Erie Museums Announce Discounts for Low-Income Families

May 12, 2017-The Erie Art Museum and the expERIEnce Children's Museum are proud to be a member of the Museums for All program, a signature access program of the Association of Children's Museums (ACM) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to encourage families of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits. The program will enable low-income families to visit the art museum and children's museum for a minimal fee of $2 per person with the presentation of an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card.  Museums for All is part of the museums' broad commitment to seek, include, and welcome all.

The Museums for All initiative represents a long stride toward the goal of reaching more children and parents, especially those living in poverty, with the valuable learning resources of museums. In addition to this discount for families, the Erie Art Museum offers free admission to the public every Wednesday and second Sunday of the month. Second Sundays is an exhibit-based program that invites families to create art together with the help of local artists. For a list of upcoming events visit http://erieartmuseum.org/second-sundays/.

The expERIEnce Children's Museum offers free admission annually during Celebrate Erie Festivities in August and is now offering a discounted $25 annual Museum for All Membership for families who present an EBT card upon sign up. Children's Museums, with their unique focus on bringing children, families, and communities together, are committed to providing access to all. Each year, children's museums host more than 31 million visitors. The Museums for All initiative allows children's museums to further expand their reach and impact.

About the Erie Art Museum

The Erie Art Museum anchors downtown Erie's cultural and economic revitalization, occupying a group of restored mid-19th century commercial buildings tied together by a modern, 'green,' 10,500 square foot expansion.  The new facility was the first LEED Gold certified building in Northwest Pennsylvania.

The Museum maintains an ambitious program of changing exhibitions annually, embracing a wide range of subjects, both historical and contemporary and including folk art, contemporary craft, multi-disciplinary installations, community-based work, as well as traditional media.

The Erie Art Museum also holds a collection of over 8,000 objects, which includes significant works in American ceramics, Tibetan painting, Indian bronzes, contemporary baskets, and a variety of other categories.

The Museum offers a wide range of education programs and artists' services including interdisciplinary and interactive school tours and a wide variety of classes for the community.  Performing arts are showcased in the popular summer program, Mid Day Art Break, which presents a wide range of regional performers, and the popular annual two-day Erie Art Museum Blues & Jazz Festival, which presents outstanding national and international artists.

The Erie Art Museum and gift shop is open Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Winter hours for the Museum's Wave Café are 10 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. For additional visitor information, visit online at www.erieartmuseum.org  or call 814-459-5477.

About the expERIEnce Children's Museum

The expERIEnce Children's Museum is a place that has been inspiring creativity and imagination in children for twenty years. The museum is a non-profit organization located in the historic cultural district of downtown Erie whose entire mission is to provide a safe, family-centered educational experience that inspires creativity, exploration, and imagination through play, interactive exhibits, and innovative programming.

The museum is a place where children can race a boat, paint a painting, shop healthy, imagine a career, explore magnets and produce a play. Named Erie's Choice for Museum in 2016, the museum welcomes over 50,000 guests annually. Three floors including over 50 hands-on exhibits provide hours of fun for children between toddlers to 10 years of age.

The Children's Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 am until 5pm and Sundays from 1-5 pm. The museum is open until 7 pm on the Third Thursday of every month and offers a special Sensory Friendly Morning for kids on the autism spectrum on the last Sunday of every month. Visit www.eriechildrensmuseum to learn more about classes, camps, special events and membership.