Tonight, April 6, from 5 to 9, the Montclair Art Museum offers free general admission, live music, art activities and tours, and a full-service bar.
The April event spotlights Matisse and American Art, the Montclair Art Museum’s special exhibition on the relationship between French master Henri Matisse and American artists. There will be a film screening of “An Essay on Matisse” with Ken Mandel at 7 p.m., roaming docents available to provide more information, and a 6:30 p.m. tour of the complementary exhibition “Janet Taylor Pickett: The Matisse Series.”
In partnership with Arts Unbound (AU) and Opportunity Project (OP), a new community exhibition, “No Limits: Emerging Artists from Arts Unbound” spotlights 17 artists with disabilities. Headlining the exhibition is Jason Towns, one of OP’s longtime members and an artist-in-residence at MAM for over 13 years. Additional featured artists include Sybil Archibald, Gary Berson, Ida Ballard, Amy Charmatz, Danielle Hark, Alex Higgs, Tim Jackson, Annette Kushen, Maria Mineo, Karen Porcelli, Theda Sandiford, Daniel Stern, Avary Waldron, Andrew Weatherly, David Wiley, and Tom Yezza. There will be an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m.
Live music in the galleries will be provided by Pedro Giraudo’s Tango Trio. Giraudo debuted his Tango Orchestra in July 2015 at Lincoln Center. Art activities from MAM’s Yard School of Art Draw Along Workshop, a free session with a clothed model and guided art instruction with Julian Tejera. Kids’ Creativity Center allows parents to enjoy the Free First Thursday Night experience while kids are making art. A class fee of $25 per child includes themed project, small-group art instruction, and all materials.
The Montclair Art Museum is at 3 South Mountain Ave. For more information and to reserve class slots, visit montclairartmuseum.org, or call 973-746-5555.