not just for members
MFAH celebrates Art Museum Day with free admission, two talks and a pair ofclassic Texas films
In honor of International Museum Day, the MFAH will waive admission fees Fridayand offer several special free events.Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau
Bayou Bend will also be free . . .Photo by Rick Gardner
. . . as will the Rienzi.Photo by Chris Conyers
Nothing beats free . . . In honor of International Museum Day, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will waive entry fees on Friday to its central campus on Bissonnet as well as to the museum's Bayou Bend and Rienzi houses.
“I hope Houstonians will take this opportunity to visit the MFAH and the museum’s remarkable collection, experience some of the wonderful exhibitions currently on view and attend a lecture or gallery talk,” said MFAH director Gary Tinerow in a recent statement, noting that museum admission is free each Thursday in addition to the once-a-year Museum Day celebration.
With Friday's no-cost entry, visitors also get a chance to check out several other free events typically reserved for museum members.
With Friday's no-cost entry, visitors also get a chance to check out several other free events. Catch a 45-minute gallery talk on Dutch master Willem van Aelst at noon or hear an hour-long lecture on Caravaggio by historian Andrew Graham-Dixon starting at 1:30 p.m.
As part of the University of California–Los Angeles' nationwide Festival of Preservation, the museum will offer a free screening of two western films from the 1940s — Roy Rogers' classic Saturday matinee Rainbow Over Texas followed by Heart of the Rio Grande with everybody's favorite singing cowboy Gene Autry. The event kicks off at 7 p.m. and is planned to run until just past 9 p.m.
“Art museums create opportunities for the public to engage directly with works of art in new and meaningful ways,” said Chris Anagnos of Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), the organization which coordinates Museum Day among large art institutions throughout North America. “AAMD believes that art should be accessible and relevant to all, and we are so pleased that the MFAH is joining with us."
This Friday, the MFAH will be open from at 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a range of exhibitions including Eye on Third Ward: Jack Yates High School Photography, Shifting Paradigms in Contemporary Ceramics, Willem van Aelst, Utopia/Dystopia, Drawings by Rembrandt, His Students and Circle as well as Modern Contemporary Masterworks from Malba–Fundación Costantini.
Visit mfah.org for Friday hours and reservations to Bayou Bend and Rienzi.
