Allentown Art Museum will offer ‘free admission to all, forever,’ starting Aug. 27

'Rembrandt Revealed' opens at Allentown Art Museum, amid COVID protections

The museum announced in a letter this week to its members that it will make the switch to “Free Admission for All, Forever” at the end of the month.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com

The saying goes: the best things in life are free.

It’s a concept that can be applied to many different things, including art and as early as Aug. 27 — the Allentown Art Museum.

The museum announced in a letter this week to its members that it will make the switch to “Free Admission for All, Forever” at the end of the month.

“Becoming an admission-free Museum is the most important step yet in our years-long journey toward eliminating barriers to entry and ensuring that our entire community has access to the Museum and our programs,” Max Weintraub, museum president and CEO, said.

The museum will host a two-day initiation of its new program on Aug. 27 and 28.

Both days will feature guided tours, artists in the galleries, self-guided Treasure Hunts, music and food. A complete schedule of activities can be found here.

Admission to the museum typically costs $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and children and is already free on Sundays and between 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month.

Renovations on several galleries, including: the Butz Gallery, the Goodman Gallery, the Trexler Gallery, as well as the Decorative Arts Corridor and the Frank Lloyd Wright Library prompted the museum to offer free admission since earlier this year.

Those galleries will all reopen Aug. 27, permanently free to visit and with some major changes, the museum promises.

“This is probably one of the most significant changes the museum has made to the collection in over a decade,” Sean O’Leary, a receptionist at the museum said. “Returning customers are going to find a layout in the back that is, for the most part, completely different from what they’re used to seeing.”

O’Leary said the Sol Lewitt Wall Drawing #793A is one major change visitors can expect not to find when they return. The piece will be taken down to make room for incoming works. It’s been installed since 2018.

The New American Galleries may also surprise visitors. The reinstallation will comprise 148 artworks that highlight Black, Afro-Latinx, Latinx, Central and South American, Indigenous and women artists.

A third of the pieces will be swapped out every six months to ensure the galleries remain dynamic, the museum said.

A 3D printing station will also be featured in the Art Ways Interactive gallery.

The Century Fund gift that is supporting Free Admission for All, Forever, is managed by the endowment fund at the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation and supported by Lehigh Valley Health Network and City Center Allentown and J.B. and Kathleen Reilly

“We are forever grateful for the support that all our donors and members provide to us every year,” Weintraub said. “Their generosity allows us to keep the doors open, display timeless pieces of art, and deliver programs that enrich the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds.”

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Glenn Epps can be reached at gepps@lehighvalleylive.com or glenn_epps_ on Twitter.

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