From the Morris Museum:
Automata Convention Returns to the Morris Museum on May 20 – 22, 2022
Attendees from Around the World Gather
to Celebrate Modern and Antique Automata
Returning after a COVID related pause, the popular AutomataCon is a convention of and for artists, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts of automatons and related kinetic art.
This three-day event is being held at and in conjunction with the Morris Museum in Morris Township on May 20 – 22, 2022. The Morris Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, is the home of the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata.
Gathering people from around the world, the convention aspires to share ideas, build relationships, and grow interest in automata new and old. Beginners as well as some of the premier artists, collectors, historians, and authors in the automaton community plan to be in attendance.
The convention will include a variety of private and public programming, including social gatherings, museum tours, panel discussions, live demonstrations, workshops, presentations, and exhibitors.
The AutomataCon will kick off with a social reception on Friday night, followed by two full days of programs, including a mini film festival and a maker’s mash-up. The latter consists of “shop talk” on tools and techniques.
Traditionally, the talks and presentations relate automata with art movements, magic, and public entertainment. Programming also includes a kinetic artists panel and a presentation of “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?” with automaton builder Bradley Litwin.
The program schedule will be posted on automatacon.org as the date draws near. Featured attendees include upcoming and well-known automata artists such as David Bowman, Rajiv Dholakia, Chris Fitch, Tom Haney, Aaron Kramer, Brad Litwin and many more.
The convention coincides with the Morris Museum juried exhibition titled A Cache of Kinetic Art: Timeless Movements that is on view through Aug. 28, 2022. The exhibition explores broad themes of the human experience and how time manifests in nature through 35 works of kinetic art.
Created by 26 artists, these art objects are expressions of measuring, marking, embracing, and resisting time. Some of the artists will be demonstrating their work live at the convention.
Attendees of AutomataCon 2022 can choose during their pre-registration whether to come to the Friday evening reception, Saturday and Sunday programs, or the entire convention. Day tickets will be sold on-site.
Please note that AutomataCon will be following local and museum policies regarding the pandemic as described on the Morris Museum website.
Please follow the convention website or like the Facebook page for the latest news on the convention.
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, it launched Spark!Lab, a dynamic, Smithsonian-created learning space which will inspire young visitors to create, collaborate, and innovate. To learn more, visit morrismuseum.org.
