Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey

Art museums and galleries are peppered all along the East Coast from Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum to NYC’s MoMA and Metropolitan Museum. New Jersey’s own Montclair Art Museum is a unique destination. The museum’s focus on American art – including traditional art of Native American cultures – allows Montclair Art Museum to stand on its own among the larger museums in New York City.

Located at 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey, Montclair Art Museum is easily reached in your NJ rental car from Value Van & Car Rental.

Montclair Art Museum, founded in 1914, was one of the first museums in the US dedicated to the collection of American art. Today the museum’s collection boasts over 12,000 pieces of uniquely American art.

While other museums were preoccupied with collecting pieces by Manet (not to be confused with Monet), Van Gogh, Monet and other European masters, Montclair Art Museum grew its collection of not just European-American artists but also the art of America’s indigenous peoples.

The museum has one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of Native American art. Traditional crafts such as weaving, wood carving, textiles, jewelry, pottery and more are all on display.

Temporary exhibits currently at the Montclair Art Museum include pieces that don’t exactly hang on the wall. Bloomfield Avenue Hotline is an installation that connects the museum with nearby Bloomfield College. The piece features a single yellow phone booth in both locations.

Visitors can step into the phone booth, put the receiver to their ear, and hear pre-recorded messages based on conversations the artists have had with members of either the Montclair or Bloomfield College communities.

Montclair Art Museum is located in Montclair, New Jersey—only a 20-minute drive from Newark when you rent a car from Value Van & Car Rental. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m., and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission is $12 for adults and free for children, and parking is available nearby.

Next time you visit New Jersey, get off the beaten track of NYC’s huge art museums and visit this hidden gem with your NJ car rental. Contact Value Van & Car Rental at (908) 851-9595 (Union) or (973) 792-0343 (Newark) to get started on your New Jersey adventure today!