Oklahoma City Museum of Art, only Oklahoma art institution named as recipient, receives $600,000 grant from Art Bridges
OKLAHOMA CITY (October 12, 2023) – The Oklahoma City Museum of Art (OKCMOA) today announced that beginning January 2024 visitors of all ages will receive access to the Museum at no cost on the second Sunday of each month. Thanks to the generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program, OKCMOA received $600,000 to be awarded over the span of three years.
“This grant allows us to make an even bigger impact in our community,” said OKCMOA President and CEO Michael Anderson, PhD. “The funds guarantee that many more people will have the opportunity to be inspired by the art and the stories in our exhibitions – and that that inspiration no longer has to be hindered by financial barriers.”
OKCMOA strives to make art accessible to the Oklahoma City community and beyond. In recent years, it has done this by providing free children’s admission to all Museum exhibitions, making its galleries more accessible for the blind and low-vision community, and offering virtual field trips at no cost to schools anywhere in the country.
“The Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program gives our mission, to enrich lives through the visual arts, that much more meaning,” said Director of Development Kimberley Worrell, CFRM. “We have been thrilled to offer free children’s admission since 2020, and this grant from Art Bridges builds upon that by giving all adults access to that same benefit and that same joy.”
Art Bridges Foundation, the national arts nonprofit founded by philanthropist Alice Walton, will provide $40 million in funding to 64 museums nationwide. The initiative aims to increase access to museums across the country and foster engagement with local communities.
Access for All represents a sweeping effort to get people back to museums after COVID-19 brought declines in revenue, staffing, and attendance. With many museums seeing only 71% of their pre-pandemic attendance, the new initiative aims to restore pre-pandemic levels – and opens opportunities for all people to enjoy American art by reducing barriers to access and strengthening community relationships.
The special exhibition on view when the program begins will be Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight, which opens November 11. Visitors will also be able to look forward to Access for All days during Edith Head: Hollywood’s Costume Designer beginning in June of 2024.
For more information about programming, special exhibitions, and events at the Museum, please visit www.okcmoa.com.
About Art Bridges Foundation
Art Bridges Foundation is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. The mission of Art Bridges is to expand access to American art in all regions across the United States. Since 2017, Art Bridges has been creating and supporting programs that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of over 220 museums of all sizes and locations on nearly 700 projects across the nation, impacting over 4.1 million people, to provide financial and strategic support for exhibition development, loans from the Art Bridges Collection, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local audiences. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices. For more information, visit artbridgesfoundation.org.
Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.
