The Contemporary nixes admission fees

Great news, art lovers! The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center (ACAC)  has announced that it will be free to the public. Starting Sep. 1, the Contemporary will eliminate admission fees, thus increasing public access to art exhibitions. This free admission initiative will help the organization become a more inclusive, dynamic public space with a diversified audience.

However, this is not the first time that the Contemporary has removed admission fees; in 2009, the organization implemented Free Thursdays. That campaign and free public programming proved to significantly influence attendance and audience participation over the past six years. Consequently, the Contemporary assembled a team of board and staff members to work on implementing free admission every day. “By removing cost as a barrier we hope that people who don’t know us yet will visit soon, and those who do know us will deepen their engagement and visit regularly,” said Executive Director Julie Delliquanti in a statement.

To create new participation opportunities for current patrons while cultivating new audiences, the Contemporary has created a new membership model. To be implemented in the Fall, this new model will reward members who show continued engagement through repeat visits. Details on the new model will be announced later this summer.