Zimmerli’s Bilingual Efforts Extend Beyond the Gallery Walls and Into the New Brunswick Community
Connecting With Community
Here is how the Zimmerli Art Museum is increasing access and inclusivity for its audiences.
Bolstered by a $560,000 grant, the Rutgers art museum launched a multitiered project in the fall of 2024
Over the past couple of years, administrators and staff of the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University-New Brunswick have made it their mission to transform the facility into a bilingual space – and extend a welcoming hand to New Brunswick’s Hispanic and Latino community.
The Zimmerli’s bilingual efforts draw financial support from Art Bridges Foundation, a nonprofit organization that partners with museums and art groups throughout the United States. In fall 2023, Zimmerli officials announced the museum received a $560,000 grant from the foundation through its Access for All initiative, which aims to increase access to museums in the U.S. as well as foster engagement with local audiences.
Engaging with the local audience is crucial, Zimmerli officials said. More than half of New Brunswick’s population are Hispanic and Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Backed by the Art Bridges grant, Zimmerli officials launched a three-year, multitiered project in the fall of 2024 to increase access and inclusivity for its audiences on campus, in New Brunswick, the state and beyond.
“Two of my primary goals at the museum have been, firstly, to welcome our local Hispanic community into the museum via public programming, signage and bilingual collateral,” said Zimmerli Director Maura Reilly, adding that a second goal was to create a program called Zimmerli Mobile, “where we bring art out into the community.”
Reilly added, “Our efforts with these two initiatives have afforded us the opportunity to directly engage with our vast Spanish-speaking audience. I’m thrilled that each of these initiatives has been so successful, thanks to our dedicated museum team.”
“It's really part of becoming a more inclusive museum and assuring our community locally, who are primarily Spanish speaking, that the museum is a place for them,” said LouAnne Greenwald, deputy director of the Zimmerli.
The funding supports programming and communication – including signs, gallery labels and promotional materials presented in English and Spanish. The bilingual efforts extend beyond the physical space of the museum into the digital realm: Visitors of the Zimmerli’s website may translate web pages into Spanish through a Google translation plugin.
It's really part of becoming a more inclusive museum and assuring our community locally, who are primarily Spanish speaking, that the museum is a place for them.
LouAnne Greenwald
Deputy director of the Zimmerli
In addition, the museum provides an interactive multilingual digital guide that may be accessed through the Bloomberg Connects app supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies. In addition to English and Spanish introductory texts of exhibitions, Zimmerli visitors can use their smartphones to access descriptions of artworks in the galleries and other content by using the guide and selecting a language.
“The mobile guide is a wonderful tool for planning your visit,” Greenwald said. “We use it as a primary tool of translation for our visitors.”
Bloomberg Connects translates information about the museum’s collection, exhibitions and programming in nearly 50 different languages.
There are outreach efforts, too, including:
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Último Domingo (Last Sunday) – This monthly event celebrates art and culture in Spanish and English by bringing together Rutgers and New Brunswick communities to enjoy exhibitions, artmaking, music and interactive performances. They typically are held on the last Sunday of the month from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. three times in both the fall and spring semesters.
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Día de los Muertos (Day of Dead) – An event increasing in popularity and attendance each year, the Zimmerli celebrates this holiday during Último Domingo on Oct. 26 through vibrant displays, including ofrendas (altars honoring deceased loved ones) and traditional art and objects that reflect the spiritual and celebratory aspects of the holiday. “That first year when I was on staff, we must've had 600 people,” said Brandon Truett, who heads learning and community engagement at the Zimmerli. “It was a record-breaking attendance with a mariachi band, face painting, music and food.”
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Zimmerli Mobile – The museum's outreach initiative is focused on creating connections with the New Brunswick community by bringing the museum to city residents. The programs, aimed at engaging the diverse populations in the community, are held in collaboration with local organizations, including the New Brunswick Free Public Library and in early childhood education centers. Although the programs may vary in theme and offerings, they are typically conducted in English and Spanish.
In 2024, the Zimmerli welcomed 42,603 visitors, with 1,831 of them served by the Access for All programs, according to internal statistics.
“It's extraordinary to watch the museum go out into the community and also bring this inclusive linguistic capacity to New Brunswick residents by facilitating a lesson that’s in Spanish and English through experiential art activities and storytelling,” Truett said. “This work also bolsters biliteracy ... the ability to move and communicate between languages.”
The Zimmerli also operates an internal staff program called Cafecito (little coffee), featuring workshops aimed at building cultural awareness by exploring the history, values, traditions and social dynamics of different Latinx cultures.
True outreach goes beyond simply extending invitations to those on and off campus. It’s about creating a genuine sense of belonging.
Barbara Cepeda
Assistant curator of community engagement at the Zimmerli
“Community outreach is essential because it forges meaningful connections between institutions and the communities they serve,” said Barbara Cepeda, assistant curator of community engagement at the Zimmerli. “It's not just about increasing attendance or meeting engagement goals — it's about honoring a deeper commitment to listen, collaborate and grow alongside the community.”
Cepeda added, “True outreach goes beyond simply extending invitations to those on and off campus. It’s about creating a genuine sense of belonging.”
Rutgers students have been involved in the Zimmerli’s bilingual push. One graduate student, Emily Liu, completed a semester-long internship at the museum providing translation services and creating a style guide to establish standards for Spanish translation. Hanna Cherres, a bilingual graduate student attending the School of Social Work, assists with the Zimmerli's early childhood programming and outreach efforts in the community. Karla Masin, a bilingual undergraduate student who is majoring in political science at the School of Arts and Sciences and is a member of the Rutgers Bonner Leader Program for community service, provides project support.
Another graduate student is among the Zimmerli’s latest hires. As a museum educator, Jessie Garcia, who earned her master’s degree in social work through the School of Social Work in May, supports the development of public programming and community outreach, with a focus on early childhood, Latine and English and Spanish bilingual communities.
“I'm from the community that we're serving, not just as a Rutgers student, but as a resident of New Brunswick,” said the 24-year-old who speaks Spanish and interned at the museum.
Crossing the language barrier with a welcoming spirit is crucial in attracting Hispanic community members to the museum, said Garcia, adding the Zimmerli has other staff members who speak Spanish and are as passionate as she is about the outreach efforts.
“It's important that we have staff who can switch between Spanish and English on a tour and during our public programs to improve our visitors’ experiences and make them feel more welcome,” Truett said.
“When they see us or when we make that effort to say something first and invite them to come over to us, I think that is really the most effective way of getting them to us,” Garcia said. “And then even this whole idea of going into the community, rather than waiting for them to come to us, I think is really unique.”
