The Harvard University Art Museums and the Cambridge Public Library Create a Partnership in Cultural Literacy

Collaboration Means Free Admission
to Harvard’s Art Museums for Cambridge Community

Cambridge, MA – October 12, 2000 – The Harvard University Art Museums and the Cambridge Public Library have jointly announced a partnership in cultural literacy. Effective immediately, this new partnership offers free admission for all Cambridge residents with a Cambridge Public Library card to Harvard’s Arthur M. Sackler Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and the Fogg Art Museum.

"Not only are we happy that we can extend this courtesy to the citizens of Cambridge, but by aligning ourselves with the Library, we emphasize our mission of teaching and research, and we emphasize the importance of our collections for their ability to teach us about the history, culture, values, and aesthetics of our past," said James Cuno, Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director of the Harvard University Art Museums.

The price of admission can be an access barrier for many would-be museum visitors. This partnership gives the Cambridge community free entry to the many exhibitions and programs that have made the Museums nationally recognized as a center for artistic learning, while also highlighting the many resources available at the Cambridge Public Library.

"For over 100 years the Cambridge Public Library has been the gateway to opportunity, education, and cultural enrichment for all ages," said Susan Flannery, Director of the Cambridge Public Library. "We are honored and pleased to be partners with the Harvard University Art Museums in making their rich collections and resources accessible to all library cardholders."

This venture builds on the longtime close association between the two institutions. Each spring they sponsor "Family Night at the Fogg," a program geared towards young children and their parents where hundreds gather for gallery tours, storytelling, arts and crafts activities, and refreshments. The Art Museums also routinely donate copies of all their publications to the Cambridge Public Library for cataloguing and circulation.

At a time when many museums are increasing admission costs to patrons, the Harvard University Art Museums have chosen not to raise admission fees, which are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for college students. Everyone under 18 years of age is admitted without charge. More recently, free admission was extended to everyone all day on Wednesdays, and on Saturday mornings until noon. This new "partnership in cultural literacy" opens the Museums’ doors to all Cambridge citizens and creates a unique bond between two educational institutions.

Harvard University Art Museums
The Harvard University Art Museums is one of the leading arts institutions in the United States and the world. It is distinguished by the range and depth of its collections, its groundbreaking exhibitions, and the original research of its staff. For more than a century, it has been the nation’s premier training ground for museum professionals and scholars and is renowned for its seminal and ongoing role in the development of the discipline of art history in this country.

The three art museums at Harvard – the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and the Fogg Art Museum – are all outstanding institutions in their respective fields. The Fogg also houses the Straus Center for Conservation, long a leader in the research and development of scientific and technology-based analysis of art, as well as the U. S. headquarters for the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, an ongoing excavation project in western Turkey. The 150,000 objects in the art museums’ collections range in date from ancient times to the present and come from Europe, North America, North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. Each museum also has an active program of special exhibitions that promotes new scholarship in its areas of focus.

As an integral component of the Harvard University community, the three art museums serve as a resource for all students, adding a special dimension to their areas of study. The public is welcome to experience the collections and special exhibitions as well as to enjoy lectures, symposia, and other programs in the various museums.

The collections are divided among ten curatorial areas: Ancient and Byzantine Art and Numismatics; Architecture and Design; Asian Art; Busch-Reisinger Museum; Drawings; Islamic and Later Indian Art; Modern and Contemporary Art; Paintings, Sculpture and Decorative Arts; Prints; and Photographs. Developed with an emphasis on their value for teaching and research, these holdings are a uniquely broad and rich resource that is continually enhanced through gifts and acquisitions. Together, the holdings of the three museums comprise one of the finest university art collections in the world, with resources rivaling those of many major public museums.

The Straus Center for Conservation is the oldest fine arts conservation treatment, research, and training facility in the United States. The Center specializes in the conservation of paintings, sculpture, decorative objects, historic and archaeological artifacts, and works of art on paper. Its team members are pioneers in developing new applications of digital imaging in conservation. The Center’s state-of-the-art facilities support a broad range of analytical services.

All three art museums are open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, 1–5 p.m., and are closed on national holidays. Admission is $5.00; $4.00 for senior citizens; $3.00 for students; free under 18, for all individuals on Saturdays until noon and all day on Wednesdays, and for Cambridge residents with a Cambridge Public Library card.

For general information, call 617-495-9400 or visit www.artmuseums.harvard.edu. All groups of seven or more must schedule in advance by calling 617-496-8576. The Harvard University Art Museums receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.