The de Young & Legion of Honor Museums Announce Free Saturday Admission for All San Francisco Residents

Jan 29, 2019

Museum patrons overlooking Osher Sculpture Garden.

Osher Sculpture Garden Overlook

SAN FRANCISCO (Tuesday, January 29)—This April, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco will roll out multiple new programs to provide free and reduced admission to their permanent collection galleries and special exhibitions. For San Francisco residents, general admission to the de Young and Legion of Honor will be free every Saturday starting April 6.

“The collections at the de Young museum were founded with the support of middle-and working-class San Francisco families,” says Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums. “We were tasked with providing artistic engagement and education for local audiences, which is still a core component of our mission today. In this time of rising costs, we are looking back to our roots and recommitting to our most loyal audience: the residents of San Francisco. We must serve the city that we represent. Step one is making sure that every resident can step foot in its museums. That starts with access. That starts with accessibility. Together we will remove as many barriers as possible to having art enrich the lives of the residents of San Francisco.”

In addition to free admission, on Saturdays the de Young will continue to feature engaging art experiences for the entire family, with family art making, gallery guides, and enhanced gallery tours with discussion groups and sketching in the permanent collection galleries. The ever-popular organ concerts on the Skinner organ will continue to take place at the Legion of Honor. All programming will also be free with museum admission.

“Every child, every family should have the opportunity to experience our amazing arts and cultural institutions. San Francisco is an increasingly expensive place to live, and that makes the cost of museums prohibitive for many. Exposure to the arts should not be limited by the price of admission,” adds San Francisco Mayor London Breed. “The Fine Arts Museums are an incredible part of our City’s arts community, and I am excited they will be opening their doors to all San Franciscans on Saturdays.”

The Fine Arts Museums are also excited both to introduce free admission to all visitors with disabilities and to join the national Museums for All program. Last week, the Museums also announced free general admission to all federal workers affected by the government shutdown. These programs join the beloved Free Tuesdays initiative, which gives free general admission to all visitors the first Tuesday of every month. Youth ages 17 and under are always free.

Details of the programs are as follows:

FAM Free Saturdays

  • Offer: Free general admission every Saturday
  • For: San Francisco residents with valid photo ID or postmarked envelope bearing their home address
  • Dates and times: Every Saturday beginning April 6, 9:30 am–5:15 pm
  • Locations: The de Young and Legion of Honor

FAM Free Tuesdays

  • Offer: Free general admission the first Tuesday of every month
  • For: All visitors
  • Dates and times: The first Tuesday of every month, 9:30 am–5:15 pm
  • Locations: The de Young and Legion of Honor

FAM Free Access

  • Offer: Free general admission and discounted special-exhibition admission during normal museum hours and on dedicated Access Days for visitors with disabilities
  • For: Any visitor with a disability plus one guest
  • Date and time: Normal museum hours beginning April 2, 9:30 am–5:15 pm
  • Locations: The de Young and Legion of Honor

Bank of America \ Museums on Us

  • Offer: Free general admission the first full weekend of every month
  • For: Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, or U.S. Trust cardholders with valid bank card and photo ID
  • Dates and times: First full weekend of every month throughout 2019, 9:30 am–5:15 pm
  • Locations: The de Young and Legion of Honor

Museums for All

  • Offer: Free general admission during normal museum hours
  • For: All visitors receiving food assistance (SNAP benefits) with a valid EBT card
  • Date: Normal museum hours beginning April 2, 9:30 am–5:15 pm
  • Locations: The de Young and Legion of Honor

Discover & Go

  • Offer: Free general admission during normal museum hours for California library cardholders
  • For: Anyone with a valid library card; redeem online for a Discover & Go museum pass before visiting
  • Dates: Ongoing, 9:30 am–5:15 pm
  • Locations: The de Young and Legion of Honor

For more details, please refer to our website.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Miriam Newcomer, Director of Communications \ mnewcomer@famsf.org \ 415.750.3554