History

The Montclair State University Art Gallery was established by The School of the Arts as a result of a generous donation by Dr. Oscar and Mrs. Rose Cosla of Romania. The collection of 16th to 19th Century European paintings formed the foundation of the program’s vision to academically complement the growing fine arts curriculum. As such, the gallery program has evolved into one highly committed to the exhibition of compelling contemporary art.

In the early 1990’s the gallery expanded to include the school’s first outdoor Sculpture Garden. The Sculpture Garden was opened to accommodate the University’s initial six outdoor sculptures and has since expanded to over 20 placed throughout the campus. In 1999 Gallery One was added to accommodate an expanding visual arts curriculum providing students, faculty and other professional artists an additional venue in which to exhibit their work.

Since 2000 the gallery expansion program has shared its vision with the wider communities of Essex, Passaic, Morris, Bergen and Hudson counties. In addition to statewide interest, the gallery focuses its outreach efforts on schools, senior citizen centers and art and civic organizations throughout the five counties. Educational programs are designed with children, adults, families and ADA in mind.

In spring of 2006 a new main gallery space was completed and inaugurated as The George Segal Gallery. The George Segal Gallery was born out of the generosity of the George and Helen Segal Foundation and Montclair State’s commitment to the arts. A labor of love for both, it is the only George Segal art gallery in the world, and will remain a part of the legacy of this artist.

Architecturally, the Segal Gallery is state of the art and conforms to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and museum-approved standards. It comprises 3,130 square feet of exhibition space and 3,300 square feet of storages, offices, seminar room and prep room. The facility is climate controlled with lights and nuclear window shades that block natural light. The Gallery also includes a dual pre-action fire suppression system, wood floors, UV-filtered track lighting, and movable transparent exhibition walls.