Art Museum to Start Charging
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indianapolis Museum of Art will begin charging next week for general admission tickets. Executives say the $18 charge will help improve visitor experience and provide new programs. April 2, 2015
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – On April 7, the Indianapolis Museum of Art will shift from ? la carte pricing for special exhibitions and parking to a single general admission ticket.
While members will continue to enter free of charge, the new admission ticket will grant non-members access to the IMA’s 52-acre upper campus, including the Museum galleries and special exhibitions such as Dream Cars: Innovative Design, Visionary Ideas, along with the surrounding gardens and Oldfields-Lilly House & Gardens. The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres will remain free and open to the public from dawn to dusk. Along with the Park, guests will be able to enjoy the IMA Caf?, Museum Store and Dudley and Mary Louise Sutphin Mall – home of the Sutphin Fountain, Robert Indiana’s Love sculpture and Roy Lichtenstein’s Five Brushstrokes – free of charge.
The new general admission ticket will cost $18 for adults and $10 for youth ages 6-17. Free admission will be offered for children ages 5 and under, along with prescheduled Marion County school field trips. Students at four-year, public and nonprofit Marion County colleges and universities will receive free membership to the museum. The IMA will also proudly continue its participation in the state-wide Access Pass program, which provides $1 admission per person per visit for qualifying families.
Under the new model, free admission will be offered on the first Thursday of each month from 4 to 9 p.m. The IMA will also host free Community Days, supported by The Hagerman Group, as part of the new ARTx series made possible with a gift from The Efroymson Family Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF).
Upcoming Community Days include:
-Summer Solstice—Saturday, June 20, 2015
-Autumn Equinox—Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015
-Silent Night—Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015
-Winter Solstice—Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015
-Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration—Sunday, Jan. 18, 2016
The IMA will also celebrate National Museum Day on May 19 with free general admission.
Membership Promotion
Annual membership prices for the Museum will remain the same. The IMA is offering a special membership promotion with automatic, free upgrades for Individual and Dual/Family memberships through Sunday, April 5. Guests purchasing an Individual membership for $55 will receive a free upgrade to a Dual/Family membership, a $75 value. Visitors purchasing a Dual/Family membership will receive a free upgrade to an Associate membership, a $125 value. Upgrades are valid with on-site purchases only. Along with receiving free, unlimited admission to the campus, IMA members will continue to receive early access to Museum exhibitions, free or discounted admission to IMA programming and special events, and discounts in the IMA Caf?, Museum Store and Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse Shop.
Campus Improvements
Over the past three months, the Museum has been working on campus-wide updates, including additional pedestrian walkways, enhanced garden plantings and new signage to help guests better explore the 152-acre campus. Other recent additions include new sidewalks into the campus from the 38th Street and Michigan Road entrances to provide safer access for guests taking public transportation. Parking booths have also been removed to allow for free parking for all guests— even those who do not purchase general admission tickets.
Beginning the week of April 13, a new garden tram will take visitors from the main museum building through the Oldfields Estate, including a stop at the Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse & Shop. A narrated garden tour with information about the history of the estate and the gardens will accompany the tram ride. Tickets are free for members and will cost $5 for non-members, and can be purchased at the main Guest Services desk in the Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion.
To learn more about the new admission policy and campus changes, visit http://www.imamuseum.org/visit/new-admission-faq.
About the Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is located on a 152-acre campus of lush gardens, historic homes, outdoor sculptures, inspiring performance and gallery spaces. Founded in 1883, the IMA is among the 10 oldest and 10 largest encyclopedic art museums in the United States and features significant collections of African, American, Asian, European, contemporary art and design arts that spans 5,000 years of history. With innovative programming to engage guests of all ages, the IMA offers a variety of interactive experiences inside the galleries, throughout the campus and within the local community.
From gardening demos in the Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse to outdoor film screenings in the IMA Amphitheater to community celebrations in The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, guests are invited to engage with art and nature in exciting new ways at the IMA. Along with the Indianapolis campus, the IMA also owns the Miller House and Garden in Columbus, Ind., one of the nation’s most highly regarded examples of mid-century Modernist residences. For more information visit www.imamuseum.org.
Source: Indianapolis Museum of Art