WHEN: September 8, 2018 through December 2, 2018
WHERE: Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd., Morristown
ADMISSION: Admission to the Museum is $10 for adults and $7 for children, students and senior citizens. Admission is always free for Museum members. For more information, call (973) 971-3700, or visit www.morrismuseum.org.
A quarter-inch-thick smartphone can be used as a watch, a camera, a theater, a map and even a mobile bank. Things Come Apart, a traveling exhibition circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and featuring the works of creative photographer and tinkerer Todd McLellan, looks inside the smartphone and dozens of other everyday technologies. (Above: Mantel clock made by E. Ingraham in 1928. Component count: 59. Photograph by Todd McLellan.)
Through more than 40 captivating photographs, videos, and objects encased in acrylic, Things Come Apart documents the design and function, both low-tech and high-tech, of the utilitarian objects we take for granted in life today. (Above: Smartphone made by BlackBerry in 2007. Component Count:120. Photograph by Todd McLellan.)
Technological advances have increased with exponential speed since the second half of the 20th century. Consumers have demanded that their gadgets be increasingly capable and reliable while also being sleeker and more portable. The resulting devices are smaller and more complex than ever before while having the life cycle of a fruit fly.
“We don’t always think about the tools we use, but working on this project has given me a greater respect for engineering of newer technology,” said McLellan, who also disassembled bicycles, compasses and power drills, among other things. “It’s remarkable how much modern design packs into so little.”
Younger visitors to the exhibition will also have the opportunity to become part of the experience through the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center’s Spark!Lab activities. These collaborative, hands-on challenges offer hypothetical situations that allow critical thinking and team creativity to flourish and provide fun skill building in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). The Spark!Lab activity kits are provided through a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
To sign up for these programs, visit, https://morrismuseum.org/current-exhibitions/
Invent-A-Vehicle (Saturday, September 15, 11:00AM and 1:00PM): Visitors sketch and then build a vehicle to solve specific transportation challenges. Vehicles are made from reusable material and components are scaled to encourage collaboration, imaginative play, and real functional testing.
Shaping Space (Saturday, October 13, 11:00AM and 1:00PM): Visitors use their imagination and the provided construction materials to find inventive ways to shape spaces that meet varying engineering and architectural challenges.
Soundscapes (Saturday, November 10, 11:00AM and 1:00PM): Visitors design and assemble wooden blocks, noise-making elements, and marbles to create sound pathways and music. They explore different configurations and try marbles of different sizes and materials to produce the sounds they're looking for.
About Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES)
SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for 65 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. Exhibition descriptions and tour schedules are available at www.sites.si.edu.
About Todd McLellan
McLellan is a photographer who specializes in conceptual work. He nurtured his love for conceptual photography at the Alberta College of Art and Design, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2002. He released the book Things Come Apart in 2013 and continues to make inspired visuals in his Toronto studio and on location which can be seen at http://www.toddmclellan.com/.
About the Morris Museum
Founded in 1913, the Morris Museum is an award-winning, community-based arts and cultural institution which serves the public through high-caliber exhibitions in the arts, sciences and humanities. The Museum also offers educational programs, family events, and is home to the Bickford Theatre and its wide range of performing arts offerings. Continuously serving the public since 1913, the Morris Museum has been designated a Major Arts Institution and has received the New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ Citation of Excellence, among other awards. The first museum in New Jersey to be accredited, the Morris Museum was re-accredited in 2013 by the American Alliance of Museums.
The Morris Museum is a Blue Star Museum, offering free admission to active duty military personnel and their families, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Location and Hours
The Museum is located at 6 Normandy Heights Road (at the corner of Columbia Turnpike) in Morristown, NJ, and is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11:00am to 5:00pm and Sunday, 12:00 to 5:00pm. In addition, the Museum is open evenings from 5:00 to 8:00pm on the second and third Thursday of the month.
