MFA Boston to Offer Year-Round Free Year-Round Admission to Active-Duty Military and Veteran Families
Launching on Memorial Day, Benefit Includes Discounted Membership
BOSTON (May 14, 2019)—The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is expanding access to military families, offering year-round free admission to active-duty personnel, veterans and up to five family members beginning on Memorial Day, May 27. Accessed by showing a military or veteran ID at any admission desk, the benefit includes free monthly drop-in tours and a $30 discount on membership. The offer launches in conjunction with the MFA’s annual Memorial Day Open House, which offers free admission, performances, art-making activities and tours throughout the Museum. Military Access Program is sponsored by MFS Investment Management.
“Our Memorial Day Open House is a humbling occasion to announce a deepened commitment to active-duty military and veterans,” said Katie Getchell, Chief Brand Officer and Deputy Director of the MFA. “As we reflect with gratitude on the contributions of military families, we are pleased to be able to offer them a bold invitation and warm welcome at the MFA, with the hope that the Museum will become a special place for them, a place where art inspires new ways of seeing, thinking and experiencing the world.”
The MFA has supported active-duty military personnel and families by participating in the Blue Star Museums program since its launch in 2010, offering free admission to active-duty military ID holders and up to five adult family members during the summer months. Blue Star Museums is a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and more than 2,000 museums across the country. In January 2012, the MFA expanded this offer to be a year-round benefit for active-duty military, providing free admission for the military ID holder and an additional adult. The 2019 expansion opens the offer to veterans and adds a monthly tour and membership discount. Taking place on the third Saturday of each month, beginning on June 22, the tours will introduce visitors to the Museum’s collections and exhibits over time, providing space for looking, responding and discussing. The tour will expand to a gathering quarterly, offering participants the chance to socialize over refreshments.
“MFS is proud to sponsor the Blue Star Museums program at the Museum of Fine Arts. We have a deep appreciation for both the commitment and the sacrifice service members have made on behalf of our country,” said Colleen Richards Powell, vice president and senior director of corporate citizenship and diversity and inclusion at MFS Investment Management. “We are pleased to be able to make a true cultural treasure like the MFA more accessible for the brave men and women of our armed services.”
Memorial Day Open House
On May 27, the Museum will open its doors for the annual Memorial Day Open House, offering free admission to all visitors from 10 am to 5 pm. This year’s family-friendly activities are inspired by the exhibition Frida Kahlo and Arte Popular, on view in the Art of Americas Wing through June 19. The lineup includes musical and theatrical performances, art making in the galleries, and tours in English, Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL).
Classical guitarist Zaira Meneses and her band, Son Jarocho, will perform “Fiesta en la Casa Azul,” a lively musical celebration of Mexican culture and the art of Frida Kahlo. Another performance, “Los Colores de Frida,” presented in collaboration with Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción, will combine bilingual storytelling, music, visual arts, puppets and audience participation in a dynamic show that explores the stories behind Kahlo’s most famous paintings. Free tickets to these performances will be available 30 minutes before show time on a first-come, first-served basis.
On the Huntington Avenue lawn, visitors can learn the art of hula hooping from local artist Sarah Daly and build their own hoops to take home; browse and borrow books at the Boston Public Library’s (BPL) bike-powered mobile library, where BPL staff will be on site assisting visitors in signing up for a library card; and make colorful spin art. Inside the galleries, families can take part in art making inspired by objects on view in Frida Kahlo and Arte Popular, from building Mexican folk charms out of cardboard and foil to embroidering with burlap and yarn. At 11:30 am and 2 pm, Layla Bermeo, Kristen and Roger Servison Assistant Curator of American Paintings, will discuss the decisions and questions behind curating the exhibition.
In addition to hour-long gallery tours leaving from the Sharf Visitor Center throughout the day, Museum educators will lead 30-minute family art walks featuring kid-friendly highlights in the collection. Takiyah Harris will offer a family-themed tour in American Sign Language (ASL) at 1 pm, and Silvina Mizrahi will lead a tour of the Museum’s global collections—including Frida Kahlo and Arte Popular—in Spanish at 2 pm.
The 2019 Memorial Day celebration is one of 11 Cultural Celebrations held annually at the MFA, along with Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, January 20), Lunar New Year (Saturday, February 1), Nowruz: The Persian New Year Festival (Saturday, March 21), Highland Street Foundation’s Free Fun Friday (Friday, July 12), Latinx Heritage Night (Wednesday, September 18), ASL Night (Wednesday, September 25), Indigenous Peoples Day (Monday, October 14), Diwali: The Festival of Lights (Wednesday, October 30), and Hanukkah (Wednesday, December 18).
Memorial Day Open House is generously supported by MFA Associates/MFA Senior Associates.
Supporting Sponsor is Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
Additional support for MFA Open House Programming is provided by The Lowell Institute.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is recognized for the quality and scope of its collection, representing all cultures and time periods. The Museum has more than 140 galleries displaying its encyclopedic collection, which includes Art of the Americas; Art of Europe; Contemporary Art; Art of Asia; Art of Africa and Oceania; Art of Ancient Greece and Rome; Art of Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East; Prints and Drawings; Photography; Textile and Fashion Arts; and Musical Instruments. Open seven days a week, the MFA’s hours are Saturday through Tuesday, 10 am–5 pm; and Wednesday through Friday, 10 am–10 pm. Admission (which includes one repeat visit within 10 days) is $25 for adults and $23 for seniors and students age 18 and older, and includes entry to all galleries and special exhibitions. Admission is free for University Members and youths age 17 and younger. Wednesday nights after 4 pm admission is by voluntary contribution (suggested donation $25), while five Open Houses offer the opportunity to visit the Museum for free. The Museum’s mobile MFA Guide is available at ticket desks and the Sharf Visitor Center for $5, members; $6, non-members; and $4, youths. The Museum is closed on New Year’s Day, Patriots’ Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The MFA is located on the Avenue of the Arts at 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. For more information, call 617.267.9300, visit mfa.org or follow the MFA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.