The University Galleries offers a variety of educational and public programs each semester. These opportunities for learning, discovery and enrichment involve interactive discussion-based tours of exhibitions, workshops, and custom-tailored experiences. Outlined below are ways we engage with the community.
Classes, community groups, student organizations, and parties of 11 or more people interested in visiting the gallery should fill out our group visit request form below. We require two weeks advance notice for group and class visits and cannot guarantee accommodation for unexpected or last-minute visits.
Course Collaborations
The University Galleries embraces collaboration with faculty and staff in all academic departments and programs. We explore ways to make relevant curricular connections between our exhibitions and course content. These class visits are customized to the needs and interests of the related professors, and faculty in ALL academic disciplines are welcome and encouraged to bring their classes to the Galleries by scheduling a visit.
My students had a wonderful time and learned so much about the current exhibition.
Past Class Visits Include…
Dorothy Rogers, Professor, Educational Foundations, brought two classes, Philosophical Orientation to Education and Historical Foundations of American Education, to learn more about Visual Thinking Strategies and how to write wall texts from University Galleries student employees.
Andrew Atkinson, Professor, Art & Design, brought his Digital Photo and Imaging class to explore the process behind Ajamu Kojo’s artworks. University Galleries student employees used the Education Space to unpack the Mischtechnik and explained behind-the-scenes footage.
Janet Rush, Teacher, Visual Arts, visited campus with students from grades 7-12 from the Denzel Washington School of the Arts for a tour of the exhibition led by University Galleries student employees and faculty from the department of Art & Design. They also created art in response to the question “How would you like to be remembered?” in the Education Space.
Sizhu Li, Professor, Art & Design, and her students from Perpetual Drawing and Space visited the gallery to engage in observational drawing of works by artist Ajamu Kojo after learning more about the artist’s own practices in our Education Space.
Click on an image below to enlarge photo.
Community Groups
The University Galleries welcomes the community to engage with our exhibitions and programs, and regularly serves the following audiences:
- Early Childhood groups
- Adult and Senior groups
- Corporate and business groups
- Non-profit organizations
- Colleges, middle schools, high schools, and clubs within these institutions
Each visit is tailored to the needs and interests of the group, and can include a variety of activities. Visiting high schools have the opportunity to meet with admissions, relevant faculty, and tour the campus alongside experiencing the Galleries’ exhibitions. Other possibilities include live performances, art-making activities, scavenger hunts, interactive experiences, and more. Group organizers can express the goal of the visit and interests in particular activities when submitting our Group Visit Request Form.
Inclusive Offerings
Alongside in-person visits, the Galleries organizes the following which are available year-long:
- Virtual offerings, including:
- Matterport captures of past and current exhibitions are available to view on the respective exhibition’s page on our website. Visitors can digitally walkthrough our exhibitions, and can also schedule a time for a guided virtual tour and other activities using our Group Visit Request Form
- Online presentations and guided discussions about past and current exhibitions, and/or curated thematic selections from our permanent collection conducted via Zoom
- Public programs conducted virtually (and a livestream option usually available in our exhibition space) and documented on our YouTube
- Off-site programs, including:
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- Presentations to schools, non-profits, and other groups
- Art-making workshops and other educational activities
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Student Employment Opportunities
Students play a vital role in the operations of the University Galleries. Our student employees engage with experiential learning in museum practices and are assigned to specific roles tailored to their skills and interests in visitor services, social media, education, collections management, programming and more. Our current team of students study a range of disciplines, from political science to animation to business administration. We currently offer positions for Federal Work Study candidates and internships for course credit.
Please log in to Handshake to learn more about these opportunities and to apply for a position with the University Galleries’ student team.
Access Programs
University Galleries received ADA approval from the NJ Theater Alliance and the NJ State Council on the Arts and regularly collaborates with organizations that serve people with a variety of disabilities and special needs. Our main exhibition space, the George Segal Gallery, is a wheelchair-accessible facility. In addition to offering discussion-based tours of exhibitions, we provide various accommodations to assist people with special needs.
We produce numerous public programs each year in conjunction with exhibitions that are free and open to the general public. For the full list of programming and events, visit the university calendar and sign up for our mailing list to be the first to know about upcoming events.
Our upcoming events
- School groups must provide at least one adult chaperone per ten students, and chaperones must accompany the group at all times. Chaperones will be responsible for enforcing appropriate behavior in the gallery spaces.
- There is a suggested donation per participant for groups that engage in hands-on activities.
- Food and beverages must be left at the front desk. Visitors may bring closed water bottles.
- Flash and/or professional photography equipment is not allowed without prior written approval from University Galleries staff. Visitors may take take photos on their cell phones.
- Large and bulky items, including purses and bags, must remain at the front desk.
- Pets and Emotional Support Animals are not allowed in the gallery. Service Animals are allowed, per university policy.
- Each reservation is limited to the scheduled time frame. We cannot guarantee accommodation if your group arrives earlier than scheduled nor can we guarantee an extension to your reservation if you arrive late. Please contact us if you are running late.
- Due to limited space, we ask you arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before your scheduled time frame.
- As a courtesy, we ask to be notified of cancellations or requests to reschedule at least 48 hours in advance of your visit. The University Galleries reserves the right to cancel any visit for unforeseen circumstances. We will notify groups as soon aa possible to reschedule.