Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery sets spring 2027 for free admission
Rochester's Memorial Art Gallery will offer free admission in spring 2027 after raising more than $9 million.
Labor and Capital
The Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester will offer free general admission in 2027 after a fundraising drive raised more than $9 million.
The museum installed a banner on its exterior in September announcing “Free for All, Forever: Coming Spring 2027,” the museum said in a statement. The first free admission day has not been set.
MAG raised the money through its Free for All, Forever campaign, exceeding its original goal and timeline, the university said.
Urgent Matter previously reported that the endowment behind the initiative was built to fund permanent free admission once it reached $6 million. The $3 million gift to establish an endowment came from Doug Bennett, Abby Bennett and the Sands Family Foundation.
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Mary Ellen Burris, a 1968 graduate, donated $2 million in April 2026. Other gifts came from an anonymous donor, Kitty and Nick Jospé, and Sandy Hawks Lloyd and Justin Hawks Lloyd.
A $1 million gift from Alexander “Al” A. Levitan, a 1963 graduate of the university’s medical school, and Lucy K. Levitan completed the fundraising, the university said. The museum called it the Levitan Family Capstone Challenge.
Adult admission to the museum is currently $20. On previous free days, attendance rose more than sixfold, the university said.
“By eliminating our admission fee for everyone in perpetuity, generations of community members will soon be able to enjoy MAG’s extraordinary collection and benefit from a rich cultural education without cost of entry ever standing in the way,” said Sarah Jesse, the museum’s director.
The gallery was free for its first 56 years after Emily Sibley Watson gave it to the community in 1913, the university said.
“It’s exciting to see private philanthropy now extending free admission to all visitors,” said Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. “Public-private partnerships are a sustainable way to reinforce our area’s reputation as an arts and cultural hub.”
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