NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Short on cash?  The Hub City’s Zimmerli Art Museum offers a fun and affordable experience right here in New Brunswick.

Located on the corner of Hamilton and George Streets, the Zimmerli provides a unique experience that can only be had in the great city of New Brunswick.

Free for Rutgers students and only $6 for everyone else, there is no need to spend a week’s paycheck going to New York City for some bourgie art. New Jersey has a terrific art scene and it is on display at the Zimmerli.

Since 1966, Rutgers has provided a home for the museum within walking distance of the city’s train station.  Free parking on the weekends makes it is an easy destination to reach no matter where you live.

The exhibits in the Zimmerli art museum are changed on a monthly basis, making it impossible to “see it all”. Information on current and future exhibits is available on the museum’s website.

One of the staple and permanent exhibits to be experienced is “Leonid Sokov’s: Ironic Objects.”  The art here comes from a Soviet artist who created sculptures, paintings, and figurines.

Sokov’s work expressed his criticisms of the Soviet Union, comparing them to the contradictions within the “free-market” system of the United States.

This exhibit is full of thought-provoking pieces highlighting a period of history that current Rutgers never experienced.  Some are funny and others are sad, but all of them are incredibly well-done.

A good example of the artwork on display is Sokov’s sculpture of Mickey Mouse shaking hands with Karl Marx.  Mickey, a mascot for one of the largest consumer based companies in the world, symbolized capitalism itself, alongside Marx, the most famous critic of capitalism.

Seeing the Cold War through the eyes of this artist brings an entirely new perspective to the conflict.  Even if Sokov’s exhibit was the only exhibition at the Zimmerli, a trip would still be well worth it.

This weekend, do yourself a favor and go to the Zimmerli Art Museum.

Editor at New Brunswick Today | 732-993-9697 | editor@newbrunswicktoday.com | Website

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.