The Michener Museum offers free admission days, extended hours

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The Michener Museum is now free of charge on the second Sunday of every month.

The museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, is also extending its hours every first Thursday until 8 p.m. It is normally open 10 a.m. through 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

The Michener is a major regional art museum specializing in Pennsylvania impressionism and contemporary artists.

The free second Sunday and evening hours on first Thursday are possible due to a $400,000 grant from the Art Bridges Foundation, whose Access for All program is funding 64 museums across the country to help rebuild audiences lost from the pandemic shutdown four years ago.

“The Michener is entering an exciting time of renewal, and we are finding new ways to encourage our patrons to develop a lifelong involvement in the arts, “ said Michener executive director Anne Corso, in a statement. “We hope people will always view the museum as a welcoming community space.”

On Sundays the Michener typically presents Unplugged Sundays programming, featuring visual and performance artists that engage audiences with storytelling, music and hands-on artmaking.

The Michener now joins the ranks of other regional art institutions that have made themselves more accessible: the Barnes Foundation is free on the first Sunday of the month, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art is pay-what-you-wish on the first Sunday. Two years ago, the Allentown Art Museum became free to everyone, all the time.