The theme for Art Museum Day 2018 is Hyperconnected Museums, a recognition of the many ways in which museums serve as central points of connectivity within their communities, both online and in person. Last year, 161 museums participated, providing everything from free admission to special programs.

Art Museum Day recognizes that museums are often important civic anchors, offering inspiring and educational experiences in ways that make towns, cities, and regions better places for everyone who lives and works there. Hyperconnected Museums also serve as engines for the creative economy, tapping the human creativity embedded in works of art—whether thousands of years old or as recent as 2018—to inspire new ideas and ways of thinking.

We encourage museums to offer free admission for Art Museum Day, to illustrate that arts museums welcome everyone. For museums that already offer free admission, or are unable to offer free admission, there are many other ways to participate such as offering special programs or discounts. If it is not feasible to develop special programming, existing exhibitions, programs, or events can be branded to be a part of Art Museum Day.

Some examples of ways to participate in the celebration include:

• - Education programs or tours
• - Free or discounted registration fees for new membership enrollments on May 18
• - Encouraging dialogue on social media about the importance of art museums to their communities
• - Free programs including special education programs for children and adults, and programs for families
• - Extended hours to encourage attendance by new audiences
• - Free admission to current special exhibitions
• - Partnerships with other area museums

Once you're signed up, here are some steps you can take to make the most of Art Museum Day:

• - Share the news with your community! Download a template press release announcing your institution's participation in Art Museum Day here.
• - Start a conversation on social media! AAMD also encourages museums and museum visitors to use social media to share their Art Museum Day experiences with their museum and with their social networks using the hashtag #artmuseumday.
• - Submit a photo! If you would like to add a photo to your Art Museum Day listing, such as an image of visitors enjoying your galleries or participating in education programs, please email it to Alison Wade awade@aamd.org with your preferred caption and/or credit.

Questions? Contact Alison at awade@aamd.org or 212-754-8084.