody can get bored. It has daily planetarium shows,and many interesting things to see. It’s American art is one of the the largest in the country. It contains not only American art but also Asian art which includes pieces of artwork from Japan,Korea,Tibet,China and other more countries. Its front doors were closed in 1997 due to climate sensitive artwork,but in February 2018 it is going to reopen its front doors. It even used to have a mini zoo for about 20 years but was closed in August 2010. The Ballantine house is a restored and preserved house from the Victorian Era. It was home to John Holme Ballantine,his wife and their children. The house originally had 27 rooms and 3 floors. In 1937 the Newark Museum of Art bought it and restored it to hold galleries. It allows public tours,and group tours too. Its garden is home to the 1784 schoolhouse and the Newark fire museum. Anyone from the young to the elderly will love the museum.
The Newark Museum of Art is pretty amazing.It make sense why so many people visit daily.Unlike other museums which barely let you touch anything, it has interactive displays and let you touch the ones that are interactive.With so much things I truly believe that it could attract anybody.It is not just containing so much that makes it popular but containing things that help you learn, like the MakerSpace.In short,I think the Newark Museum of Art is one of the best museums with its massive galleries of artwork and interactive galleries.