Zimmerli Art Museum to Launch HereNow Project, Celebrating Rutgers 250, 11/10

New Brunswick, NJ - On November 10, the Zimmerli Art Museum kicks off its interactive initiativeHereNow: Rutgers 250, which invites students, alumni, faculty, staff, and visitors to share photos of their experiences with Rutgers University. The photos will be used to create a digital gallery, museum exhibition, and book, celebrating the global Rutgers community and capturing life across the New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark campuses, as well as at the university's locations across New Jersey and around the world.HereNow is part of the yearlong commemoration leading up to the university's 250th anniversary on November 10, 2016. A signature event of the Rutgers 250 celebration, it also recognizes the Zimmerli's upcoming 50th year of bringing innovating arts exhibitions and programs to its many audiences.

"There is much to reflect on and honor in Rutgers' illustrious 250-year history. With HereNow, we want to capture the experience of Rugters today, and to share in the memories of the individuals who have made Rutgers home-whether for years or just a day," said Marti Mayo, the Zimmerli's interim director. "This is the Zimmerli's first crowdsourcing initiative and it offers a unique opportunity to connect with the diversity of our community and to start shaping the next 250 years!"

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

• Anyone can submit images for the initiative;
• Images must reflect the experience of Rutgers University and be dated between January 1, 2015 and July 10, 2016-the closing date for the initiative;
• Images will be loosely categorized into Academics, Campus Life, Arts, Athletics, and Global Experiences;
• Images can be uploaded to herenow250.rutgers.edu from November 10, 2015 to July 10, 2016;
• Use #RUHERENOW250 to share images widely on social media.

DIGITAL AND IN-GALLERY EXHIBITIONS:

The digital gallery launches at herenow250.rutgers.edu on November 10, 2015, as part of the universitywide Kickoff Celebration. Images submitted will populate the website on an ongoing basis through the submission closing date on July 10, 2016. Beginning January 19, 2016, when students return for the spring semester, all images featured in the digital gallery will also be printed and hung in the main gallery of the Zimmerli. The in-gallery exhibition will continue to expand with more images through the July closing date.

BOOK:

Following the closing date, a panel will review all of the submissions and select the 250 most compelling images. These photos will be included in a full-color commemorative book that will be published in November of 2016, at the culmination of the university's 250th anniversary.

Rutgers 250 is a yearlong celebration marking Rutgers University's founding in 1766, and will honor the university's past, present, and future with a series of events, programs, and gatherings. The history of Rutgers begins on November 10, 1766, when William Franklin, the last Colonial governor of New Jersey, signed the charter that brought Queen's College into existence. In 1825, the school was renamed to honor Colonel Henry Rutgers, a Revolutionary War veteran. In 2015, poised to celebrate 250 years, Rutgers is one of the most highly regarded institutions of higher education in the nation, with more than 65,000 students and 24,400 faculty and staff in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden, and at locations throughout the state. Complete information and a list of related events can be found at 250.rutgers.edu.

Founded in 1966 as the Rutgers University Art Gallery, the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum was established in 1983 in response to the growth of the permanent collection. The major benefactors for the construction of the museum were Ralph and Alan Voorhees, and the Zimmerli was named for their mother.

Today, the Zimmerli Art Museum is one of the largest and most distinguished university museums in the country. It collects, preserves, researches, and exhibits world-class works of art to provide the university community and diverse regional, national, international audiences with direct experience of the visual arts. Scholarly activities make art accessible through exhibitions, publications, and educational programs.

The exhibition HereNow: Rutgers 250 is supported by the Estate of Ralph Voorhees, and donors to the Zimmerli's Major Exhibition Fund: James and Kathrin Bergin, Alvin and Joyce Glasgold, Charles and Caryl Sills, Voorhees Family Endowment, and the Jerome A. Yavitz Charitable Foundation, Inc.--Stephen Cyphen, President. Related public programs are supported by the Friends of the Zimmerli Endowment Fund.

The book HereNow: Rutgers 250 is supported by the Class of 1937 Publications Endowment Fund.

ZIMMERLI ART MUSEUM|RUTGERS

The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum houses more than 60,000 works of art, ranging from ancient to contemporary art. The permanent collection features particularly rich holdings in 19th-century French art; Russian art from icons to the avant-garde; Soviet nonconformist art from the Dodge Collection; and American art with notable holdings of prints. In addition, small groups of antiquities, old master paintings, as well as art inspired by Japan and original illustrations for children's books, provide representative examples of the museum's research and teaching message at Rutgers. One of the largest and most distinguished university-based art museums in the nation, the Zimmerli is located on the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Established in 1766, Rutgers is America's eighth oldest institution of higher learning and a premier public research university.

VISITOR INFORMATION

Admission is free to the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers. The museum is located at 71 Hamilton Street (at George Street) on the College Avenue Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick. The Zimmerli is a short walk from the NJ Transit train station in New Brunswick, midway between New York City and Philadelphia.

The Zimmerli Art Museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., and the first Tuesday of each month (except August), 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and major holidays, as well as the month of August.

Z Café featuring the Food Architects is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a variety of breakfast, lunch, and snack items. The café is closed major holidays, as well as the months of July and August.

For more information, visit the museum's website www.zimmerlimuseum.rutgers.edu or call 848.932.7237.

SUPPORT

The Zimmerli's operations, exhibitions, and programs are funded in part by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and income from the Avenir Foundation Endowment and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Endowment, among others. Additional support comes from the New Jersey State Council of the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; the Estate of Victoria J. Mastrobuono; and donors, members, and friends of the museum.