UMFA Receives Art Bridges Foundation Funding Through  Nationwide ‘Access for All’ Initiative  

FOR RELEASE: October 13, 2023 
MEDIA CONTACT: Emma Ryder, emma.ryder@umfa.utah.edu  

two little girls sit on a bench in a museum gallery pretending to take a selfie with a toy phone


The Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) at the University of Utah has been awarded funding from Art Bridges Foundation, the national arts nonprofit founded by philanthropist Alice Walton. The funding is part of “Access for All,” an Art Bridges initiative providing $40 million to 64  museums nationwide. The initiative aims to increase access to museums across the country and foster engagement with local communities by covering the costs of free admission days and expanded free hours along with other programming efforts aimed at eliminating common barriers to museum access. The UMFA’s funding of $400,000 over three years will support established free admission days and related events on the first Wednesday and third Saturday of every month.  

Museums participating in the Access for All initiative span 36 states and Puerto Rico. Among the 64 partners representing a broad range of locations including the UMFA, are the Howard University Gallery of Arts (Washington, D.C.); Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (San Juan, PR); Plains Art Museum (Fargo, ND); Portland Museum of Art (Portland, ME); San Diego Museum of Art (San Diego, CA); Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY); Wichita Art Museum (Wichita, KS); and Yellowstone Art Museum (Billings, MT). The full list of participating museums can be found on the Art Bridges website.

“Everyone, no matter where they live, deserves access to art. That’s why we started Art Bridges: to support museums in deepening their connections with local communities, and to pave the way for new audiences to experience the creativity and joy that comes with seeing art,” said Alice Walton, founder and board chair of Art Bridges in a press release regarding the new initiative.  

“The UMFA is so honored to be a part of this initiative. As the fine arts museum for both the state and the University, the UMFA is a vibrant hub for cultural exchange among campus and community audiences and this funding will help us connect with even more members of our community. We look forward to welcoming new visitors and embracing this opportunity to think more deeply about what we do and how we might best serve our community, effect positive change in our world, and help create a more just society,” said Gretchen Dietrich, The Marcia and John Price Executive Director of the UMFA.

In addition to using the Access for All funds to bolster the UMFA’s twice-monthly free days on the first Wednesday and third Saturday of every month, active military families, EBT/WIC card holders and students from Utah’s public universities, among others, always have free admission. See a full list of ways to visit the UMFA for free or reduced admission at umfa.utah.edu/visit. 

The Utah Museum of Fine Arts is located on the University of Utah campus in the Marcia and John Price Museum Building at 410 Campus Center Drive. The UMFA's mission is to inspire critical dialogue and illuminate the role of art in our lives. For more information call (801) 581-7332 or visit www.umfa.utah.edu.