Target (I'm saying that with a Frenchy accent) has helped keep the Allentown Art Museum Free on Sundays...have fun reading the following press release:
PS...for all of you Frank Lloyd Wright lovers that don't already know - the library from the Francis W. Little House is part of the museum.
The Allentown Art Museum has entered into a partnership with Target in recognition of the museum’s effort to make Museum visitation accessible to all families. Funds from a grant secured from Target are being used to continue Free Sundays, a program that waives general Museum admission on every Sunday of the year.“We are proud that Target identified merit in this program that allows visitors of every economic background to enjoy and benefit from the Museum,” said Greg Perry, the Priscilla Payne Hurd Executive Director of the Allentown Art Museum. “Target demonstrates a strong commitment to the communities in which it does business, and we are grateful for their support.”
Free Sundays is the most visible and continuous demonstration of the Museum’s commitment to making its resources and educational programming accessible and available to all its constituents. The program encourages the Museum’s downtown neighbors, for many of whom the cost of membership or admission would be a barrier, to visit at no charge. Of the Museum’s 117,000 visitors in 2007, more than 21,000 took advantage of the Free Sundays opportunity.
This grant is part of ongoing efforts by Target to strengthen families and communities throughout the country. Since opening its doors, Target has given 5% of its income to organizations that support education, the arts and safe families and communities. Today, that translates to $3 million every week.
“At Target, we are making a real difference every day through our grant-making program,” said Laysha Ward, vice president, community relations, Target. “We’re proud to partner with the Allentown Art Museum as part of our ongoing commitment to give back to the communities where our guests and team members live and work.”
About the Allentown Art Museum
The Allentown Art Museum is a vibrant cultural center offering a world-class collection, an exceptional schedule of exhibitions, programs for visitors of all ages and a distinctive Museum Store. The permanent collection includes superb European Renaissance and Baroque paintings, American paintings and sculpture from the last three centuries, Southeast Asian sculpture, international textiles, decorative arts, and a library designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Art Ways, the Museum’s interactive family gallery, is themed to major exhibitions and offers a “please touch” area where families can enjoy making art together. The Allentown Art Museum is an Arts in Education Partner with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
