Phoenix Art Museum to provide free admission for veterans, military through 2022 courtesy of local donors

Jan, 08, 2021

Major Gifts

Phoenix Art Museum to provide free admission for veterans, military through 2022 courtesy of local donors

The generosity of two Valley families will support the Museum’s Military Access Program benefitting veterans, active-duty military, and their families for two years

PHOENIX (January 8, 2021) – Phoenix Art Museum announces the return of its popular Military Access Program, colloquially referred to as MAP@PAM, which provides free admission to veterans, active-duty military, and their immediate families. The program will run through December 31, 2022 and is made possible through the profound generosity of local donors Dr. Hong and Doris Ong and Nancy Hanley Eriksson, all of whom sought an opportunity to support arts and culture in Arizona while also providing a gift of gratitude to military service members and their families for the sacrifices they have made and continue to make for the nation. Since 2016, MAP@PAM has provided free admission to more than 16,000 military service members, veterans, and their families.

“We are truly grateful to the Ong family and to Mrs. Hanley Eriksson for their tremendous generosity,” said Tim Rodgers, PhD, the Museum’s Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. “Through this gift, they are not just providing vital support for Phoenix Art Museum during a time when we are actively recovering from a nearly seven-month closure and the resulting financial challenges—they are also removing economic barriers for military families to enjoy arts and culture. Their generosity is a true investment in building community and a meaningful way to emphasize our collective gratitude to these families who give so much of themselves in the service of others.”

The Ong family and Mrs. Hanley Eriksson all live in the Valley of the Sun and have a long history of supporting local arts and cultural organizations as well as those that serve veterans and their families. Their support of MAP@PAM will ensure that veterans, active-duty service members, and their families will enjoy free admission to Phoenix Art Museum through December 31, 2022. MAP@PAM was first established in 2016 through the support of PetSmart and continued in 2017 and beyond through the generosity of APS. The program ended in May 2020 with the conclusion of funding and during the Museum’s temporary closure necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Museum, however, continued to offer free admission to military families on its own after re-opening to the public in October despite limited resources. When Mrs. Ong and Mrs. Hanley Eriksson, both of whom serve on the Museum’s Board of Trustees, learned that the institution would be unable to continue offering free admission to military families into 2021 due to financial challenges caused by the pandemic, they decided to step in and support two causes close to their hearts.

“Veterans, active-duty service members, and their families are an important part of the fabric of our community,” said Mrs. Ong, who, in addition to her service on the Museum’s Board of Trustees, was inducted (2008-2010) as an Honorary Commander Alumna of Luke Air Force Base (AFB) and Fighter Country Partnership, assigned to the Singapore 425^th ‘Black Widows’ Fighter Squadron at Luke AFB; has partaken in many Base activities, including serving as photographer with the Luke AFB group to honor Frank Luke’s 100-Year WWI Commemoration in Murvaux, France; is a lifetime member of the Blue Blazer Squadron; and received the Luke AFB, Arizona-56^th Fighter Wing, Fighter Country Partnership Volunteer of the Year award in 2019. “We choose to support this program to help create access to the arts for veterans, active-duty service men and women, and their families to thank them for their service.”

For Mrs. Hanley Eriksson, whose family has supported Phoenix Art Museum since it first opened in 1959, the program was an important way for her to support her community while also honoring her late husband of 48 years, Lee Thomas Hanley, who passed away in 2012. “Lee served as a Captain and platoon leader in the Marine Corps with the 5^th Marines 1^st Marine Division,” said Mrs. Hanley Eriksson, “and later was very instrumental in the local development of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation [MCSF] that provides college scholarships to children of Marines.” Mrs. Hanley Eriksson continues this mission and has enabled numerous students to receive a college scholarship. In 2019, she gratefully received the MCSF Service Above Self Award.

“As a young wife and mother in 1966, I experienced the fear and anxiety of raising our son alone as well as expecting another baby when my husband was deployed to Vietnam,” she continued. “It means the world to me to provide this gift that benefits not only veterans and active-duty service members, but also their spouses, children, and other family members. I am grateful for this chance to simultaneously give back to the Museum of my childhood and honor our military families.”

MAP@PAM officially relaunched on January 1, 2021 due to the generosity of the Ong family and Mrs. Hanley Eriksson and will continue through 2022. The program provides free admission to the Museum for all veterans, active-duty service members, reserve members, and their immediate families, including spouses, partners, and children.

For more information about MAP@PAM, contact the Communications Office of Phoenix Art Museum at 602.307.2003 or samantha.andreacchi@phxart.org.

About Phoenix Art Museum

Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum has provided millions of guests with access to world-class art and experiences in an effort to ignite imaginations, create meaningful connections, and serve as a brave space for all people who wish to experience the transformative power of art. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, the Museum is a vibrant destination for the visual arts and the largest art museum in the southwestern United States. Each year, more than 300,000 guests engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions and the Museum’s collection of more than 20,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern and contemporary art, and fashion design. The Museum also presents a comprehensive film program, live performances, and educational programs designed for visitors of all ages, along with vibrant photography exhibitions made possible 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.