Current Exhibitions

Andy Taylor, Uncle Sam, B-flat Trumpet, 1996. Photo Courtesy of the National Music Museum.

Trumpets, Weird and Wonderful:
Treasures from the National Music Museum
Sunday, October 7, 2018 – Sunday, March 17, 2019

Forget everything you think you know about the trumpet, the best-known member of the brasswind family. Trumpet-like musical instruments appear across time and cultures in surprising shapes, sizes, and features, from the conch-shell trumpet to the didgeridoo, from the valveless natural trumpet to the keyed bugle, from the Swiss alphorn to the s-shaped serpent.

By special arrangement with the National Music Museum, America’s preeminent collection of historic musical instruments, this exhibit of more than forty musical instruments, including audio and video demonstrations, will delight young and old, student and connoisseur.

Detail of Mantel Clock, made by E. Ingraham, 1928. Component count: 59. Photograph by Todd McLellan.

Things Come Apart
Saturday, September 8 – Sunday, December 2, 2018

Within every object, tool or device that we use there are dozens of components which work together to represent the creativity, passion and highest levels of achievement of their time. When it comes to the objects we use every day, the sum really is greater than the parts.

Things Come Apart features captivating photographs of deconstructed devices, fascinating videos and encased disassembled objects that display the effects imagination has on technology and the evolution of design.

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.

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.

Register for these 45 minute programs for children ages 6-12 that are Free with Museum Admission.

Things Come Apart is an exhibition organized by Todd McLellan and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES).

Summer Afternoon, Pastel, 12×16
Instructor: Francesca Pelaggi

Student Showcase
Morris Museum Studio Art Courses
Tuesday, August 14 – Sunday, October 7, 2018

The Morris Museum is thrilled to exhibit over 25 works in diverse mediums in our very first Student Showcase! Works are on loan courtesy of our professional teaching artists and their students who participate in year-round courses for children, teens, and adults.

Unleash your creative side while learning basic fundamentals and modern techinques. Registration for the Fall Session of Studio Art courses is now open!

Gallery Tour – Morris Museum.