NEWARK MUSEUM ASSOCIATION

Make room to wonder

aka NEWARK MUSEUM OF ART | Newark, NJ | www.newarkmuseumart.org

Mission

The Newark Museum of Art welcomes everyone with inclusive experiences that spark curiosity and foster community.

Ruling year info

1927

Director & CEO

Ms. Linda Harrison

Main address

49 Washington Street

Newark, NJ 07102 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

22-1487275

NTEE code info

Art Museums (A51)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

As part of its commitment to celebrate creativity, explore world cultures and build community for youth, adults and families, The Newark Museum of Art offers a number of innovative and inclusive experiences aimed at a multigenerational global audience.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Education

Since 1909, The Newark Museum of Art has partnered with school districts, education institutions, and educators statewide to support youth in the study of New Jersey Department of Education curriculum. Strategic partnerships and ongoing outreach include training, field trips, in-classroom and digital-classroom services to 2,000 educators, 300 schools and 120 districts each year to serve youth in Newark, greater Essex County, and the surrounding counties of Morris, Union, Hudson, Passaic, Bergen and Somerset. When school funding undergoes deep cuts, particularly in the arts and sciences, these partners tap into the Museum’s staff and collection to reach curriculum goals, as well as to broaden understanding of how the arts can support Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility goals.

The Museum offers a broad range of education services, including STEM+Arts distance learning for youth and schools, digital classroom toolkits and virtual services to support homeschoolers and a larger geographic audience.

Early Learners

Families and caregivers kick-start literacy and social development in pre-K children with the Museum’s year-round educational activities. From their early years, youth are encouraged to appreciate art—and each other—through a blend of storytelling, music, movement and art activities that revolve around the Museum’s permanent collection and visiting exhibitions. We further support working families with more than 120 early learner workshops, a full-day camp, and a host of digital and virtual experiences that emphasize socio-emotional learning and identity.

Students (grades 1-8)

Students who might fall behind in traditional classroom settings explore the solar system, discover artists and inventors, conduct science experiments, chat with astronauts and astronomers and more at the museum—or from home. Whether they’re stargazing in the Museum’s spectacular interactive planetarium, discovering the world around them at summer camp, or being awed by a new exhibit, parents know that all of the Museum’s STEM+Arts-related activities map to the NJ Board of Education curriculum, reaching hundreds of districts, schools and centers with toolkits and virtual field trips that explore art, science and history.

Population(s) Served

Adults

Children and youth

Teens (grades 9-12)

The Museum’s Explorers program is a college, career and life readiness platform that helps high school students build essential skills and self-confidence by drawing upon the Museum’s rich collections and staff. Explorers gain real-world experience as they rotate through paid internships throughout the museum while discovering their own interests and strengths. Students develop new and relevant soft skills as public speakers, teachers, researchers, organizers and leaders, while receiving professional mentoring as they prepare to enter college.

Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Adults and Multigenerational Families

Together with the Museum’s creative partners, we host studio visits, public talks and gallery the Museum’s s to connect visitors to the creative process, in person and virtually. We support hands-on and interactive experiences for all ages onsite in the Museum’s studios and classrooms, flexible multimedia spaces and digital media labs. Here anyone can discover their inner artist using 3D printers, laser cutters and engravers, pottery wheels, design software and more. Teens, adults and seniors enjoy two of the Museum’s longest running programs: The Newark Black Film Festival, which since 1974 has provided a forum for emerging writers, directors and performers, showcasing African American cinema as well as films from the African Diaspora; and Jazz in the Garden, which since 1965 has brought leading musicians and performers to the Museum’s Dreyfuss Memorial Sculpture Garden to enjoy free and low-cost performances in celebration of Newark’s prominent place in the history of jazz in America.

Population(s) Served

Adults

Seniors

The learning process never stops for the Museum’s visitors. The Museum’s curators, educators and artist partners create meaningful moments for isolated adults and seniors seeking access to art and ideas, either at the museum or from home. The Museum’s rich collections remain a vital cultural resource and learning center for seniors. And the Museum’s international network of museum peers continues to help us develop creative workshops, volunteer opportunities and virtual programs that engage and inspire older audiences.

Population(s) Served

Adults

Collections

The NMOA is the largest museum in New Jersey and ranks twelfth nationally in collection size, with more than 130,000 artworks and significant holdings spanning concentrations in the Arts of Global Africa; Arts of Global Asia, featuring a Tibetan Buddhist altar; Arts of the Americas; American Art, with a particular strength in Native American art; Decorative Arts; Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean; and Science.

With a focus on welcoming everyone with inclusive experiences that spark curiosity and foster community, the NMOA offers groundbreaking exhibitions, engaging programming, a research library with 60,000 volumes, paid internships, and impactful local and global partnerships. A four-acre campus includes the Ballantine House (1885), a National Historic Landmark; the Ward Carriage House (1860); the Old Stone School House (1784); the Alice Ransom Dreyfuss Memorial Garden; and Horizon Plaza.

Digital Engagement

The Newark Museum of Art achieves audience engagement on a global scale with its digital advances. Long-term innovations in this arena include exploring how technology can support different aspects of collections care and visitor experience, including e-commerce, social media strategies, in-gallery interactives and digital programming. Website improvements advance accessibility and provide a more user-friendly interface that support the experience of visually and audio impaired audiences.

Population(s) Served

Families

Caregivers

Adults

Seniors

Families

Caregivers

Adults

Seniors

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

American Alliance of Museums 2021

External reviews

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

1,500 hours of open gallery access, 1,000 hours of priority access for schools and programs, 500 hours space rented to organizations and individuals

Number of broadcast audience members

What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?

-Increasing on-site and digital programming to drive attendance and interest beyond borders and revenue
-Reimagining the Museum’s current collections with an eye toward BIPOC artists
-Connecting with issues that matter
-Celebrating the art in and of the Museum’s lives
-Challenging ideas and behaviors
-Activating the Museum’s beliefs

What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?

We welcome all by lowering the barrier to entry for the Museum’s buildings through human-centered design, by offering digital platforms in addition to the Museum’s on-site programs, through all of the Museum’s personal interactions, and by making the museum a place people can comfortably call their own.

The Museum’s new American Art wing showcases works from the Museum’s permanent collection by female artists, African American and Latin American artists, and brings voices from the community into the Museum’s gallery labels and interpretation guides.

The Newark Museum of Art serves as a catalyst to connect the Museum’s audiences to art and the issues that matter to them by sharing diverse perspectives and voices through activities, the exchange of ideas in person and through social media and other digital channels.

We celebrate the art in and of the Museum’s lives by making room to wonder by creating physical and mental spaces that enable the Museum’s audiences to step out of their daily lives to reflect, dream, celebrate, play and participate.

The museum challenges the Museum’s audiences and the Museum’s selves to face difficult topics head on by cultivating a deep understanding of the Museum’s audiences and through honest dialogue.

We put the Museum’s ideas into action through advocacy and invitation, including the Museum’s partnerships and outreach in the community and by being transparent and proactive in the Museum’s communications and activities. In addition, we listen to the communities we serve, are responsive in the Museum’s outreach and strive to be more relevant with the programming we deliver.

We will know that we are making progress when we have:
- A growing audience that is even more diverse in its makeup
- Accessible experiences that provoke interest, curiosity, wonder and exchange
- Staff and visitors feel empowered, engaged and involved
- A sustained audience relationship
- General membership increases
- Student and teacher program participation increases
- Geographic reach increases
- Financial stability increases
- Data-informed decision-making informs incremental, sustainable improvements
- Café and Museum Shop revenue increases
- Rental revenue increases

What have they accomplished so far and what's next?

We are building a comprehensive Framework for Equity that encompasses race, gender and class and will impact recruiting and hiring practices, drive the Museum’s external partnerships and expand the Museum’s point of view in exhibitions and public programming.

•New virtual programs and events will continue as audiences gradually return to attending indoor arts and culture programs
•Collections care and preparation for the installation of grant-funded exhibitions move forward as distance-learning services respond to the needs of schools in real time
•The Museum’s membership plan focuses on increasing awareness and number of memberships among local residents with free admission
•We continue to fill learning gaps in virtual curriculum for the Newark Public School System by providing virtual field trips connected to classroom curriculum, hosting professional development online sessions for teachers, providing online STEM and STEAM content and offering free online resources for educators to enhance virtual classroom activities

What we have accomplished so far:
Education
•Provided comprehensive distance learning services mapped to the NJ Board of Education curriculum for k-12 students, reaching 300 schools and 120 districts with tool kits and virtual field trip opportunities

Art & Culture
•Sustained and gained new international audiences during the pandemic by becoming a museum without walls with 200+ free and pay-what-you-can virtual programs
•Connected with growing LatinX audiences by delivering the Museum’s most popular programs and Community Day celebrations in Spanish. Partnered with Museum of History, Anthropology and Art at the University of Puerto Rico
•Inspired with up-close virtual encounters with guest experts and culture leaders: artists, astronauts, poets and zoologists
•Took advantage of closure to renovate the gift shop and create a new on-site café to welcome visitors and cultivate community
•Museum Director and CEO Linda Harrison was tapped by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to chair the City’s Arts, Recreation and Culture Taskforce
•Nominated for the 2021 National Medal of the Institute of Museum and Library Services

Science & Technology
•Launched STEAM virtual services, to inspire isolated audiences of all ages to explore the world around them with sanity-saving programs, guided activities and at-home experiments
•Partnered with on Girls STEAM Ahead to explore and celebrate the contributions of women to science, technology, engineering and mathematics

Mentoring
•Saw 100% of the Museum’s senior Explorers graduate and begin college. Assisted in their navigation of remote learning and college-prep and continue their paid work experience and professional mentoring

Collections
•Hosted virtual studio visits, public talks and gallery tours to connect visitors to the creative process. Supported artists by commissioning new work and installing grant-funded exhibitions enjoyed by the largest online community the Museum has ever served

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.

We shared information about our current feedback practices.

How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently

Financials

NEWARK MUSEUM ASSOCIATION

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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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NEWARK MUSEUM ASSOCIATION

Board of directors
as of 05/25/2023

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Board co-chair

Mr. Allen J. Karp

Board co-chair

Mr. Eric Fitzgerald Reed

Marc Anderson

Clifford W. Blanchard

Sara Bonesteel

Joseph L. Buckley

Eleonore Kessler Cohen

Lee Ann Dillon

Robert H. Doherty

Peter T. Englot

Christine Chambers Gilfillan

Curtis A. Johnson, Esq.

Allen J. Karp

Megan Myungwon Lee

Judith Lieberman

Shahid J. Malik

Marshall B. McLean

Adrienne A. Phillips, M.D., M.P.H.

Eric Fitzgerald Reed

Miles Berger

Meha Jain

Blenda Pinto

Ommeed Sathe

Roger S. Smith

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 4/26/2023

Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity

Black/African American

Gender identity

Female, Not transgender (cisgender)

Sexual orientation

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, or other sexual orientations in the LGBTQIA+ community

Disability status

Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 11/15/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data

We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.

Policies and processes

We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.

NEWARK MUSEUM ASSOCIATION

Make room to wonder

Mission

Is this your nonprofit?

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

Our programs

Education

Early Learners

Students (grades 1-8)

Teens (grades 9-12)

Adults and Multigenerational Families

Seniors

Collections

Digital Engagement

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

Our results

Evaluation documents

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