The Whitney Museum.
Photo: Nic Lehoux
Whitney Museum to Provide Free Admission for Visitors 25 and Under
The initiative is thanks in part to a gift from artist Julie Mehretu
The Whitney Museum announced on Tuesday that admission for visitors 25 and under will soon be free thanks to donations made board members Susan Hess and artist Julie Mehretu. The new Free 25 and Under initiative builds on the already popular Free Friday Nights and Free Second Sundays programs that were launched earlier this year.
“I did not have access to contemporary art museums as a young adult, and when I moved to New York, I was waiting tables—it was hard to access contemporary art and culture, as it’s hard for so many grad students and young people” Mehretu said. “If you really want to push the discourse and evolve the discourse, many more people need to have access to be able to participate, and this program is a step in the right direction—and we need more.”
The free admission programs—which include access to every exhibition on view and include all visitors from anywhere in the world—are the largest ever offered by the Whitney Museum. According to the latest numbers, nearly 200,000 visitors have taken advantage of the initiative since the start. The museum typically sees double the average attendance during free admission hours than it does during paid hours, with more than half identifying as first-time guests.
“Since its founding the Whitney has been committed to supporting young and innovative artists, and we now hope to further support younger audiences, too, by addressing financial barriers that affect this group the most,” Scott Rothkopf, the Whitney’s Alice Pratt Brown Director, said. “I believe deeply in the cultural and social impact we can have by sharing the vitality and relevance of the Whitney’s artistic program with young people from New York, the United States, and around the globe.”
Mehretu and Hess both pledged three-year gifts for the initiative.
Cover: The Whitney Museum.
Photo: Nic Lehoux
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