Phoenix Art Museum and Steele Foundation partner to provide free summer admission to kids

Jun, 26, 2018

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Phoenix Art Museum and Steele Foundation partner to provide free summer admission to kids

Through the generosity of the Steele Foundation, the Museum to offer free admission July 1—Sept. 30 to all kids under 18

PHOENIX (June 26, 2018) –Phoenix Art Museum will offer free admission to children under the age of 18 visiting the Museum from July 1 through September 30, due to a grant from the Steele Foundation. The generous gift provides vital funds and resources that enables the Museum to remove economic barriers that may prohibit Arizona families from accessing arts and cultural experiences. The program, known as PhxArt Open for Kids, presented by the Steele Foundation, provides free youth admission during normal admission hours, as well as free admission during voluntary-donation times to special-engagement exhibitions, which normally include a $5 ticket charge.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Steele Foundation for its profound generosity. In many ways, this is a gift from the Steele Foundation not just to Phoenix Art Museum, but to the children and teens of our shared community,” said Amada Cruz, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. “When community organizations make investments like this in arts and cultural institutions, they make it possible for us to reach so many more Arizonans and increase our impact on the lives of everyone in the Valley and beyond. The Steele Foundation is a model of that kind of visionary spirit.”

The Steele Foundation, founded in 1980, is a non-profit, charitable foundation that is dedicated to serving causes that benefit the well-being of Arizona and its diverse residents, with a special focus on children and families. The Steele Foundation has supported the Museum in a number of significant ways over the decades, including the endowment of the Steele Gallery, the Museum’s premier exhibition gallery that hosts special-engagement exhibitions from all over the world. Most recently, the Steele Foundation provided vital resources that will enable the Museum to embark on improvements to its website and visitor services center, designed to create a positive and welcoming experience for Museum visitors from across Arizona. PhxArt Open for Kids, presented by the Steele Foundation, will have an immediate and profound impact on the Museum’s ability to truly open doors to all children and families in the Greater Phoenix metro area and the Southwest.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Phoenix Art Museum to ensure that all young people have access to the largest art museum in the southwest,” says Marianne Cracchiolo Mago, president for the Steele Foundation. “Adding vibrancy to the lives of children through access to the arts is a priority for the Steele Foundation – as it has been for the Phoenix Art Museum.  We know that through access to cultural opportunities and the arts we can help foster a sense of community pride, educate and continue to ensure Arizona is a great place to be a kid.”

In the last two years, an average of more than 25,000 children have visited the Museum each year, and with an ongoing expansion of school field trip programs, that number is anticipated to exceed more than 35,000 children in the 2018-2019 school year. According to a 2010 Arizona Arts Education Census, funding for arts materials and education in Arizona is approximately $0.005 per student (one-half cent) per day. Organizations like Phoenix Art Museum play a vital role in the community by providing a range of resources to aid both arts and general education educators, including free, on-site professional development programs for teachers. Now, through PhxArt Open for Kids, presented by the Steele Foundation, the Museum can open another avenue that connects kids and teens with the arts. Complimentary youth admission to the Museum, made possible through the generosity of the Steele Foundation, allows more parents and children than ever before to visit the Museum together, forming meaningful connections to art in a comfortable and safe environment during the summer and early fall.

For more information about the Museum or for additional resources to assist in planning a visit to the Museum, call 602.257.1880 or visit phxart.org. For questions about the grant or other media inquiries, contact the Museum’s Press Office at 602.257.2105.

About Phoenix Art Museum

Phoenix Art Museum has provided access to visual arts and educational programs in Arizona for nearly 60 years and is the largest art museum in the Southwestern United States. Critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions are shown alongside the Museum’s permanent collection of more than 19,000 works of American, Asian, European, Latin American, Western American, modern and contemporary art, and fashion design. The Museum also presents festivals, a comprehensive film program, live performances and educational programs designed to enlighten, entertain and stimulate visitors of all ages. Visitors also enjoy vibrant photography exhibitions through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit PhxArt.org, or call (602) 257-1880.

About the Steele Foundation

The Steele Foundation is committed to helping children develop into confident, happy and healthy human beings. Established in 1980, the Foundation provides funding to nonprofit organizations in Arizona that primarily focus on education initiatives from preschool through college, cultural opportunities in the arts and community, and safeguarding children from abuse, neglect and hunger. For more information on the Steele Foundation, visit steeleaz.org.