The Indianapolis Museum of Art announced today that membership has reached an all-time high of over 15,000 households.
“I am so grateful for the support of our community, and I am energized and inspired to watch our IMA family grow,” said Dr. Charles L. Venable, the IMA’s Melvin & Bren Simon Director and CEO. “As we strive to provide exceptional experiences for our guests, it is vital that we build relationships with our audience so that we can better understand the type of experiences that interest them. When guests become members, we are able to build relationships and learn about their individual interests, needs and preferences. As our membership grows we will be able to tailor and improve offerings as never before.”
Members receive unlimited free admission to the galleries and gardens, along with free admission, express entry and exclusive member preview times for special exhibitions. Members also receive free admission to selected programs such as Christmas at Lilly House, and discounts and advance registration for other programming, including the upcoming Winter Nights Film Series. Other member benefits include discounts in the IMA Café, Museum Store, Greenhouse Shop, and Lilly House Christmas Shop, including a special 20 percent discount on in-store purchases during Holiday Hullabaloo, the IMA’s annual holiday shopping extravaganza on Dec. 3.
Over the past year, the IMA has also worked to enhance the member experience by adding new programs and benefits, such as member’s only Sunday morning hours during popular exhibitions and special promotions around exhibition openings. Currently, members can purchase any level of membership for friends and family for 20% off the regular price through Dec. 31.
Members can expect to see new benefits and events in 2016, including Member Appreciation Week and a new series of members-only curator talks held on the second Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. Upcoming talks include:
Jan. 10 – Join John Teramoto, curator of Asian art, for a gallery talk on special exhibitions Tradition Reborn: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics and Mastering Materials: Rare Objects from the IMA’s Asian Collection.
Feb. 14 – Get a last chance walkthrough of Gustave Baumann, German Craftsman – American Artist with Martin Krause, curator of prints, drawings & photographs, on the final day of the exhibition.
March 13 – Join Tricia Paik, curator of contemporary art, for a gallery talk on Richard Wentworth: False Ceiling—Indianapolis and Jacco Oliver: Liquid Painting, Liquid Time.
April 10 – The IMA’s curator of special projects, Annette Schlagenhauff, explains how American museums have responded to World War II-era provenance issues and how the IMA researches and publicizes findings about the ownership history of European paintings in its collection.
Annual memberships begin at $55 for individuals and $75 for families. For more information, visit www.imamuseum.org/join.
