The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is pleased to announce a sponsorship from JPMorgan Chase that allows the museum to be open and free to the public every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m.
The program, titled Chase Free Thursday Evenings, which began Sept. 6, includes access to all galleries, brief docent talks in select exhibitions and refreshments available for purchase. The Museum Café, Museum Store and Family Resource Center are also be open during these new hours.
Additional programming, such as films, lectures and live music, will be added on occasion.
“Through market research conducted last year, we found that an overwhelming number of people wanted to have extended hours at the museum one night during the week,” said Larry Feinberg, the SBMA’s Robert and Mercedes Eichholz director. “Thursday seemed an ideal day as we could follow in the footsteps of the success of the Downtown Organization’s 1st Thursday program. It is our hope that the community will begin to think of Thursday evenings as a time to explore the art and culture that Santa Barbara has to offer. We are very thankful for the generosity of JPMorgan Chase, which has enabled us to offer these extended hours for free to the public.”
“The partnership with the museum affords Chase a great opportunity to further our support for the greater Santa Barbara community, education, arts and culture.” said Peter Barker, chairman of California for JPMorgan Chase and Santa Barbara resident.
Other Admission Changes
The museum also announces additional changes to its regular admission policy effective Sept. 1. The SBMA is offering free admission to all Santa Barbara County students (from kindergarten through college) with current ID/proof of local residency, all Santa Barbara County teachers (kindergarten through 12th grade) with current ID, and all active U.S. military and their families with current ID.
Also effective is an increase in the regular adult admission price from $9 to $10, and a change to paid admission Sundays. Admission for other students, children and seniors remains at $6, and free for SBMA members.
“In regards to our other changes in admission, capturing revenue from visitors to Santa Barbara is important, especially in light of the fact that the museum receives virtually no funding from the government,” Feinberg said. “We also want to make sure we continue to be an accessible resource of art, culture and education to the local community. We hope that we are fulfilling this need and incentivizing families and educators to visit the museum by offering free admission to all local students, teachers and active military all the time, along with the new Chase Free Thursday Evenings.”
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is located at 1130 State St. and is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 5 to 8 p.m. for Chase Free Thursday Evenings. For more information, click here or call 805.963.4364.
— Katrina Carl is the public relations manager for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
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