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MAG to eliminate admission fees after surpassing $9M campaign goal
(Photo Credit: University of Rochester Memorial Art Gallery / Paige Engard)
(Photo Credit: University of Rochester Memorial Art Gallery / Paige Engard)
MAG to eliminate admission fees after surpassing $9M campaign goal
Listen to this articleAfter surpassing its fundraising goal, the University of Rochester‘s Memorial Art Gallery will soon eliminate admission fees for all visitors permanently.
The museum announced it has raised more than $9 million through its “Free for All, Forever” campaign, allowing the institution to open its doors free of charge sometime in 2027.
“By eliminating our admission fee for everyone in perpetuity, generations of community members will soon be able to enjoy MAG’s extraordinary collection and benefit from a rich cultural education without cost of entry ever standing in the way,” said Sarah Jesse, the Mary W. and Donald R. Clark Director of the Memorial Art Gallery.
The campaign reached its goal with a $1 million contribution from Alexander “Al” A. Levitan MD and Lucy K. Levitan.
Momentum for the initiative accelerated in fall 2025 with a $3 million leadership gift from MAG Board of Managers Vice President and University Trustee Doug Bennett and Abby Bennett, together with the Sands Family Foundation. That contribution established the Abby and Doug Bennett and Sands Family Foundation Free for All Endowment and served as a catalyst for additional community support.
In April, Mary Ellen Burris added a $2 million gift to the endowment effort. Additional leadership support came from an anonymous donor, Kitty and Nick Jospé and Sandy Hawks Lloyd and Justin Hawks Lloyd, alongside contributions from many community members.
Currently, adult admission to MAG is $20.
The move returns the museum to its original mission established by founder Emily Sibley Watson, who gifted the museum to the Rochester community in 1913 as a place for education and enjoyment accessible to all.
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