The Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) will now offer free admission to children 12 and under through an anonymous donation of $3.54 million.
The donation will allow the museum to establish an endowment to fund permanent admission exemptions. The gift is effective from December 3, the day it is officially announced by the museum.
“This is one of those gifts that I can’t express in words,” said Amy Kirschke, the museum’s Barbara Brown Lee chief learning and engagement officer. Very excited that this will impact children for generations to come.” art news. “It’s so exciting. This was an anonymous donor, but out of a generous spirit and inspired by their own childhood experiences at the museum and wanting to share it with the community in perpetuity, this is another tremendous gift.”
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Kirschke, who has worked at the museum for more than 20 years, said to describe the gift as “transformative” would be an understatement. “We are very grateful for a lot of our grants, but they are year to year, maybe every two years,” she said.
Museum spokesman Cortney Heimerl and Kirschke both said the anonymous donor had previously anonymously supported other museum projects and wanted to continue to avoid receiving any personal credit for the generosity of their latest gift.
This anonymous gift is intended for youth visiting the museum with a caregiver or family unit. Kirschke said the museum charges a minimum fee for its school programs and has other funders who provide funding for its educational programs and child-friendly activities. These include art and sketching packs, family guides, apparel, museum moment cards, and hands-on art projects at the Cole Art Studio on the weekends.
“Every day, our youngest museum visitors will be able to visit, participate in, and learn from world-class exhibitions and programs for free, thanks to the generosity of individuals who believe in the power of the arts to strengthen our communities,” said Ann Lee, chief development officer at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Andre Allaire said in a press statement.
The museum welcomes approximately 20,000 children aged 12 and under each year. “We hope this new gift will only continue to grow,” Koschke said. “Once a family knows the kids are available every day, that means you can come for a short or long term visit and can come again and again. I think it takes a huge amount of pressure off families and reduces the need to think of the museum as something they Obstacles in the regular places of life.”
