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Date: 10/26/2023
SPRINGFIELD — Beginning in January 2024, the Springfield Museums will offer free admission on the first Wednesday of every month, thanks to a three-year grant from the Art Bridges Foundation.
The $800,000 grant is part of a new Access for All initiative that is designed to increase access to museums across the country.
“On the first Wednesday of every month, admission to the museums will be free to all visitors,” said Springfield Museums Development and Marketing Vice President Michelle Murphy. “Visitors will be entitled to enjoy all five of our museums, as well as any programming that may be already scheduled for those days.”
She noted that the grant money will be used exclusively for the “Free First Wednesdays,” which will continue for the next three years.
Murphy acknowledged the significance of this offering, as costs can be a “barrier,” she said. While Springfield residents already receive free general admission to the Springfield Museums with an ID, this will primarily benefit those who live outside the city.
The Springfield Museums were awarded this grant after submitting an application to the Art Bridges Foundation. Springfield was one of 64 museums in 36 states — and one of seven in New England — to be awarded this grant. According to the American Alliance of Museums, there are 33,000 museums in the United States.
Springfield Museums President and CEO Kay Simpson said, “The remarkable and unprecedented $800,000 grant from this private foundation will enable our museums to realize our vision to be an accessible and intergenerational center of community learning and creativity.”
She continued, “Our museums are committed to making art accessible through innovative interpretation and exciting and experiential exhibitions. This historic funding will help us be museums where everyone feels welcome.”
The Art Bridges Foundation, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, is a national arts nonprofit that was founded by philanthropist Alice Walton. Through its $40 million investment in the Access for All initiative, the foundation aims to remove barriers and encourage people to visit and engage in more museums across the country.
“We are thrilled to launch Access for All, a historic partnership with cultural institutions across the country to make it easier for people in every U.S. region to see and experience art,” said Walton. “In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are confident Access for All will not only help to rebuild museum attendance but also bring more people than ever into museum galleries and reshape the arts world as one that is open to all.”
As many museums are seeing around 71% of their pre-pandemic attendance, this initiative is aimed to restore those previous levels.
From July through September, attendance at the Springfield Museums was close to 96% of pre-pandemic visitation levels, Murphy said.
“[We] are really thrilled here that our visitation is back,” she added.
“Our ever-increasing attendance numbers reflect our pledge to be visitor-centric and our institutional values to be museums without walls, where people come to engage, connect and be inspired,” said Simpson. “Art Bridges funding will support and elevate this all-important work in ways never before possible.”
The “First Free Wednesdays” will begin on Jan. 3, 2024.