Zimmerli Renews Prestigious KultureCity® Certification, Furthering Commitment to Inclusivity

New Brunswick, NJ (July 16, 2024)—KultureCity®, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting inclusivity and accessibility for individuals with sensory needs, proudly announces the achievement of the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers—New Brunswick for its ongoing commitment to creating sensory-inclusive spaces. KultureCity’s flagship initiative, the Sensory Inclusive™ program, has been widely embraced by venues, stadiums, and cultural institutions across the nation and around the world. This groundbreaking program provides training and resources to staff, enabling them to better accommodate individuals with sensory sensitivities. As a result, families and individuals visiting the museum can now experience and enjoy live events and public spaces with greater comfort and ease. We are proud to announce KultureCity's renewed partnership with the Zimmerli, initiated in 2019, which makes the museum and all of the programs and events that the organization hosts sensory inclusive.

The recertification process required staff at the Zimmerli to participate in online training on how to recognize those visitors with sensory needs and how to handle a sensory overload situation. A sensory bag, equipped with noise canceling headphones (provided by Puro Sound Labs), fidget tools, verbal cue cards, and weighted lap pad is also available to all guests at the Zimmerli who may feel overwhelmed by the environment. This renewed commitment also coincides with the museum's major exhibition this fall, Smoke & Mirrors, which examines accessibility in the museum world and the often-invisible barriers for visitors with disabilities and sensory sensitivities.

Sensory sensitivities or challenges with sensory regulation are often experienced by individuals with autism, dementia, PTSD and other similar conditions. Individuals might become overwhelmed from the crowds, lights, sounds, smells or other external stimuli at the museum. Founded on the belief that every person deserves to fully participate in all aspects of life, KultureCity® has been a driving force in fostering a culture of acceptance. Through innovative programs and partnerships, KultureCity® has successfully eliminated barriers that often prevent individuals with sensory sensitivities from enjoying public spaces and events. With its renewed certification, the Zimmerli is now better prepared to assist guests with sensory sensitivities in having the most comfortable and accommodating experience possible when attending any event at the museum.

Prior to visiting the museum, families can download the free KultureCity® App for iOS or Android and view what sensory features are available and where they can access them. Also, on the App is the Social Story, which provides a preview of what to expect while enjoying an event at the Zimmerli.

"Empowering communities through inclusion and innovation, the Zimmerli is aligned with the same visionary spirit as KultureCity® and is championing a world where every individual, regardless of ability, is not just accepted but celebrated for their unique contributions to the tapestry of humanity!” said Uma Srivastava, Executive Director, KultureCity®.

KultureCity®, established in 2014, is a dynamic non-profit organization at the forefront of the inclusivity movement, which continues to make waves in creating a more accessible and accepting world for individuals with sensory needs and invisible disabilities (found in 1 in 4 of us). In a short 10 years, a few highlights of KultureCity's impact includes making over 1,800 venues sensory inclusive certified, handing out almost a million sensory bags to individuals in need, making over 150 live events sensory inclusive, and saving 48 lives through the KultureCity® First Responder Training.

KultureCity’s commitment to inclusivity extends beyond physical spaces. The organization actively collaborates with influential figures, businesses, and communities to promote awareness and understanding of invisible disabilities. KultureCity® partners with event industry leaders like NFL, NBA, MLB and FIFA to make their flagship events sensory inclusive. KultureCity® also has increased its presence at cultural institutions such as the Zimmerli, Akron Art Museum, Walters Art Museum, Mead Art Museum at Amherst College and others. With ongoing initiatives, partnerships and a passionate community of supporters, KultureCity® is set to leave an enduring impact on the landscape of inclusivity.

ZIMMERLI ART MUSEUM | RUTGERS

The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum houses more than 60,000 works of art, with strengths in the Art of the Americas, Asian Art, European Art, Russian Art & Soviet Nonconformist Art, and Original Illustrations for Children's Literature. The permanent collections include works in all mediums, spanning from antiquity to the present day, providing representative examples of the museum’s research and teaching message at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, which stands among America’s highest-ranked, most diverse public research universities. Founded in 1766, as one of only nine colonial colleges established before the American Revolution, Rutgers is the nation’s eighth-oldest institution of higher learning.

VISITOR INFORMATION

Admission is free to the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers. The museum is located at 71 Hamilton Street (at George Street) on the College Avenue Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick. The Zimmerli is a short walk from the NJ Transit train station in New Brunswick, midway between New York City and Philadelphia.

The Zimmerli Art Museum is open Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The museum is closed Monday and Tuesday, as well as major holidays and the month of August.

For the most current information, including parking and accessibility, visit zimmerli.rutgers.edu.

SUPPORT

The Zimmerli's operations, exhibitions, and programs are funded in part by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and income from the Avenir Endowment Fund and the Andrew W. Mellon Endowment Fund, among others. Additional support comes from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and the donors, members, and friends of the museum.

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