Museums Free-for-All day returns to Southern California on Sunday, with nearly 30 museums and cultural institutions in the region offering free admission.
The annual event is organized by SoCal Museums, a group dedicated to increasing visitation by creating a network of marketing and communications officials from museums of varying sizes, disciplines and missions across the Golden State. This year’s event will feature participants from Santa Barbara to Orange County to Palm Springs.
“For more than twenty years, SoCal Museums members have come together annually to collectively open our doors and welcome the public,” said Cristian Hamilton, president of SoCal Museums, in a statement. “We believe arts and culture should be accessible to everyone, and Museums Free-for-All has become a community touchstone.”
Bowers Museum in Santa Ana will be among the museums waiving general admission fees, which typically run between $15 and $18. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience Bowers’ latest exhibition, “Global Threads: India’s Textile Revolution” before it closes on April 5. The exhibition, produced and circulated by the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada and curated by Sarah Fee, traces the story of Indian chintz and how the textile changed the industry and the way people dress around the world. More than 80 pieces that span four continents and explore nearly 1,000 years of textile mastery are featured in the show.
Bowers Museum presents “Global Threads: India’s Textile Revolution.” The exhibition reveals the story of Indian chintz, global fashion trend from the 17th century.
(Sarah Mosqueda)
Orange County is fortunate enough to have many art institutions that regularly offer free admission, encouraging locals to engage with the arts. These include UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa and the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University in Orange.
Additional museums participating in Museums Free-for-All day include the Long Beach Museum of Art, the Museum of Tolerance, the Hammer Museum and the California African American Museum.
“The day encourages visitors to try something new, return to an old favorite, and experience the extraordinary diversity of free cultural experiences unique to Southern California,” Hamilton said.
Advanced tickets are required for high demand institutions like for Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the La Brea Tar Pits & Museum and the Getty Center. Other popular museums, like the Broad and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures recommend advanced reservations. Museum-goers should also note free-for-all day applies to general admission, not specially ticketed exhibitions. Regular parking fees apply at each museum.
For a full list of participating institutions and a calendar of free days, visit socalmuseums.net/free.