As the Princeton campus begins to hum with activity, ushering in a new academic year, the Art Museum is busily preparing for what promises to be a lively fall, brimming with important exhibitions and a wide range of programs and events. Please join us!

Beginning September 17, the Museum presents Late Thursdays, extended evening hours until 10 p.m. each Thursday, offering access to special exhibitions, the Museum's collections, and special programs including film screenings, musical performances, and drop-in activities. For the inaugural Late Thursday on September 17, join us for a Nassau Street Sampler featuring some of Princeton's eclectic dining options as well as an array of musical performances. As always, admission is free.

Don't miss the opening lecture and reception for the special exhibition Life Objects: Rites of Passage in African Art on Thursday, September 24, beginning at 6 p.m. Chika Okeke-Agulu, assistant professor, Department of Art and Archaeology and the Center for African American Studies, Princeton University, will discuss the connection between African traditional arts and religious beliefs and ritual practices. A reception follows in the Art Museum with music by the Sensemaya Afrobeat All-Stars.

The main entrance of Princeton's newest four-year residential college, Butler College, welcomes students with a mural of brightly colored fractal shapes spanning two floors and seven walls, created  by Philadelphia-based artist Odili Donald Odita, associate professor of fine art at Temple University's Tyler School of Art. The mural, Up and Away, will be completed in time for the building's dedication on September 24. Up and Away  joins previous examples of public art commissioned for sites on campus, including Sol Lewitt's Wall Drawing No. 1134 Whirls and Twirls (Princeton) in the archway of Bloomberg Hall and Jim Isermann's Untitled (SEAS/ORFE) in Sherrerd Hall.

There's something for families every Saturday at the Art Museum. Join us for drop-in self guided tours of the collections, related art projects, and, new this year, story time at the Museum, provided by the Princeton Public Library.  The series begins on Saturday, October 3, with "Around the World in Eight Masks." Participants will learn about Egyptian and Mayan masks made for mummies, African masks used in ceremonies and dances, and Alaskan masks based on stories about a raven. This program, made possible through the generous support of Bloomberg, LP, includes a mask-making activity led by art teacher Hope VanCleaf.  To see the full schedule of programs, visit the Museum's online calendar.