Today! Beat the rain! Gallery Talk with Magician Simon Mandal Saturday, May 31, 2025 | 12:00 to 1:00 PM in the Guinness Workshop Free with museum admission. Limited capacity, first-come, first-served. Join Magician Simon Mandal for a special look at the works on view in "A Golden Age of Magic". Simon will share his unique perspective on these rare Guinness Collection objects as they relate to his career as “One of the world’s funniest master magicians.” During the golden age of magic, late nineteenth-century performers used ordinary objects – a piece of rope, a square of cloth, cups and balls, playing cards – to amuse and confound audiences. Magicians learned from each other and honed their craft in an informal trans-Atlantic fraternity. Commercially successful actors rarely shared their secrets with the public. Some, however, shared “how-to” tricks and tips with young readers to motivate them to learn the art. This exhibition pairs magic-themed automata from the Guinness Collection with magazines and books published between 1865 and 1910 to understand the enthusiasm for spectacle and the power of illusion to captivate spectators and performers alike. Leadership support for this exhibition is provided by Will and Mary Leland. Photo Caption: Simon Mandal at the Morris Museum Gala. Photo by Dawn Joseph Photography. Artwork caption: "Conjurer", c. 1875. Firm of Jean-Marie Phalibois, Paris. 25 x 19.5 x 19.25 inches. Murtogh D. Guinness Collection, 2003.18.282a-b Photo: SFO Museum, San Francisco International Airport. #morrismuseum #automata #thesimonshow Simon Mandal (fb)

Artist and psychologist Donna Bassin photographed and interviewed Tacy. Hear Tacy’s story in the video and come see the exhibition at the Morris Museum. Donna Bassin’s “My Own Witness: Rupture and Repair” uses photography to explore emotional rupture and the act of healing. A clinical psychologist as well as an artist, Bassin literally tears her photographic prints, creating visible “wounds” in each image. Inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, she then carefully mends the torn pieces with gold rice paper and embroidery thread. These acts of repair transform pain into power, rendering each scar a mark of strength rather than weakness. Now on view: “Interwoven: Rupture and Repair” featuring photographers Kyle Meyer and Donna Bassin at the Morris Museum. @p1nhole.donnabassin #morrismuseum #SmithsonianAANHPI #APAHM #AAPIHeritageMonth #AAPIHM #DonnaBassin #artforactivisim #newjerseyartists Artwork: Donna Bassin, “My Own Witness: Rupture and Repair.Tacy.5”, 2020. Courtesy of the artist. (fb)