The MAG receives $2M gift to support free admission

The Memorial Art Gallery is moving closer to its goal of offering permanently free general admission following a significant philanthropic gift from Mary Ellen Burris, a longtime community leader and alumna of the University of Rochester‘s Warner School of Education and Human Development. 

Burris has committed $2 million to the museum’s Free for All Endowment, an initiative designed to eliminate general admission fees and ensure the gallery remains accessible to all visitors. 

Her contribution builds on a $3 million leadership gift announced in fall 2025 from university trustee Doug Bennett and Abby Bennett, along with the Sands Family Foundation. That earlier philanthropy established the Abby and Doug Bennett and Sands Family Foundation Free for All Endowment and launched a broader campaign to raise additional support for free admission. 

“We are deeply grateful to Mary Ellen for investing in this important initiative,” said Sarah Jesse, the Mary W. and Donald R. Clark director of the Memorial Art Gallery. “She is one of our great local philanthropists, whose generosity and public spiritedness will have a lasting effect on our community and improve the lives of every citizen. We share the conviction that no one should be turned away from the museum for lack of money.” 

Burris said the Bennetts’ leadership inspired her to participate in the effort. 

“The Bennetts’ generosity inspired me to get involved—to do what I could to help everyone have access to this amazing museum,” she said. “The Memorial Art Gallery is a treasure in our community, and everyone should have access to it.” 

Burris recently retired as senior vice president of consumer affairs at Wegmans Food Markets after nearly five decades with the company, where she helped lead initiatives focused on consumer education, food safety and healthy eating. She remains an active philanthropic partner of the university’s Warner School and a supporter of UR Medicine’s Saunders Center for Orthopaedics & Physical Performance. 

Her gift comes at a pivotal moment in the museum’s effort to remove financial barriers to arts access. Adult admission at the gallery is currently $20, a cost that can discourage some individuals and families from visiting. 

Museum data shows free admission significantly expands participation. When admission fees are waived, attendance can increase more than sixfold compared with a typical day. 

The Free for All Endowment also reflects the founding vision of Emily Sibley Watson, who gifted the museum to the community in 1913 as a place for education and cultural enrichment. For its first 56 years, the museum offered free admission to all visitors. 

In addition to supporting free admission, the museum is working to raise $9 million to expand access to programming, including free school tours and SNAP memberships.  

Fundraising efforts are continuing as the museum seeks to secure the resources needed to make free gallery admission permanent while broadening its educational and community offerings. 

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