Wexner Center seeks to engage more visitors with free gallery admission as of June 10
When you next go to see a visual arts exhibition at the Wexner Center for the Arts, your wallet will feel a little lighter when you leave.
In a bid to make its frequently thought-provoking offerings more widely accessible to Greater Columbus residents, leaders at the arts center on the campus of Ohio State University announced today that admission to its gallery spaces will be free starting June 10.
“We had previously been free on Thursday evenings and then last year, with the support of AEP Foundation, we were able to be free on Sundays,” said Kelly Stevelt, the arts center’s co-interim executive director and chief advancement officer.
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An uptick in attendance during days with free admission led leaders to make the change across the board.
“We found that, even during the pandemic, by having our galleries free on Sundays, we were having three times as many visitors on those days,” said Stevelt, adding that the move reflects the center’s goal to “open up” to the broader public.
“This seemed like a really important initiative to have everyone in Columbus feel that they can come in and visit our galleries,” Stevelt said.
Admission will be free beginning with the exhibition “Portal For(e) the Ephemeral Passage,” which will open June 10 and continue through Aug. 14.
Curated by Wexner Center Artist Residency Award recipient jaamil olawale kosoko, the new exhibition, which encompasses artwork, video installations and other mediums, will reference “Black feminist knowledge, queer theory and sacred rituals of intimacy and wellness,” according to the arts center’s website.
Leaders hope that making admission free will encourage spectators to return to shows repeatedly.
“We know, when you come into the Wex, some things you’re going to encounter may not make sense at first (or) might not be something you like, but we know it’s going to be something that is going to really help stretch all of our thinking,” Stevelt said.
Even after the current exhibition ends, the plan is for the free admission to continue.
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“It’s something that we plan to do for the near future,” Stevelt said.
Paid admission will continue for film and performing arts events at the Wexner Center, but ticket-buyers going to select programming in those categories can now park for $2 thanks to discount parking stickers. For eligible events, stickers can be reserved in advance via the Wexner Center website or picked up at the front desk.
All of the new initiatives have been undertaken in the spirit of bringing more people through the arts center’s doors.
“Everyone is doing this work to really engage people,” Stevelt said. “We really want to whatever we can to invite people into that conversation.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Admission to Wexner Center galleries to be free starting June 10
