May 28 – August 23, 2026
Common Ground: NJ Artists Think Monumental
New Jersey Arts Annual 2026
The 42nd New Jersey Arts Annual is a dynamic outdoor exhibition that activates the Museum’s grounds. In a historic first for the Arts Annual, the exhibition moves beyond traditional gallery walls, inviting visitors to experience large-scale works that explore how art reshapes our connection to landscape, place, and community. Over 530 recent objects by 91 artists living and working in the State were selected through a juried process, which called for submissions that thoughtfully engage with the outdoors. The resulting exhibition includes works of a variety of mediums that respond to light, weather, and the natural environment.
The featured artists are as follows:
Clifford Blanchard – Morristown, NJ
Sunil Garg – Summit, NJ
Wendy Gordon – Lambertville, NJ
Robert Koch- Jersey City, NJ
Robert Lobe – Newark, NJ
Judith Peck – Mahwah, NJ
Jill Scipione – Jersey City, NJ
Lee Tal -Jersey City, NJ
Josh Urso – Jersey City, NJ
Scan below to download the free Bloomberg Connects app and the digital guide, which includes a map, interviews with the artists, and more info about this exhibition.
The selection process was led by Johannah Hutchinson, Executive Director of the International Sculpture Center and Publisher of Sculpture Magazine. This 42nd edition of the Arts Annual, in a historic first will consist of works made to be installed outdoors, activating the museum’s 8-acres as an open-air gallery from May 28 through August 23, 2026. Each work was scrutinized by the juror for how it responds to scale, terrain, materiality, and public space.
Since presenting the very first Arts Annual in 1985, the Morris Museum has been a consistent partner in this important annual program that supports the state’s artistic talent. The Museum has presented a total of eleven NJ Arts Annual exhibitions, with topics that range from specific media to thematic approaches.
The New Jersey Arts Annual Exhibition is a project of the Morris Museum and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
ABOUT THE NEW JERSEY ARTS ANNUAL
The New Jersey Arts Annual is a unique series of exhibitions highlighting the State’s visual and performing artists. In partnership with major museums around the state, one exhibition takes place each year, alternating between host institutions. These exhibitions are open to any artist currently living or working in New Jersey. The Arts Annual series is sponsored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment of the Arts. Since 1984, the New Jersey State Arts Council has co-sponsored the prestigious Annual in keeping with its mission to encourage and foster public interest in the arts, promote freedom of expression in the arts, and to facilitate the inclusion of art in every building in New Jersey. To learn more about the Council, please visit www.artscouncil.nj.gov.
Artwork Captions: All are installation views presented on the Morris Museum campus in May 2026. All photos by Ken Petiote.
Robert Lobe, Nature’s Clock, 2006. Heat-treated hammered aluminum.
Sunil Garg’s twin light sculptures, [IS] and [IT], both from 2026 (PVC, HDPE, and LDPE tubes, LED lights and controller).
Wendy Gordon, Palm Oil Ollie, 2023. Cast bronze, copper, chainmail, steel base, vinyl sign panels.
Josh Urso, Interchange, 2023. Concrete block.
Jill Scipione, All My Sisters (detail), 2025. Crochet with topiary frame as armature.
