MAG receives $3M boost toward free admission for all

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A transformative $3 million commitment from Doug and Abby Bennett and the Sands Family Foundation is propelling the Memorial Art Gallery toward its goal of making art free and accessible to everyone, forever. 

University of Rochester Trustee Doug Bennett and his wife, Abby, along with the Sands Family Foundation, have committed the funding to establish the Abby and Doug Bennett and Sands Family Foundation Free for All Endowment.  

Once the museum raises $6 million for this initiative, it can offer free admission to all visitors permanently.  

To reach the milestone, the Bennetts and the Sands Family Foundation invite other arts patrons and members of the Rochester community and beyond to join them in support. 

Given in trust to the university, the MAG is one of the few university-affiliated art museums in the country that also serves as a community art museum. 

Over the years, MAG’s admission fee has gradually increased—reflecting a broader nationwide trend among peer cultural institutions.  

The current adult admission fee is $20, which is cost-prohibitive for many community members, and contradicts the public-spirited, educational mission of the museum, said Sarah Jesse, the Mary W. and Donald R. Clark director of the MAG.  

“We’ve seen clear evidence that when we remove economic barriers, people respond,” she said, adding that the museum’s free days draw more than six times their typical attendance. 

The Bennetts and the Sands Family Foundation are long-time supporters of the university. 

The Bennetts are members of the George Eastman Circle, the university’s leadership annual giving society. They provide sustaining annual support to MAG and Simon Business School, and they are also supporters of Golisano Children’s Hospital.  

In addition to his role as a trustee for the university and MAG, Doug Bennett is a member of the Simon Campaign Advisory Council and the MAG Board of Managers, and he chairs the MAG component of the For Ever Better campaign. 

“Bringing our kids to MAG has been one of our favorite things to do with them,” Doug Bennett said. “We feel strongly that every family in this region deserves the same opportunity to have these experiences and make these kinds of memories—and we want to encourage them to do so by eliminating the costs of admission.” 

The Sands Family Foundation, led by cochairs Richard Sands, a university trustee emeritus, and Robert Sands, supports projects and organizations focused primarily on serving the health, educational and cultural needs of the community.  

Each now serves on the board of directors of Constellation Brands, the company their family founded and grew into a leader of the beverage alcohol space. The foundation, its leaders, and the family have provided a variety of support to the university over the years, including at MAG, Simon and the Medical Center. 

In 2022, the Bennetts, the Sands Family Foundation and Constellation Brands also provided leadership funding to expand MAG’s Centennial Sculpture Park, which is always free and open to the public. 

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