Hunterdon Art Museum
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It reported loans to or from officers, directors or other insiders.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
FOR MORE THAN SEVENTY YEARS THE HUNTERDON ART MUSEUM IN CLINTON, NEW JERSEY HAS SERVED AS AN INVALUABLE CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE FOR NEW JERSEY AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS AND HAS CARRIED OUT ITS MISSION TO ENGAGE PEOPLE WITH CONTEMPORARY ART, CRAFT AND DESIGN IN WAYS THAT EDUCATE, CHALLENGE AND INSPIRE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE ARTS. HUNTERDON COUNTYS ONLY ART MUSEUM IS LOCATED IN AN 1836 GRISTMILL THAT IS ON THE STATE AND NATIONAL HISTORIC REGISTERS. THE FOUR-STORY BUILDING HAS THREE FLOORS OF EXHIBITION SPACE AND ONE FLOOR OF ART STUDIOS. THE MUSEUM PRESENTS APPROXIMATELY TWELVE EXHIBITIONS ANNUALLY AND OFFERS MANY STUDIO ART COURSES, WORKSHOPS, AND ART CAMPS. APPROXIMATELY 17,000 VISITORS CAME TO THE MUSEUMS GROUNDS, EXHIBITIONS, LECTURES, WORKSHOPS, STUDIO ART CLASSES, CAMPS, INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY EVENTS DURING FY24. THE MUSEUM S ADMISSION FEE IS $7 FOR ADULTS, $5 FOR SENIORS, MILITARY, AND STUDENTS, MEMBERS, CHILDREN UNDER 12 AND THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE IN NEW JERS
- Income
- $643,767
- Spending
- $863,413
- Spent on programs
- 64%
- Reserves
- 20 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 39%
- Employees
- 49
- Volunteers
- 85
- Highest pay
- $100,000, fmr exec dir
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 59 out of 100. Higher than 27% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 20.0 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 16% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 34% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 42% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1564% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 28 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 78% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2510 of 10 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
0 of 10Reports at least one of: diversion of assets, excess benefits, loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (2)
- $320,286 spent. THE HUNTERDON ART MUSEUM IS AN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE WITH PROGRAMS FOR ALL AGES. THE MUSEUM'S EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE AND EXPERIENCE ART IN MANY FORMS. BEGINNING WITH PROGRAMS FOR THE VERY YOUNG AND CONTINUING THROUGH ADULTHOOD, THE MUSEUM ANNUALLY OFFERS WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES THAT SUPPORT LIFELONG LEARNING. IN THE SUMMER, HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN PARTICIPATE IN THE MUSEUM'S ART CAMPS. SUBJECTS RANGE FROM PAINTING AND DRAWING TO VIDEO PRODUCTION, FASHION DESIGN, ANIMATION, AND MUCH MORE. FOR MORE THAN TWENTY FIVE YEARS HAM HAS OFFERED CLASSES FOR ADULTS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AND HAS FILLED A NEED IN THE COMMUNITY WITH THIS IMPORTANT PROGRAM. WORKING WITH NEARLY THIRTY SCHOOLS FOR ALMOST THREE DECADES, THE MUSEUM HAS GIVEN TENS OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXHIBIT THEIR ARTWORK AND PARTICIPATE IN WORKSHOPS THROUGH OUR YOUNG ARTISTS SHOWCASE.
- $231,741 spent. THE MUSEUMS EXHIBITIONS HAVE GARNERED A REPUTATION FOR THEIR HIGH QUALILTY AND INTERESTING SUBJECT MATTER. FROM GROUP SHOWS THAT INVESTIGATE TRENDS IN CONTEMPORARY ART TO ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS THAT EXPLORE PERSONAL JOURNEYS, THE MUSEUM BRINGS EXTRAORDINARY ARTWORK TO OUR REGION WITH APPROXIMATELY THIRTEEN EXHIBITIONS ANNUALLY. HERE ARE EXAMPLES FROM FY24: AS A MUSEUM THAT HAS EXPLORED CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS IN NUMEROUS EXHIBITIONS, WE WERE EXCITED TO INITIATE CLAYBASH, A JURIED TRIENNIAL CERAMICS EXHIBITION. JENNIFER MARTIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CLAY STUDIO, PHILADELPHIA, WAS THE JUROR. THE SHOW SOUGHT LIVELY AND INTERESTING INTERPRETATIONS OF CLAY AS MATERIAL AND IDEA AND BROUGHT TOGETHER WORK BY CERAMIC ARTISTS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY. PLANETARIA, A SOLO SHOW BY ARTIST AND POET MONCIAL ONG, LEVERAGED THE LANGUAGE OF ASTRONOMY TO EXPLORE THE PRECARIOUS TERRITORIES OF MOTHERHOOD, WOMEN IN SCIENCE, AND DIASPORA IDENTITY. A SOLO SHOW BY NONA HERSHEY EXPLORED THE DIGITAL AGE. HER WATERCOLORS COMBINED BEAUTIFULLY RENDERED CLOUDS WITH PIXELATED, COLORFUL FORMS. A TWO-PERSON SHOW OF THE WORK OF PAINTER MARSHA GOLDBERG AND SCULPTOR ANDREW ZIMMERMAN PAIRED TWO ARTISTS WHO USE COLOR AND ABSTRACTION TO CREATE DYNAMIC WORK. IN THE FALL THE MAIN GALLERY WAS FILLED WITH THE EXTRAORDINARY LANDSCAPES OF PHILIP ADAMS WHO METICULOUSLY DEPICTS MOUNTAINS AND WATER SCENES THAT INCORPORATE REMNANTS OF HUMANITY. HIS WORK ENCOURAGES THE VIEWER TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT AND OUR IMPACT ON IT. IN ADDITION TO PAINTINGS, FOR THE SHOW ADAMS CREATED A TEMPORARY MURAL WITHIN THE GALLERY. IN THE EXHIBITION OVER THE PAPER PLANE, AHRONG KIMS WHIMSICAL AND DETAILED CERAMIC FIGURES PROVIDED VIEWERS WITH A GLIMPSE OF HER EMOTIONAL STATES. HAMS ANNUAL MEMBERS EXHIBITION WAS JURIED BY JOAO (JUNO) ZAGO, AN ARTIST AND THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF GALLERY AFERRO IN NEWARK. THE EXHIBITION INCLUDED AN ARRAY OF STYLES AND MEDIUMS THAT SHOWED THE TALENTS OF OUR MEMBERS. NEW WORK BY KATE DODD WAS SHOWN IN THE MUSEUMS FIRST FLOOR GALLERY. USING IMAGERY FROM CHILDRENS BOOKS AS WELL AS MEDICAL X-RAYS KATE EXHIBITED WORK THAT RECYCLED FAMILIAR MATERIALS TO TELL NEW STORIES. PERHAPS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SHOW WAS A SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION THAT INCORPORATED UNUSED ITEMS DISCARDED BY A COSMETICS COMPANY. HUNDREDS OF LIPSTICK TUBES SEEMED TO INVADE THE BUILDING, MOVING THROUGH WALLS AND FALLING FROM THE GRAIN SHOOTS THAT REMAINED FROM THE BUILDINGS LIFE AS A MILL. CYNTHIA CARLSONS PAINTINGS FILLED THE SECOND FLOOR MAIN GALLERY DURING THE WINTER. ABSTRACTIONS AND OLDER WORK INTRODUCED THE VIEWER TO AN ARTIST WHOSE WORK SPANNED SEVERAL DECADES. ASSEMBLAGE ARTIST ELLEN SIEGELS WORK INCORPORATED FOUND OBJECTS THAT IN HER HANDS TOLD NEW STORIES. THE MEMBERS HIGHLIGHT EXHIBITION WAS AWARDED TO ALEKSANDAR POPOVIC. HIS LANDSCAPES COMBINED ABSTRACT ELEMENTS. SPURRING THE VIEWER TO CONSIDER CLIMATE CHANGE. STREET PHOTOGRAPHER PAVARTI KUMAR EXHIBITED IMAGES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. HER COLORFUL SHOTS SHOWED THE ARTISTS ABILITY TO CAPTURE ICONIC MOMENTS. UNCONTAINED: REIMAGING BASKETRY BROUGHT TOGETHER ARTISTS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY. UNUSUAL MATERIALS AND SHAPES EXPLORED HOW BASKETS NO LONGER NEED TO BE FUNCTIONAL, BUT HAVE BECOME FINE ART. PAINTER DEBRA RAMSAYS BEAUTIFUL ABSTRACT PAINTINGS REPRESENTED BIRDS SEEN IN CENTRAL PARK. BY DISTRIBUTING THEIR COLORS ON ACRYLIC PANELS THE ARTIST IS ABLE TO CAPTURE THE SENSE THAT ONE IS SEEING A BIRD IN FLIGHT. WITHIN THE GALLERY, A VIDEO WITH BIRD CALLS CREATED A MULTI-SENSORY EXPERIENCE. IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE ROTATING EXHIBITIONS, SCULPTURES BY TOM OTTERNESS, TOSHIKO TAKAEZU AND NORIKO SAKAYAMA WERE LOCATED ON THE MUSEUMS TERRACE AND ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC 24/7. ALSO ON THE TERRACE AND NEW THIS YEAR IS A MURAL BY PHILIP ADAMS, REPRESENTING ORIGAMI BOATS FLOATING DOWN A RIVER. REPRESENTING THE MUSEUMS IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY AS THE ARTS MOVE OUTWARD FROM THE MUSEUM TO THE PEOPLE IT ENGAGES.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 1959.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.