The exhibition provides a view of the seventeenth-century Dutch, Swedish and English competition to start colonies within what is today New Jersey and to develop a successful fur trade with the Indians who were living here. On long-term view Main Building - Lower Level The exhibition was made possible through funding support provided by PSEG Foundation, with additional generous support provided by the Friends of the New Jersey State Museum. The objects on view, which date from the late 1700s to the early 1900s, include a woman's blouse with silver brooches, splint baskets, a wooden shovel, a leather pipe bag decorated with glass beads, children's moccasins and a child's basket. The descendents of the Delaware Indians who left New Jersey, as well as those who stayed, continue to follow and adapt their cultural and religious traditions, thus preserving them for future generations and sharing them with all other cultures. The Indians produced baskets and other woven items such as mats and brooms, as well as carved wooden pieces such as mortars and shovels. They developed handcraft industries which produced items desired by non-Indian settlers. In the late 1800s and into the 1900s, the Indians that remained in New Jersey survived by adapting to a market economy. This exhibition tells the story of these migrations. Artist and chronicler of American Indians, George Catlin (1796-1872), noted as early as 1832 that the Delaware were among the most relocated Indians in the United States. From the 1740s to the 1890s, many of New Jersey's Indians moved out of the state ahead of the ever-expanding non-Indian population. This exhibition offers visitors a glimpse into the lives of the Delaware Indians over a two hundred year time span. On Long-term View Main Building - Lower Level Gallery Pretty Big Things: Stories of New Jersey History is the long-term core exhibition for the New Jersey State Museum's Cultural History Bureau, a diverse collection of historical artifacts documenting the history of everyday life in New Jersey from colonial times through the present day.
Using a non-traditional approach that eschews strict chronology, this educational exhibit consisting of compelling artifacts and hands-on activities for families takes visitors on an eclectic journey into unknown stories of New Jersey history using some of the "biggest" artifacts from the museum's Cultural History collection.ĭo you know which American presidents have historical ties to our state? Can you name the symbols found on the Great Seal of the State of New Jersey? Did you ever wonder why New Jersey is called the Garden State? Do you know the difference between locally-made furniture types known as the linen press, the kast, and the chest-on-chest?Ĭan you name a New Jersey industry that was represented at the famous 1876 Centennial International Exposition in Philadelphia? Come to the State Museum in order to learn the answers to these big questions of New Jersey history and to celebrate the rich historic heritage of our state. What do these five historical artifacts have in common? They are all pretty big things. A grandiose Dutch immigrant wardrobe crafted in the 18th century. A "grandfather" clock made by the first African-American clockmaker. A hand-carved statue of the tallest American president. An iron pot used to render whale blubber on the Jersey Shore. On Long-term View Main Building - 3rd FloorĪ 1,400-pound anvil made by Trenton's Fisher & Norris Eagle Anvil Works. The exhibition was made possible, in part, with support from the Friends of the New Jersey State Museum through the Lucille M. In addition, important works by significant NJ artists will be highlighted within the context of American art. Works created by academic, expressionist, folk, modernist and visionary artists will be shown together in a roughly chronological format to present the range, variety and complexity of America's fine art. The exhibition allows visitors to see that art-making does not happen in a stylistic or ideological vacuum. The exhibition explores the sources of artists' inspiration and how these inspirations changed over time how travel to Europe - and the art being made there - influenced American trends the impact of immigrant artists bringing their own sensibilities to the US and how world and US events (historical, political, cultural, etc.) impacted artists. This installation highlights the diversity of voices and visions found in 19th through 21st century American art. On Long-term View Main Building - 2nd Floor Galleries