Summertime Family-Friendly Water Workshop Weekends
New Partnership: Great Swamp Watershed Association and the Morris Museum

The Morris Museum and the Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) are pleased to announce their new partnership; our inaugural set of events, beginning with Water Workshop Weekends, will take place on July 7, 8, and 15, 2023. 

"We are excited to offer these unique, water-themed, joint programs to each other's constituents," stated Sally Rubin, Great Swamp Watershed Association Executive Director. "Our complementary missions reveal a natural synergy between GSWA and the Morris Museum that we believe will inspire a greater appreciation of clean water and a healthy environment for years to come!" 

“Climate and environmental changes affect all that we do. Cultural institutions nationwide are taking action and raising awareness in our communities,” said Morris Museum Executive Director Tom Loughman, who also serves as the co-chair of the United States National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM-US). ICOM-US recently joined a coordinated effort across 12 professional organizations representing museums, gardens, aquariums, historic sites, and zoos to incorporate, encourage, and actively address this issue. “Partnering with like-minded institutions reflects our commitment to protecting the natural world. We proudly announce the Museum’s participation in the industry-wide Carbon Inventory Project. The Carbon Inventory Project will provide training and resources for cultural institutions to organize their energy data and calculate their institution’s carbon footprint associated with their energy use.”

Water Workshop Weekends kick off on Friday, July 7, with the critically acclaimed and star-filled movie Dark Waters, which will be shown in the Museum’s Bickford Theatre, followed by a panel discussion about PFAS chemicals. The film tells the shocking and heroic true story of an attorney, Rob Bilott, portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, who risks his career and family to uncover a dark secret hidden by one of the world’s largest corporations. He seeks to bring justice to a community that has been dangerously exposed to toxic chemicals for decades. The post film discussion will include lively discussion on the movie and this timely topic. The panel will include Sandra Lavigne, GSWA Director of Water Quality Monitoring; Laura Norkute, New Jersey American Water Director of Water Quality and Environmental Compliance; and a third panelist to be announced.

On Saturday, July 8, the Museum will host a family fun day with activities from GSWA and the Morris Museum. There will be two special screenings of the Smithsonian movie, Age of Human: Water, at 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM. This film reveals how humans have impacted the Earth’s water, and details what we can do to change the path of our future. The day includes several thought-provoking activities from the GSWA and the Morris Museum; highlights include Spark!Lab’s “Help Clean Up the Ocean,” the game, “A Day in the Life of a Drop of Water”, the “Water-Match Challenge”, and a watercolor activity.

The fun continues the following weekend on Saturday, July 15, at GSWA’s Conservation Management Area (CMA) on Tiger Lily Lane in Harding, where visitors will participate in hikes, family-friendly activities, and nature crafts. This is a perfect opportunity to celebrate the 16th year of the City of Water Day, which builds awareness and reaches towards the goal of a climate-resilient New York and New Jersey harbor.

Water Workshop Weekends Schedule

Note: Pricing is the same for members of either Morris Museum or GSWA

Film Screening of Dark Waters at the Morris Museum

Friday, July 7 at 6:30-10:00 PM

Tickets: Members $12 | Non-members $15

6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960

Family Fun Day at the Morris Museum and Two Screenings of Age of Human: Water

Saturday, July 8 at 11:00 AM-2:30 PM

Tickets: Members Free | Non-members $12 | Children $8 (3-17)

Smithsonian Film: Age of Human: Water at 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM (Free with Museum Admission)

6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960

Outdoor Family Day at the Tiger Lily Lane Trails part of the Great Swamp

Saturday, July 15 at 11:00 AM-2:00 PM

Tickets: Members Free | Non-members | $12 Children $8 (3-17)

This event takes place rain or shine.

1 Tiger Lily Lane, Harding Twp., NJ 07960

For more information, visit: morrismuseum.org/WaterWorkshopWeekends or greatswamp.org/Events

Mark your calendar, registration opens on Friday, May 19.

#WaterWorkshopWeekends #morrismuseum #artsoundmotion #greatswampnj #gswa

About the Great Swamp Watershed Association 

Founded in 1981, the Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the health of the Passaic River through science, education, land preservation and stewardship, and advocacy. In collaboration with partners, GSWA works to instill their communities with an awareness of water’s effect on health and the beauty of the environment, from source to sea. The organization educates nearly 5,000 school children annually, monitors over 30 stream locations, and holds approximately 50 public events each year.

About the Morris Museum 
Founded in 1913, the Morris Museum is an award-winning, multifaceted arts and cultural institution serving the public through its exhibitions and performances, which strive to interpret the past and discover the future through art, sound, and motion. The Museum is home to the historic and internationally-significant Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata. The Museum’s Bickford Theatre is a 312-seat performing-arts facility, offering unique programming in film, jazz, and live performance through its innovative series, Live Arts. As New Jersey’s only Smithsonian Affiliate, Morris Museum launched Spark!Lab, a dynamic, Smithsonian-created learning space which will inspire young visitors to create, collaborate, and innovate.