Nestled within the suburban, tree-lined streets of Montclair lies the Montclair Art Museum (MAM). Located at 3 South Mountain Avenue, the medium-sized museum is home to over 12,000 pieces of art. These works, all produced by American artists, range from traditional American Indian art and artifacts to more contemporary pieces. The museum was a pioneer in the collection of American art and among the first dedicated to the study and creation of a significant Native American art collection.
My visit to the museum was planned to be a brief walkthrough between classes, but ended up being much more. I purchased my pass, grateful for the student discount, and began to wander into the first exhibit I could find. The Rand Gallery of Native American Art was my first stop, and also my favorite. Highlighting work from several cultural areas including the Woodlands, Southwest, California, Northwest Coast, Plains, and the Arctic, it effectively showcased these masterpieces in a way any person, not to mention a college student, could appreciate. The intrinsic artistry woven through the works was breathtaking. From the handcrafted clay pots to the beautifully woven textiles, the exhibit effectively emanated the Native American’s strong cultural presence.
My next stop was the Eric Carle: Animals and Friends exhibit. Being an avid fan of The Very Hungry Caterpillar during my younger years, I was delighted to see his other work as well. Watching the creation of these images using hand painted tissue paper collages was inspiring. His unique method of creating them is nothing short of brilliant and adds a whole other layer of appreciation for his illustrations. Soon after, as I made my way through one of the last exhibits, I saw a dark hooded figure in the corner. Turning my head I jumped backwards, choking on my polar ice-flavored gum and finally realized it was nothing more than a brilliant fiberglass sculpture of a man with his dog by John Ahern. In my defense, the man was wearing a dark hoodie.
After my tour of the MAM I took a quick five-minute drive to one of my now favorite eateries, Red Eye Cafe.
It was my first time at the small cafe located at 94 Walnut Street. I decided to skip the routine Starbucks trip in favor of a local coffee shop for the purpose of this article. Walking in I was instantly greeted by the coffee’s aroma and the cozy, yet eclectic atmosphere the room provided. I decided to choose a seat towards the back so I could get a good glimpse of it all. Looking at the menu I saw things greatly different than what you would expect from a typical coffee shop. For example, I was stuck between the ham and brie sandwich with orange marmalade and arugula on cranberry pecan bread and a savory crepe with smoked salmon, red onion, avocado, and tomato. I ended up ordering the latter and an iced spice chai latte. I decided it was either go hard or go home. The latte was refreshing and the crepe was absolutely delicious, the avocado perfectly complementing the salmon and red onion.
After my meal I had ten minutes remaining on my meter and decided to chat with the manager, Peter Lang. He explained that his friend, Anthony Brinton, opened the cafe three years ago following the close of Cafe Eclectic, a longstanding cafe they were both affiliated with. From the moment our conversation began, I could feel his strong sense of community and passion for the cafe itself, “There’s a real community spirit that we feel we attempt to engender here, and not only are we here to serve the town and serve good food like you know we also have our walls…” he promptly pointed at the small, colorful paintings done by local artists that adorned the walls. Lang then went on to mention how the cafe not only offered an eclectic and dynamic menu, and some of the best coffee in town, but also provided people with a place they can come to and comfortably be themselves. With a great selection of food, affordable prices, and only fifteen minutes from campus, Red Eye Cafe is definitely a go-to for all Montclair students. Overall, my visit to the museum and cafe made for an amazing afternoon and gave me two great reasons to appreciate this town even more.