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\tThe Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) will now offer free admission to children 12 and under through an anonymous donation of $3.54 million.<\/p>\n
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\tThe 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. <\/p>\n
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\t\u201cThis is one of those gifts that I can\u2019t express in words,\u201d said Amy Kirschke, the museum\u2019s Barbara Brown Lee chief learning and engagement officer. Very excited that this will impact children for generations to come.\u201d art news<\/em>. “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.”<\/p>\n \t\tRelated articles<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n \tKirschke, who has worked at the museum for more than 20 years, said to describe the gift as “transformative” would be an understatement. \u201cWe are very grateful for a lot of our grants, but they are year to year, maybe every two years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \n \tMuseum 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.<\/p>\n \n \tThis 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.<\/p>\n \n \t\u201cEvery 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,\u201d said Ann Lee, chief development officer at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Andre Allaire said in a press statement.<\/p>\n \n \tThe museum welcomes approximately 20,000 children aged 12 and under each year. \u201cWe hope this new gift will only continue to grow,\u201d 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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