Outdoor Concerts Heat Up on the Back Deck

July’s concerts will see the return of fan favorites including the masterful Telegraph Quartet and the talented Evan Sherman Big Enuf Band, as well as the Back Deck debut of the award-winning Aizuri Quartet to close out the month. Check out the season schedule for details on our July schedule, and our five August concerts coming up!

The Morris Museum thanks Will and Mary Leland as well as Lot of Strings founding donor, F. Gary Knapp for their leadership support of the 2024 festival season.

Support for the Back Deck Concert Series is provided by Morris County Economic Development Alliance & Tourism Bureau. The Morris County Economic Development Alliance & Tourism Bureau receives funding from the County of Morris and the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel & Tourism.

Maureen Chatfield: Journey and Destination

On View through August 18, 2024

This exhibition features the work of New Jersey artist Maureen Chatfield, whose large-scale paintings present reflections on Chatfield’s travel experiences throughout her life, juxtaposed with abstract paintings inspired by specific destinations.

In Focus

Samantha Modder

On view through September 20, 2024

In her recent work Wearer of All Socks, artist Samantha Modder creates space – embracing both real and imagined worlds – in which reside larger-than-life Black, female characters. The heroine in the Morris Museum’s central Court Gallery fairytale mural emerges from the pages of a narrative dressed, the artist notes, “in her nightdress and striped socks in a world of only her and her duplicates.” The ten-feet-tall protagonist clutches the fabric of a voluminous garment with the right hand, and with the left gestures to unseen companions on their collective journey.

Mystery Clocks and Magic Automata

from the Collection of Richard Garriott

On view through September 22, 2024

An astonishing display of five mid-nineteenth century “Mystery Clocks,” or Pendule Mystérieuse, were manufactured in Paris by magician and watchmaker Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805–1871) and first debuted at the 1839 Exhibition of French Industry. With each subsequent edition, Robert-Houdin continued to amaze fellow horologists with clock motion which appeared unattached from the timepiece mechanism.

This exhibition is made possible by leadership support from Will and Mary Leland.

Set in Motion

Kinetic Worlds from the Studio of Richard Whitten

On view through September 1, 2024

Set in Motion: Kinetic Worlds from the Studio of Richard Whitten brings a collection of 59 paintings, sculptures, and drawings that explore Whitten’s body of work. Set in Motion includes four recent works by Whitten and follows his process from ideation to completion – beginning with drawings, then to painting studies, and on to large-scale works.

Leadership support for this exhibition is provided by Will and Mary Leland. Additional support is provided by M&T Bank Charitable Foundation.

Like Clockwork!

Guinness Collection Conservation at the Morris Museum

On view through September 22, 2024

How do we keep hundreds of mechanical objects running like clockwork for twenty years? This exhibition takes you behind the scenes at the Morris Museum. Observe how Murtogh D. Guinness Collection Conservator Jere Ryder investigates the inner workings and condition of individual objects of mechanical music and automata. Explore before and after photographs and select examples from Jere’s current and upcoming projects.

This exhibition is made possible by leadership support from Will and Mary Leland.

Spark!Lab

Wednesday-Sunday | Noon to 4 PM

Excite your mind with Spark!Lab, whether it be a long weekend or a family day. Get your timed tickets at the front desk.

Spark!Lab at the Morris Museum is made possible by leadership support from BASF. Generous support is also made possible by Gay H. Osborn on behalf of the Blanche and George Jones Fund, Inc.

Daily Guinness Workshop Demos

Wednesday-Sunday | 2 PM

Free with Museum Admission

See, hear, touch, and explore! The Guinness Workshop is open to museum visitors with daily demonstrations of mechanical musical instruments in an interactive setting.

Telegraph Quartet

Lot of Strings Music Festival

Thursday, July 11 | 7:30 PM

Block for 2: $53.00 | Block for 1: $28.00

San Francisco’s Telegraph Quartet returns to the Back Deck after their stellar performance in 2021. Now celebrating their 10th anniversary, the ensemble the San Francisco Chronicle hailed for their “soulfulness, tonal beauty and intelligent attention to detail,” brings their signature sound to works by Beethoven, Dvořák, and the contemporary master, Kenji Bunch.

Evan Sherman

Big Enuf Band

Jazz on the Back Deck

Thursday, July 13 | 7:30 PM

Block for 2: $53.00 | Block for 1: $28.00

This summer, Evan Sherman returns from his year-long international tour with a 7-piece core ensemble that promises a big band sound.

Aizuri Quartet

Lot of Strings Music Festival

Thursday, July 25 | 7:30 PM

Block for 2: $53.00 | Block for 1: $28.00

Making their highly anticipated Lot of Strings debut, Aizuri Quartet brings their international award-winning musicality to an insightful program that features works by Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Franz Shubert.

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Image credits (from top to bottom): Maureen Chatfield, Pink Toes, undated, Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches, On loan courtesy of the artist; Samantha Modder, Wearer of All Socks, 2024 (detail), Original work 2022, Digitally manipulated ballpoint pen print on adhesive paper, 125 x 120 inches, On loan from the collection of Samantha Modder, Image used with permission; Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805–1871), Mystery Clock (2nd series), c. 1838. Paris, France. On loan from the collection of Richard Garriott. Dug North, Machini the Marvel, 2005. Automaton. On loan from the collection of Richard Garriott. Like Clockwork photo by Jean Minthe. Richard Whitten, Tellurian, 2021, oil on wood panel, 46 x 30 inches. On loan from the collection of Roger and Sara Preston. Photography by David DeMelim is courtesy of the artist. Spark!Lab photo by Marcus Romero; Back Deck photos by Jack Grassa.