Beginning in 2016, Phoenix Art Museum will present monthly Discount Tire Free Family Sundays on the second Sunday of each month. Due to a generous grant provided by Discount Tire Company, a tire and wheel retailer headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Phoenix Art Museum will open on the second Sunday of each month, free to all visitors. The Discount Tire Free Family Sundays will also include a variety of special hands-on, educational programming designed to appeal to visitors of all ages. The first Free Family Sunday will be held on January 9, 2016, from noon until 5 pm.
“Phoenix Art Museum is truly honored by the generosity of Discount Tire Company,” said Amada Cruz, the Sybil Harrington Director of Phoenix Art Museum. “This gift will have a real impact on our ability to create access to art for all people, and to broaden our connection with the greater Phoenix community. We want everyone in the Valley to feel like the Museum is their home. The arts are for all of us, and now, we can begin to make that philosophy a reality.”
“Discount Tire is excited to be able to provide free admission on the second Sunday of each month to all of our employees’ families, and especially proud to extend this free opportunity to all Arizona families,” said Bruce T. Halle, who founded Discount Tire in 1960. “This will mean great opportunities for all families to experience Phoenix Art Museum and discover one of the city’s cultural treasures.”
The Discount Tire Free Family Sundays will be the only weekend free-admission option for visitors. “Having a monthly free option on the weekend will enable entire families to come to the Museum together, creating a greater sense of connection and community for our visitors,” said Kaela Hoskings, the Museum’s Gerry Grout Director of Education. “The Discount Tire Free Family Sundays will also enable us to enhance our educational programming and activities on the weekends, which will help to activate the Museum, providing a more dynamic experience for visitors of every age.”
In addition to the opportunities to see art throughout the galleries, the Museum’s Education Department is also planning a number of hands-on, educational activities to enrich each viewer’s experience, similar to the Museum’s popular PhxArtKids Days, which have featured musical performances, interactive art workshops with local artists, and specialized tours designed to appeal to every interest.
General admission at the Museum is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $10 for students with current ID, and $6 for children aged six and older. For a typical family of five, Museum admission could be as much as $48. Free Family Sundays offer a significant savings. General admission pricing will be waved on those days. For special exhibitions, including traveling Steele Gallery exhibitions and unique engagements, visitors can see those exhibitions on Free Family Sundays at greatly reduced pricing, between $3-$8 per visitor.
